Madeira advice?

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
I'm always VERY peeved when I'm served a nice dessert wine in a very small glass.

Questions for the cognoscenti here...

1) Is a mid-sized tulip glass the best choice for a very old Madeira?

2) Generally speaking, what is the best guideline, especially timewise, for decanting/double decanting a very old Madeira to let VA, if any, blow off, maybe 1 - 2 hours?

3) Serve at warm cellar temperature e.g., say, 60+ degrees, right?

Any other advice?

Thanks!

. . . . . Pete
 
1) I think the Gabriel Glas (or Zalto Universal, which is similar) is just about the perfect glass size for Madeira
2) Against conventional wisdom, I actually don't agree with the idea of opening and airing for about a month before you drink it - to me Madeira does show something interesting and different as soon as you pop the cork. I tend to have a glass for myself that way from every new bottle and then finish the rest over a year or two.
3) Yeah, but room temperature is fine too.
 
Keith, thanks for the good info!

I'm surprised AND pleased to see your comment about decanting. I'm generally not a decanting fan, especially not decanting well in advance.

I'll lean toward decanting just before serving.

The size of the glasses you mention is what I expected. How important do you feel the shape is as I don't think I have anything shaped like that?

. . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
to me Madeira does show something interesting and different as soon as you pop the cork.
Click to expand...

I disagree pretty strongly here. I wouldn't say a month, but at least a few days. Unless you like liquid violin strings.
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Keith, thanks for the good info!

I'm surprised AND pleased to see your comment about decanting. I'm generally not a decanting fan, especially not decanting well in advance.

I'll lean toward decanting just before serving.

The size of the glasses you mention is what I expected. How important do you feel the shape is as I don't think I have anything shaped like that?

. . . . . Pete
Click to expand...
I think the only thing that really matters is not having too wide a bowl which might make fortified wines smell too alcoholic. Well, that and the serving size.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
to me Madeira does show something interesting and different as soon as you pop the cork.
Click to expand...

I disagree pretty strongly here. I wouldn't say a month, but at least a few days. Unless you like liquid violin strings.
Click to expand...
I can't figure out what you mean by liquid violin strings, but it sounds rather nice and poetic.
 
I don't understand why you would decant Madeira, but hey, they used to be kept in crystal decanters in Colonial times, so maybe they had The Knowledge.
Usually an open bottle will sit open for me anywhere from a month to 6 months, so it's like being decanted.
If you keep it cellar temp or cooler, the wine opens in different and interesting ways as it warms up, rather than if you drink it at room temperature, which sometimes makes the alcohol protrude more, especially if it is a warmer day.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
I don't understand why you would decant Madeira, but hey, they used to be kept in crystal decanters in Colonial times, so maybe they had The Knowledge.
Usually an open bottle will sit open for me anywhere from a month to 6 months, so it's like being decanted.
If you keep it cellar temp or cooler, the wine opens in different and interesting ways as it warms up, rather than if you drink it at room temperature, which sometimes makes the alcohol protrude more, especially if it is a warmer day.
Click to expand...

I think the decanting is for fancy, but I do think it needs a bit of time before quaffing.
 
If all we know about a wine is that it is Madeira Solera 1845, then...

1) What can we presume would be the best food accompaniment; and

2) Is the no-decant preference still applicable?

Thanks!

. . . . Pete
 
Madeira is a high-acid white with lots of oxidation and, depending on the grape. more or less sweetness. Any light to medium-weight food should work; heavier foods may be trickier because they'll tend to show up the oxidation more. When in doubt, serve chicken.

Re the decanting, well, if it's an old bottling then I would give it time to air out; it it's a new bottling then pop 'n' pour is OK.
 
It's a Cossart Gordon Bual Solera Madeira 1845.

Research suggests it will work well with dessert. We'll see!

. . . . . Pete
 
Here's what I am planning at this point to do with the Cossart Gordon Bual Solera Madeira 1845...

Decant 1/2 - 1 hour in advance.

Serve at near-cellar temp.

Use medium-sized tulip glasses.

Serve with cookies/mignardises/etc.

. . . . . Pete
 
Thanks, Pete. Reports are that the wine is quite dark and vividly fragrant with lots of sweetness and torrefaction (e.g., coffee, caramel, smoke) and oxidation (e.g., nuts) flavors. Acidity, of course, is what holds the wine together and there should be plenty of.

Did this come in the silk-lined presentation box or did you acquire it from a hoodie-wearing Madeiran in a dark alley?
 
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