"Have some Madeira M'Dear"
Michael Flanders (1922–1975) and Donald Swann (1923–1994) wrote and performed a collection of very entertaining songs for a stage review during the 1950s and 1960s called "At the Drop of a Hat" and a follow-up called "At the Drop of Another Hat." Recordings of their performances were also made into records (that is, LPs, if you are too young to remember before CDs). Many of these songs are just as amusing now as they were back then, and if you haven't heard of them, I'd like to introduce you!
Madeira wine -- the drink offered by the man with very bad intentions in the song -- is actually quite a delicious beverage. We haven't had any Madeira for a while, but we're thinking we ought to get some! It's also used in one of the classic French sauces. From an article on "Classic Madeira Wine Sauce" at The Spruce Eats:
"Madeira wine is named after the Madeira islands in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Portugal, where the grapes for it are grown. It has a sweet, caramel flavor, but it isn't overpoweringly sweet. There's a smoky, nutty undertone to it as well.
"The original demi-glace was actually made with Madeira wine in very complex recipes. Nowadays, these thick, syrupy sauces are half brown stock and half Espagnole sauce, reduced by half, and widely used to flavor other preparations with their concentrated and rich flavor. What we think of today as a Madeira sauce is simply a basic demi-glace that's been enriched with Madeira wine; so the main part of the cooking process of this wonderful sauce is making the demi-glace." (source)
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| Madeira wine producers offer tours of their cellars. See this website: Madeira Wine Bottlers. |
If you are a wine expert, you will know the names of several different styles and types of madeira wine, as well as know the historic vintages and prices of the wine. I'm no expert! Here's a screen grab that illustrates this variety:
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| A few types of Madeira wine from the website Vintage Wine and Port. Prices on this website range from around $30 to the five-figures. |
As usual, I'm sharing this little exploration of a beverage with the bloggers at Elizabeth's weekly blog party who share what they are drinking. I hope I'll be drinking some of this soon!
