Rare Wine Co. "Historic Series: Charleston" Madeira

FROM RARE WINE CO.:

THE MADEIRA: This is the driest wine in the series and a wine that has been served throughout meals in America for nearly 300 years. Chef Mario Batali won over 1000+ guests at the 2009 New York Wine Experience by boldly pairing Charleston Sercial with a wild boar dish of Wolfgang Puck’s creation. Just two weeks later, in the Wall Street Journal, Alice Feiring picked the same Madeira as a wine of choice for chestnut soup, noting that it “is like a salted caramel without its sugar.” But Mario and Alice were not the first to discover Charleston Sercial’s charms. In 2005, Grant Achatz, whom many believe is America’s most inventive chef, attracted national press for his cutting-edge pairings of Charleston Sercial with dishes at Alinea in Chicago.

THE PRODUCER: The goal of these remarkable wines was to introduce a new generation of American wine lovers not only to our shared history with Madeira, but to the wine’s magical quality: its astonishing bouquet, its glorious richness and balance, and its versatility as an aperitif, dessert wine and food wine. With this in mind, in 1998 we began working with Vinhos Barbeito’s owner, Ricardo Freitas, to create a series of Madeiras reflecting the style and complexity that enchanted our forefathers. The Rare Wine Co. had long been known as America’s pre-eminent source of Vintage Madeiras from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries; yet, Ricardo was perfectly positioned to help us. He, too, possessed a remarkable library of old Madeira, but he also had a unique understanding of the qualities we sought. And, for the project, he could contribute wines ranging in age from ten to sixty years, allowing us to produce superbly complex, aged Madeiras at affordable prices.