The Madeira tasting is one to be remembered. Upon entry, tasters were greeted by alluring travel brochures about the island of Madeira (February is a cruel month) and by a perfumed tasting room. It was also a tasting of thirteen wines and cheeses chosen by Natale Lofaro and Marc Rollin, true gourmets. All in all, we knew this would be something special.

This blockbuster tasting began with a concise but stimulating introduction to Madeira and its wine over the centuries. Where else can you find bananas and pergolas side-by-side?

The aperitif, a light 5 year Cissart Girdibm Fine Dry, made of the noble grape Sercial matched well with the creamy and spicy cow’s milk Casa Matias. Aromas of dried apricots combined with caramel and sherry notes, zippy acidity, warmth and juiciness in the mouth. Great balance! This is the “dog strangler” because of its racy acidity.

The next flight of four Tinta Negra Moles whet the palate and introduced four 3- to 5-year-old wines representing best values and four styles of Madeira. It started with “rainwater Madeira,” glints of terracotta, rancio, intense orange characteristics and floral notes. Some initially wondered whether it was musty or corked. On the palate it felt rather sweet, but was backed with good acidity and went well with the sweaty Emmenthal Vielli en Grotte, intensifying the wine. The golden Henriques & Henriques Finest Dry showed vanilla and yellow fruit, was a bit salty/minerally with a short finish, and had great acid and good focus. Justino Jenriques, Justino’s Fine Rich, an amber-coloured wine, had appealing aromas of caramel, brown sugar, and cola. Flavours were described as sweet orange with good acidity and very interesting mouth-feel. It was the favourite. The Vieux Chimay à la Biere (washed rind orange cheese) really brought out the orange! In contrast, the extra old Mimolette felt creamy and enhanced the caramel notes of the wine. Lastly, the Broadbent Reserve (initially accused of volatile acidity) exhibited citrus/orange aromas and molasses with an excellent bitter orange palate tempered by sweetness. It was not as balanced as the previous wine. The St-Jorge cheese from the Azones suited the first, third, and last wines of the flight.

The third flight highlighted noble grapes. The 10 year Henriques & Henriques Sercial was nutty and creamy, with caramel and vanilla on the nose. It had a great, long finish, but also felt a bit hot. Truffled Pecorino brought out a walnut taste, but was an odd match (though a tasty cheese). Overall, this cheese cut through the sweetness of this flight. The 15 year Verdelho by the same producer had curious smoke and wood touches, intense orange, and a long finish. It came second in preference. Leacock’s 5 year Full Rich Malmsey was darker in colour, duller, with marmalade, caramel, ale, and apple juice aromas. It was spicy with great sweetness, some acid and brandy-like mouth feel—the definite crowd-pleaser. It paired exceptionally well with the Montagnard Goat Cheddar—another favourite. Lastly, the dark 10 year Henriques & Henriques Malmsey had a complex ale, tea, citrus, and honey nose with a surprisingly short but warm finish. The Beaufort d’Alpage was a challenge to match—depending on the wine it could seem sweet, spicy, or bring out bitterness or acidity. Use with caution.

Finally, the vintage flight elicited superlatives in describing the 10- to 111-year-old wines. Henriques & Henriques 1995 single harvest, fine rich Colheita was perfumed with vanilla, mineral, and raisin touches and felt very sweet, soft and round in the mouth. Next was Pereira d’Oliverias Terrantez Reserva 1977. My tasting notes say “wow, super-complex” with orange, tangerine, melon, musk, and smoke on the nose. Its palate was vivid and long, keeping people in the room. Henriques & Henriques’s 1957 Boal was another aromatic treat showing tea and orange on the nose, amazing acidity, fruit, honey and a looong finish. It was especially aromatic and pleasing when sampled with the 7 year Cheddar du Silo (mustbuy). Last, but not least, was the historic 1895 Pereira d’Oliveiras Malmsey Reserva. Priced at $895, it was beyond most people’s means and imaginations. Deep brown notwithstanding, it was clearly the favourite and was still very much alive, with demarera sugar, bergamot, orange, molasses, and floral notes on the nose, amazing sweetness and racing acidity, citrus, drawing uncontrollable “yums” from the tasters. (Standing ovation). The St-Julien (cow’s milk with walnuts) matched very well with the first and last wines. All but the boal suited the Highland Blue, while the crumbly, salty and scotch-smelling Fiore Sardo only barely matched with the first wine. Everyone enjoyed Natale’s home-made chocolate cake which put us all over the edge.

All in all, madeiras are excellent value because of their price, aging potential, and versatility. A large round of applause goes to Natale and Marc for assembling this delightful and memorable tasting. One can only guess what the 1895 has seen in its lifetime.

Apéro

Cossart Gordon, Sercial, Fine Dry, N/V, 5 Years Old, 19.20% alc. $21.95

Cheese: Casa Matias, Portugal (cow’s milk)

Tinta Negra Mole Flight

Leacock’s, Rainwater, Medium Dry, N/V, 3 Years Old, 19% alc. (375 ml) $9.95

Henriques & Henriques, Finest Dry, N/V, 5 Years Old, 19% alc. $19.95

Justino Henriques, Justino’s, Fine Rich, N/V, 3 Years Old, 19% alc. $13.95

Broadbent, Reserve, N/V, 5 Years Old, 19% alc. $26.95

Cheeses: Vieux Chimay à la Bière, Belgium (cow’s milk)

Emmenthal Vielli en Grotte, Switzerland (cow’s milk)

St-Jorge, 8-month old, Portugal (cow’s milk)

Mimolette, Extra Old, France (cow’s milk)

Noble Grapes Flight

Henriques & Henriques, Sercial, N/V, 10 Years Old, 20% alc. $29.95

Henriques & Henriques, Verdelho, N/V, 15 Years Old, 20% alc. $43.95

Leacock’s, Malmsey, Full Rich, N/V, 5 Years Old, 19% alc. $19.95

Henriques & Henriques, Malmsey, N/V, 10 Years Old, 20% alc. $39.95

Cheeses: Rassembleu, Québec, Canada (cow’s milk)

Le Montagnard Goat Cheddar, Québec, Canada (goat’s milk)

Beaufort d’Alpage, France (cow’s milk)

Truffled Pecorino, Italy (sheep’s milk with truffles)

Vintage Flight

Henriques & Henriques, Single Harvest, Fine Rich, 1995, Colheita, 19% alc. (500 ml) $23.95

Pereira d’Oliveiras, Terrantez, Reserva, 1977, Vintage, 20% alc. $110.00

Henriques & Henriques, Boal, 1957, Vintage, 20% alc. $299.00

Pereira d’Oliveiras, Malmsey, Reserva, 1895, Vintage, 20% alc. $895.00

Cheeses

Cheddar du Silo, 7-year old, Québec, Canada (cow’s milk)

Highland Blue Raw Ewe Milk, Ontario, Canada (ewe’s milk)

St-Julien, France (cow’s milk with walnuts)

Fiore Sardo, Italy (sheep’s milk)