Overview: If it cooks – it must be Madeira! For more than 500 years, Madeira has been pouring its heart and soul into making the unique fortified wines that are named after this sub-tropical island. Madeira’s mountainous vineyards skirt the island in terraces high above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Africa. As The Thirsty Traveler discovers, Madeira producers today won’t mess with an old trick. Madeira was a popular port of call for the early traders who stocked up on the Island’s wines destined for the colonies. They found that the further south they traveled, the hotter it got. The wine was literally cooking in the barrels but instead of a fiasco, the result was fantastic. Why it was even used to toast the signing of the American Declaration of Independence! Today, they don’t send the wine to the Equator to ‘cook’, they use the Estufa (Hot House) Method to maintain Madeira’s distinct flavour. And if you ever wondered about the origins of Madeira Sauce ... well, don’t miss this trip!