Maderia's strengths shine outside the kitchen

One of the reasons geeks love wine is that it's full of inconsistency, incongruity and contradiction. That's why we love Madeira (muh-DEER-rah); it's the most incongruent wine of all.

This is a wine that most modern Americans associate with bottom-shelf cooking wine but was once so prized that it filled our founding fathers' goblets as they toasted the Declaration of Independence.

This is a wine both luscious and refreshing, with rich alcohol backed by searing acidity, and flavors so unique they are judged to be flaws in other wines.

And while its production process would annihilate other grapes, Madeira lives indefinitely - even in open cask or bottle - sometimes a century and more.

Madeira is an island of Portugal, bobbing in the open Atlantic, 350 miles northwest of Africa. Discovered in the 1400s, Madeira became an international fueling station for seafarers en route to Africa, Asia, India and the America's - the premium fuel being her high octane wine, sweetened with the island's abundant cane sugar and fortified with distilled cane syrup to withstand long voyages. In fact, the wine not only survived; it tasted better after roiling in the furnace-like heat of ship hulls, with prized casks emblazoned "vinho da roda" to advertise the benefits of a round trip.

Fast, diesel-powered ships destroyed Madeira's market as well as her production methods - (imagine how these folks feel about burning carbon-based fuel) - so modern Madeira employs an estafu ("hothouse") system. Bulk wines are heated to 122-degrees in concrete-lined tanks, for a minimum of three months. Better Madeira is heated in wooden casks to a gentler 100-degrees for about six months. Fine Madeira eschews estufagem in favor of the canteiro system, in which casks are stored on the uppermost beams (canteiro) of Madeira lodges, to endure the subtropical sun.

Pummeled by heat and oxygen, other wine "cracks up" (in technical parlance), turning muddy in appearance and flat in flavor, a process pejoratively defined as "maderization."

Madeira loves the punishment. In fact, the finest vinho de canteiro, labeled with a single-vintage date, is aged for at least 20 years in cask before release for sale. Aficionados search out wines aged 30 years and more. (In 1999, Wine Spectator described, Cossart Gordon Bual Solera 1845 as "complex, rich and aggressive, with tangy balancing acidity, finishing on a bitter chocolate note.")

These delicious, century-old wines deserve the respect of lofty prices, $500 per bottle and more. (Contact Hart Davis Hart for its collection of vintage Madeira at hdhwine.com.)

For everyday use, non-vintage Madeira (really a multi-vintages blend) is unique, delicious and affordable for a range of uses, including as a top-shelf cooking wine, guaranteed to make the simplest recipe taste like gourmet fare.

Sercial, (such as Leacock's "5 Years of Age" Dry Sercial, $22) with flavors of almonds, citrus and spice, is the lightest and driest Madeira to serve chilled (like a fino Sherry) as an aperitif with cold meats, cheese and nuts. Sercial is also an exciting addition to onion soup, and lighter sauces.

Verdelho (Blandy's "5 Year Old" Verdelho, $21) is a touch fuller and sweeter, often with smoky accents, to enjoy before, during or after a meal. Serve chilled with hearty sandwiches and lighter red meats, and add to richer recipes, such as mushroom soup and sauces for rich roasts. Blended Verdelhos are generically labeled "rainwater."

Bual (or Boal) and Malmsey are distinctly sweet, to complement fruit cakes, chocolate and cheeses. Cossart Gordon "Aged for 15 Years" ($30 per 500 ml) is sweet but lively with citrus zest, spice and maple syrup flavors. Cossart Gordon 1990 Bual ($35 per 500 ml) is luxurious and complex, with spicy pear, butterscotch and cream flavors.

Blandy's "5 Year Old" Malmsey ($20) is richly sweet with flavors of raisin, toffee and roasted nuts, all balanced by refreshing acidity.

For recipes using Madeira, visit the "Entertaining" section at premiumport.com.

For more information about Madeira, visit the Madeira Wine Institute at madeira wine.com.

• Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month. Write her at food@dailyherald.com.

Ross' choice

Kung Fu Girl Riesling

2007

Charles Smith Wines

Washington State

• Suggested retail and availability: About $12 at wine and liquor shops

Bursting with pear, peach and apricot flavors with mineral complexity and vibrant acidity, this lush Riesling makes a not-too-dry, not-too-sweet cocktail and a complement to a wide range of foods, especially smoked foods (ham sandwich), spicy cuisines (three-alarm barbcue) and sushi. Spicy eel hand roll anyone? (Distributed by Cream Wine Co., Chicago)