sherry-producing region of Spain sometime before 1600 Winemakers take advantage of the stability of fortified wines by exposing them to the air for months or years They thus make a virtue of the normally undesirable oxidative changes in flavor that come with keeping leftover wine Most fortified wines keep well for weeks in an opened bottle or decanter Madeira Beginning in the 15th century, Portuguese ships embarking on long voyages to the Indies would pick up barrels of ordinary wine on the Portuguese island of Madeira Sailors and producers soon found that the long barrel aging in extreme temperatures and with constant agitation produced an unusual but attractive wine By 1700, ships were sailing to the East Indies and back just to age the barrels of Madeira stored on board; by 1800, the wine was being fortified with brandy and hot-aged on the island Today, the base wine, which can be white or red, is fortified, sometimes sweetened, then artificially heated to a temperature around 120ºF/50ºC, where it’s held for three months before slowly cooling down again It’s then aged in barrels in a sherry-like solera system (below) before bottling There are several different styles of Madeira, from sweet to nearly dry Styles of Port Today there are several distinct styles of port, the most common of which are these: Vintage port is made from the best grapes in especially good years, and is barrel-aged for two years and bottle-aged unfiltered for a minimum of 10 years, often many decades longer It’s dark and fruity, must be decanted off its considerable sediment, and must be drunk within a few days after the bottle is opened ... before bottling There are several different styles of Madeira, from sweet to nearly dry Styles of Port Today there are several distinct styles of port, the most common of which are these: Vintage port is made from the best... Vintage port is made from the best grapes in especially good years, and is barrel-aged for two years and bottle-aged unfiltered for a minimum of 10 years, often many decades longer It’s dark and fruity, must be decanted off its... sweetened, then artificially heated to a temperature around 120ºF/50ºC, where it’s held for three months before slowly cooling down again It’s then aged in barrels in a sherry-like solera system (below)