The Wine Lover: Madeira: The oldest wine in the world

I get asked sometimes how long various wines age and how you know when a wine is “peaking” or in its prime. The answer is somewhat complex, because different varietals and methods make for a vast variety of wines. Some wines should be drunk within a year of being made, and some can age for over a century.
It’s difficult to say when any given wine is peaking. Experts often taste fine wines when they are young and then try and guess at how long they should be aged. Wine collectors will buy a couple of cases of the same wine and then uncork a bottle every few years until they feel it has been aged appropriately. Over time, certain regions and wineries have shown that their wine is able to stand the test of time, and some have not.
The Rioja region in Spain specializes in the tempranillo varietal. Rioja wines are famous for their ability to age. Some Riojas aren’t even released from the winery until they have received 40 years of bottle aging, because the winemakers don’t want them to be drunk too young. Imagine making something you know you wouldn’t sell for 40 years. That’s a long paycheck to wait for.
The Piedmont region of Italy also makes wines that age for decades. Many French wines can withstand as much as a century of aging. But none of these regions compares to Madeira.
Before I continue, let me clarify that there are many bottles out there that are hundreds of years old. But I don’t believe many, if any, of them actually contain wine. A 500-year-old bottle of wine is more than likely vinegar. I am talking about wines you would actually want to drink.
Madeira is a small island off the coast of Northern Africa owned by Portugal. Madeira is a fortified wine, much like port. What sets Madeira apart is the “estufagem” process, in which the wine is actually heated. The best Madeiras are put in casks and left in the attics of the wine houses, where it gets quite hot under the Madeiran sun.
These wines seem as though they can age forever — and who knows, maybe some could. I tasted a 1910 Madeira once. It was overwhelming in its rich caramel and toffee flavors.
There are still bottles of Madeira for sale out there that eclipse the 200-year mark. And, what’s more, these wines are still drinkable. Madeiras go through so much trauma at a young age, like fortification and estufagem, that age doesn’t seem to give them much trouble.
Visualize it: drinking a wine that was made before the birth of Abraham Lincoln. It’s just another thing that makes wine so unique. Cheers!
Austin Twohig is a certified sommelier and partner in The Santa Cruz Experience, which conducts winery tours in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Contact him at au****@th********************.com.