Henriques & Henriques, Madeira, Boal 10 YR

Madeira is a truly unique style of wine made solely on the island of Madeira, off the coast of Africa. In addition to being fortified, the wines are exposed to both heat and oxygen – factors you are usually protecting wine from at all costs.  As a result, the wines are basically indestructible, and can be open for years without any loss of quality. The flavors mix bright fruit with toffee, caramel and spiced nuts.  Legend has it that the Henriques family planted some of the first vines on the island. After supplying wine to merchants from their extensive vineyard holdings for quite some time, in 1925 H&H started to bottle Madeira produced solely from their own vineyards, a rarity on this island. If anyone needs enticement to try Madeira - these wines were amongst the most highly prized by our country’s founding fathers. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was toasted with Madeira, not Champagne!