Best madeira wine to buy

• Best madeira to buy at a glance
• What is madeira wine?
• Best madeira to buy 2025
• What are the different styles of madeira?
• What food does madeira pair with?

Best madeira to buy at a glance

• Best sweet madeira: Blandy’s Duke of Clarence, £15
• Best value madeira: Henriques & Henriques 10-year-old sercial, £22.50
• Best introduction to madeira: Henriques & Henriques Finest Medium Rich 5 Years Old, £14.07
• Best modern madeira: Blandy’s Verdelho 10 Year Old, £34.95

What is madeira wine?

Like port, madeira is a fortified wine, but it's made in a unique way on the lonely island of Madeira, which sits about 320 miles off the west coast of Morocco. Discovered by the Portuguese in 1419, Madeira was established as a stopping point on transatlantic voyages, where ships would stock up on food, water and wine. The wine was fortified with rum made on the island from the sugar cane that grew there to help preserve it on its journey, and as the ships passed through the tropics, the barrels of wine were exposed to oxygen and heat – usually the sworn enemies of wine, but which instead transformed it into something very special indeed.

These days, the heating takes place on the island itself, and it makes the wine entirely stable so it will last almost indefinitely, even after it’s been opened – I’m lucky enough to have tasted one made in 1827, which still tasted incredibly vibrant and fresh.

I’ve recommended here some very affordable wines, but if you’re looking for a very special present from a certain year, head to Bovey Wines, which stocks some of the oldest madeiras on the market, made by the esteemed D’Oliveiras company.

Best madeira wine to buy 2025

Blandy’s Duke of Clarence

• Available from Waitrose Cellar (£15)

Best sweet madeira

Named after the Duke of Clarence, who was famously drowned in a barrel of malmsey madeira in 1478 as a punishment for conspiring against his brother, King Edward IV. Made in a sweet style like malmsey, it’s a great introduction to madeira and is widely available. Great with mince pies, Christmas cake or pistachio and almond date bark, or add a splash to coffee or hot chocolate.

Available from:
Waitrose Cellar (£15)

Henriques & Henriques 10-year-old sercial

• Available from Waitrose Cellar (£22.50)

Best value madeira

Fantastic value for this elegant, bone-dry sercial. It's a blend of wines, the youngest of which is aged for 10 years, although some may be much older than that. Expect dried apricots and roasted almonds with a bite of tart cooking apples, and serve chilled with crisps, nuts, hard cheeses or as a very classy accompaniment to a cheese toastie with date and tamarind chutney.

Available from:
Waitrose Cellar (£22.50)

Henriques & Henriques Finest Medium Rich 5 Years Old

• Available from Master of Malt (£14.07)

Best introduction to madeira

Established by João Gonçalves Henriques in 1850, Henriques & Henriques continues as a benchmark producer of madeira wine. This, made from tinta negra in the medium-sweet style, is a great introduction to madeira wine with its burnt orange, walnut and toffee notes finishing with a tangy acidity to cut the sweetness. Fantastic value.

Available from:
Master of Malt (£14.07)

Blandy’s Verdelho 10 Year Old

• Available from The Whisky Exchange (£34.95)

Best modern madeira

Blandy’s offers a range of well-priced traditional wines. This, however, is made in a very modern style – one of a new selection of wines aged in Blandy’s warehouses on the coast, which are cooler and more humid than their traditional lodge in Funchal, so giving fresher, more saline wines. Dried apricots, warm spices and a seam of savoury umami are lifted by a zesty and very long, appetising finish.

Available from:
The Whisky Exchange (£34.95)

What are the different styles of madeira wine?

Sercial, verdelho, bual and malvasia are known as the ‘noble’ grapes and are always made, correspondingly, in dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet and sweet styles in the traditional canteiro system, whereby the casks of wine (called pipes) are moved from time to time as they age for a minimum of three years (but often very much longer) within the ageing rooms, mimicking the changes in temperature the wines underwent as they crossed the oceans centuries ago.

Tinta negra is the most widely planted grape and is made in all styles, indicated on the label, often for entry-level wines which are heated artificially in tanks using the estufagem process, although they are also capable of canteiro greatness. Frasqueira refers to wines that have been aged in barrel for at least 20 years. The heating and cooling of the wines renders them stable so they last for ever, even after they’re opened; bottles from a specific colheita (vintage) make great presents for a special occasion.

What food does madeira pair with?

Drier styles are generally best with savoury food and are as good with nuts and olives as they are with seafood, summer salads and cheesy pasta. Sweeter styles naturally suit blue cheese, fruity puddings and chocolate, but can also be good with spicy food. Whichever you choose, madeira should be sipped rather than glugged. Serve it chilled in glasses big enough to swirl and sniff it so you explore the nuances.

Speedy serve

Madeira flip

A variation on an eggnog that makes it a retro drink to serve with canapés to kick off a party, or instead of (or as well as) pudding. You can use any kind of madeira, but might want to add a little more sugar, depending on its sweetness. For six people, whizz up 300ml of madeira, 300ml of brandy or whisky, 4 eggs and 1 tbsp of sugar in a blender with 4 cubes of ice. Pour into glasses and garnish each with a grating of nutmeg.

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