D'Oliveiras Madeira 15 Year-old Medium Sweet

One thing that marks out Maderia wines is that they undergo a unique maturation process where they are naturally heated over a period of months to build concentration and consistency before being cooled prior to maturation. Ageing for a full 15 years to allows it to develop a complex range of layers and textures that mark it out as a most distinctive fortified wine. The traditional grape variety, Boal, is best suited for medium sweet styles and leads the blend used here. Its darkish hue is a good indicator of the richness to be found within and the flavours of dried fruits and figs certainly provide that. The bright acidity balances the sweetness well in the delicious lingering aftertaste.

Perfectly suited to after dinner drinking along side fresh fruit and hard cheeses.

Founded in 1850 and still family-run, Pereira d'Oliveira is one of the great keepers of Madeira tradition. Step into their cellars in Funchal and it feels like time has barely moved on - dark old casks, heavy bottles and labels that look straight out of another century. They are one of the few houses to survive from the pre-phylloxera period and have maintained a stock of old and rare wines dating well back into the 1800s. While others have modernised, they've simply carried on doing what they've always done: maturing wines slowly in wood, bottling only when ready, and guarding one of the island's most extraordinary libraries of vintages. Less commercial than their peers, they remain custodians of Madeira's heritage and a touchstone for authenticity and age-worthy style.