Madeira, Portugal
Winston Churchill visited Madeira for the first time in 1899. He returned several times after WWII to paint and write his memoirs. When asked if he was enjoying the island, Churchill said he was…
“Easily satisfied with the best.”
Our driver from the airport asked if this was our first time in Madeira. We said it was, to which he responded with one word. …
“Paradise.”
Winston and our cab driver are on to something.
We spent three days on Madeira, enough to uncover a few mysteries, but not long enough to satisfy our yearning for island life.
Here is a sample of what we encountered while we were on the Atlantic island. Please bear in mind that much of our education occurred while under the influence of Madeira wine, so judge its veracity accordingly.
Liquid History
The flavour of Madeira wine improves when barrels are stored in the intense heat of a ship’s hold over a long time. This feature was discovered when unsold barrels of wine sent to America as inventory were returned to Madeira.
Vinho da Roda (wines that have made a round trip) became very popular.
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was convicted of attempted treason against his brother, King Edward IV.
The duke was sentenced to death by drowning in a vat of sweet Madeira wine.
A shipment of Madeira wine destined for the American colonies was accidentally diluted with rainwater while it sat on the docks in Savannah, Georgia. Rather than dump the wine, merchants tried to pass it off as a “new style.” To their surprise, the diluted wine was well received, so they replicated it.
The product, marketed with a “Rainwater” label, is still one of the largest-selling styles of Madeira wine in the United States.
A ship transporting Napoleon to his exile on Saint Helena had to dock in the port of Funchal in August 1815. Napoleon was not allowed to leave HMS Northumberland; however, the British Counsel took aboard a gift of a barrel of Madeira wine. Napoleon refused the wine, and the barrel came back to Madeira. It was bottled as 1792 Sercial.
Winston Churchill was presented with a bottle of the unique wine on a visit to Madeira.
Churchill sampled the vintage wine and summarized it nicely: “Madeira Wine is … like drinking liquid history.”
Barbary Pirates
No story is complete without pirates, and Madeira has had its share. Not just one or two, 800 of them in just one night!
In 1617, pirates from Algeria landed eight ships on the south shore; they plundered the island over several days in what became known as The Sack of Madeira.
The pirates enslaved 1200 men, women, and children.
They also sacked the nearby island of Porto Santo, capturing all of its 630 residents.
The captives were taken to Algiers, where they were subjected to brutal conditions of slavery. Those who survived may have been ransomed if Portuguese or church authorities were willing to pay the price demanded by the …
… Barbary Pirates.
On a Lighter Note,
Ever wonder why Happy Hour is “happy”? I thought it was either the effects of alcohol, or the discounted prices that make customers happy, turns out it is neither.
The tradition of Happy Hour originated in Madeira in the late 19th century (according to our tour guide, Suzanna). At about noon every day a hotel worker would make the arduous climb to the top of Pico Alto, a mountain north of Funchal. There was a well on top of the mountain, into which the man would have lowered buckets of water the previous day. At 1100-meter altitude, the deep well was cold enough for ice to form.
The worker would bring up the water buckets, now turned to ice, and return to the hotel bar in time for cocktail hour. Parched hotel guests, who had spent the day in the tropical heat, would be served chilled afternoon drinks.
In the days before refrigeration, it wasn’t alcohol or a bargain price that made people happy, it was ice.
Bear and I have enjoyed our time in Portugal and her island colonies. Tomorrow, we depart for Morocco, land of the Barbary Pirates.
If you don’t hear from us, please arrange a ransom.
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