Book review: Madeira Wine Today – Jeroen Bronkhorst

Madeira Wine Today by Jeroen Bronkhorst
Self-published | ISBN 9789083012438

Madeira was once a royal wine icon, but today it often gathers dust in the kitchen cupboard. Wrongly so, as many experts consider Madeira to be one of the world’s greatest wines. Jancis Robinson MW, for example, has chosen it as her ‘Lone Island Wine’.

Jeroen Bronkhorst, founder of Wijnstudio in Amsterdam, discovered his passion for Madeira during numerous visits to the island. With his many years of experience as a wine expert, certified WSET educator and the first Dutch Certified Port and Madeira Wine Educator, he spent over two years writing ‘Madeira Wine Today’. The book offers a comprehensive insight into terroir, vinification, still wines, legislation and culinary connections. Over 200 stunning photographs capture the breathtaking nature of the island.

The book sheds light on Madeira’s unique volcanic geology, its special climate and indigenous grape varieties. Traditional production methods such as estufagem and canteiro ageing are explained in detail, as are the styles of the individual producers. Bronkhorst combines precise data with clear infographics and an accessible narrative style.

The section on the flavour profile of Madeira wines with their own Madeira flavour wheel and food pairings is particularly interesting. Bronkhorst suggests creative combinations and techniques, including spraying Madeira over dishes as a flavour spray or a Madeira butter that provides a flavour highlight. You also learn exciting details that I didn’t know, such as the fact that the @ symbol was originally a symbol for the ‘arroba’, a cone-shaped clay container for sugar.

The design is also impressive: a well thought-out layout, high quality photographs and a successful balance between information and aesthetics. Madeira Wine Today is not only a comprehensive reference work, but also a visual tribute to this extraordinary wine.

A must-read for each wine lover. Especially if you want to prepare for the WSET Diploma. Anyone who wants to learn more about Madeira wine will find this a well-founded and inspiring source. You can purchase the book here.

I had the opportunity to ask the author of the book some questions:

What would you recommend to people who want to try Madeira Wine?

Start with a 10 year old Madeira. It’s is affordable, and you already notice what aging does to this wine.

Do you like sweet? Then take a Boal or Malvasia.
Are you looking for elegance? Try a Verdelho.
Do you like the play of sour and sweet, choose a Sercial.

The second time, buy a frasqueira, the highest quality.
Do not drink it in a loud and crowdy environment. Find a nice chair, take your time and sip on it. Or prepare some good food, invite your best friends, and share the experience.
Like they say when flying: sit back, relax, enjoy.

What is your favourite Madeira & food pairing?

First of all, I feel that Madeira is always at its best with food. The style of wines differ a lot, depending on the grape variety, the aging method used, the aging time, and certainly the wine maker.

For sweet, full-rich desserts, Malvasia is the best choice.

But the most surprising combination, that I try over en and over when I am on Madeira, is ‘espada’, the black scabbard fish with bananas and passion fruit, served with 20 years old Sercial. Espada is a small, black monster with lots of teeth, from ancient times. The sweet-sour passion fruit goes so well with Sercial, a grape variety with the highest acidity in the world.

How do you see the future of Madeira Wine?

It will be hard to find people to continue the viticulture. All work can only be done manual, because of the steep slopes. Sometimes a ladder is needed to harvest.

Further, the future of madeira wine is bright: it is a totally unique wine, there is little of it, and one can easily keep it for a hundred years our more.

I wished I’d bought more very old bottles five years ago, when it was much cheaper.

(I would like to thank the author for his answers. The last two photos above are from the book ‘Madeira Wine Today’ and were taken by the author Jeroen Bronkhorst. They are published here with his kind permission).