Madeira
Fortified wine from the island of Madeira, aged with heat and air until it becomes almost indestructible. Cheaper wines are warmed in tanks (estufagem); the best age slowly in casks in warm lofts (canteiro). An opened bottle keeps for months, and century-old vintages are still lively.
Kinds of Madeira
| Kind | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Sercial | The driest style: piercing acidity, citrus and nuts. |
| Verdelho | Medium dry: smoky, honeyed, still very fresh. |
| Boal (Bual) | Medium sweet: raisins, caramel, spice. |
| Malvasia (Malmsey) | The sweetest: toffee, coffee, dried fruit, cut by acidity. |
| Tinta Negra | The island’s workhorse, made at every sweetness level and now named on labels. |
| Rainwater | A light, medium-dry style historically popular in the United States. |
| 5, 10, 15, 20+ Years Old | Blends showing the character of their indicated age. |
| Colheita | A single-harvest Madeira, aged at least five years before bottling. |
| Frasqueira (Vintage) | A single-harvest, single-grape wine aged at least 20 years in cask. The pinnacle of Madeira. |
Wines to try
Blandy’s 5 Year Old Bual Madeira
FortifiedHenriques & Henriques Single Harvest 1997 Madeira
FortifiedBlandy’s 15 Year Old Sercial Madeira
FortifiedBarbeito Sercial 1993 Frasqueira MEF
FortifiedBarbeito Tinta Negra 20 Years Old Ribeiro Real
FortifiedBlandy’s Sercial 10 Years Old
FortifiedBlandy’s Verdelho 10 Years Old
FortifiedD’Oliveiras Sercial
FortifiedD’Oliveiras Verdelho
FortifiedHenriques & Henriques Sercial 10 Years Old
FortifiedHenriques & Henriques Tinta Negra 50 Years
FortifiedCritics’ picks
Scores out of 100 belong to one bottle and vintage, not the whole style. We only list scores and rankings we could confirm in a public source; follow each link to check. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Prices are US release prices per 75 cl as printed by the critic; value compares the score with the price trend.
| Bottle | Critic | Score | Price · value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blandy’s Sercial Dry Madeira 1965 | Wine Spectator | 97pts | $1080 Priced high (−1.0 pts) |
28 Feb 2026 issue |
| Blandy’s Bual Madeira 1994 | Wine Spectator | 96pts | $340 Good value (+0.9 pts) |
28 Feb 2026 issue |
| Blandy’s Malmsey Madeira 1996 | Wine Spectator | 96pts | $320 Good value (+1.1 pts) |
28 Feb 2026 issue |
| Justino’s Verdelho Broadbent Single Cask O 078 1997 | Wine Spectator | 95pts | $124 (500 ml) Good value (+1.4 pts) |
28 Feb 2026 issue |
| Justino’s Sercial Broadbent Colheita Single Cask O 076 1998 | Wine Spectator | 94pts | $124 (500 ml) Fair price (+0.4 pts) |
28 Feb 2026 issue |
Grapes
Producers
Sandeman
Est. 1790Famous for “The Don”, the caped silhouette that is one of wine’s oldest logos. Now part of Sogrape.
Blandy’s
Est. 1811The Blandy family has made Madeira for more than two centuries. Its Funchal lodge is one of the island’s main visitor attractions.
Vinhos Barbeito
Est. 1946A small, innovative house known for precise, very fresh Madeiras made without added caramel colouring.
Henriques & Henriques
Est. 1850One of the island’s great old houses, with deep stocks of aged and vintage Madeira.
D’Oliveiras
Est. 1850A family house famous for its huge library of old Frasqueira vintages, some from the 1800s, still sold at its Funchal shop.
Justino’s
Est. 1870The island’s largest producer and a major exporter of Madeira.