FOR me, there’s only one beverage that works perfectly with treacle tart, and that’s a nice, rich Madeira. I’m sure that some producers of fine liqueur Muscats in Australia would take exception to my sweeping opening statement, but today’s column is nonetheless all about the least fashionable of fortifieds, Madeira. Sherry and Port are hardly on-trend, but in fortified sales terms, they are barrels and pipes ahead of Madeira.
And this is a shame, as Madeira is versatile, food-friendly, high in alcohol, and almost bullet-proof. An open bottle has the potential of lasting for months, although it would never have the chance in my house.
Madeira is the fortified wine that comes from the wee volcanic island of the same name off the coast of Africa. The volcanic soil helps to provide grapes with good acidity and therefore wines with great minerality. The grapes are (from dry to sweet) Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey, so those names on the label should give you an indication of the style in the bottle. We’ll mostly be concerned with the richer, sweeter styles to match the treacle tart.
Madeira is different to other fortified wines due to it undergoing the estufagem process ,which essentially involves baking the wine to bring out lovely rich, nutty, burnt-toffee flavours. The process was developed to recreate the effect of taking barrels over the equator on ships bound for the new world in the 17th and 18th centuries. The constantly high temperatures would cook the wine in the barrels which the sailors had already fortified by the addition of brandy to make the wine (and the sailors) last the long journey.
Most supermarkets will have a Madeira or two on their shelves, but Waitrose currently has the most diverse range. Grab a bottle of the Henriques & Henriques Full Rich Madeira (Waitrose, £10.79 for 50cl) as a great introduction to the style. It’s full of dried figs, honey and caramel and is exceptional value for money.
The perfect bottle with treacle tart is Blandy’s Single Harvest Malmsey 2010 (Waitrose, £13.99 for 50cl), which is all about the dried fruits, toffee and Christmas spices. And it's still great value.
And finally, as a wee treat … grab a bottle of the Blandy’s 15-year-old Bual (Waitrose, limited availability, £24.99 for 50cl) before they run out. This is lovely and lush without being as sweet as the Malmsey and it’s a style that is getting harder and harder to find in Scotland because it's just not fashionable enough.
Don't be fashionable, buck the trend and put a Madeira in your basket this weekend!
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow www.inveraritymorton.com
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