Forgotten Island Wine (revised)

Madeira, Portugal

Madeira Island has been a waypoint for sea-going travellers since Prince Henry the Navigator stopped here in 1419. (Henry was undoubtedly chewing on the best cuts of beef while he was here, thanks to the citizens of Porto, as we learned in a previous post).

Today, Madeira is a stopping-off point on our trip from the Azores Islands to Morocco.

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I have had a fascination with this island for a very long time.  I wrote a blog post about Madeira in December 2022.  Following is a revised version of that piece.

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The tiny island of Madeira, Portugal is situated on a favourable trade wind route between Europe and America.  The island was an important stopping off point for ships from the 15th to 19th centuries. 

Early explorers discovered that the oceanic subtropical climate of Madeira, coupled with basaltic bedrock soil, provided excellent conditions for Malvasia grape production and a robust winemaking industry developed on the island.  When ships stopped for supplies in Madeira they loaded vast quantities of local wine for shipment to America.  Fortified Madeira wine gained a legendary reputation in the new world.

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Most people think of tea when they think about the American Revolution.  The Boston Tea Party was a defining moment leading to the revolution, but Madeira wine was also a catalyst for American Independence.

On May 9, 1768, John Hancock’s ship Liberty, laden with 3000 gallons of Madeira wine, was assessed an import duty by British administrators.  Hancock refused to pay the tax and the Liberty was seized.  The people of Boston rose in protest but were quelled by British forces.

John Hancock begrudgingly paid the duty and a fine, but the Madeira wine incident was instrumental in John Hancock signing his John Hancock on The Declaration of Independence.

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Madeira wine fell on hard times in the early 20th century.  A fungus found its way onto the island’s vineyards and decimated the grape crop.  At about the same time, prohibition was declared in America, eroding a major market.  By the time the fungal plague subsided, and prohibition ended in the early 1930’s, shipping technology had advanced to the point that mid-Atlantic stopping off points were no longer necessary.  Madeira wine lost its lustre. 

It became known as …

… Forgotten Island Wine.

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