13 Jul Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Versatility of Madeira with Food with Miles Madeira and Cossart Gordon Madeira

Some people say sparkling wine is a wine that can be paired throughout a meal, to which I agree. But do you know what else can be paired with a full meal, from start to finish? Madeira. A fortified wine, Madeira ranges from sweet to dry and can be enjoyed with oysters, pasta, meats, and dessert, as well as in cocktails, as I enjoyed this past week with Miles and Cossart Gordon Madeiras. It is the versatility of Madeira that is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Chris Blandy, the CEO of the Madeira Wine Company, was born on the island of Madeira and is the seventh generation in the family business. Chris was in Los Angeles last week and I had the pleasure to dine with him and a few others. The dinner was centered around two brands under the Madeira Wine Company, Miles Madeira and Cossart Gordon. Miles Madeira, established in 1814, is typically made from 100% Tinta Negra, the only red grape variety used to produce traditional Madeira wine. Cossart Gordon, established in 1745, is the oldest company in the Madeira Wine trade. The Madeira wines of Cossart Gordon are typically mono-varietal wines made from the white varieties Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malmsey and made into the four styles of Madeira, dry, medium-dry, medium-rich, and rich. The style of Cossart Gordon Madeira is elegant and delicate.

Our dinner was at Verse LA in North Hollywood. A former recording studio, Verse LA is a modern-day supper club featuring what they call “Angeleno Cuisine”.  Angeleno Cuisine brings together the best flavors from around the world and includes Asian and Latin flavors mixed with fresh seasonal ingredients. It was this eclectic and flavorful menu that paired beautifully with different styles of Madeira.

The meal started with Madeira cocktails made with Miles Madeira Rainwater Medium Dry Madeira which has modest sweetness. After cocktails, it was time to order food. Our first Madeira was the Cossart Gordon 5-Year-Old Sercial. Sercial is the driest style of Madeira wine. It is pale in color and lightly scented. Sercial is ideally served as an aperitif or paired with starters, flambees, fish mousses, tinned fish, sushi, and dried fruit.

We enjoyed the Cossart Cordon 5 Years Sercial with fresh oysters with cucumber mignonette, house “Tabasco”, and All The Sauce. The delicate Madeira with vibrant acidity was a great pairing. I took a sip of the Madeira, ate an oyster, and then poured some of the Madeira into the oyster shell and sipped it, combining the briny juices of the oyster.

The next wine poured was the Cossart Gordon 2009 Colheita Verdelho. Verdelho produces a medium dry wine with fresh acidity and caramelized orange, dried fruit, and bitter toffee notes.

The Cossart Gordon was paired with aged Yellowtail crudo with leche de tigre, parsnip chips, Fresno peppers, and apricots and had enough richness to match the spice of the dish.

It was also a lovely pairing with Peruvian Scallops with citrus foam, burnt Chile de Arbol, and stone fruit, again a good match with the subtle heat of the dish.

As the food got richer, so did the wines. For the next course, we enjoyed the Miles Madeira 1998 Tinta Negra and the Cossart Gordon 1978 Bual.

Tinta Negra is the dominant grape planted in Madeira and is the only red grape. The Miles Madeira 1998 Tinta Negra is from a single harvest and was clear, bright, and dark with notes of nuts, dried fruits, and exotic wood. On the palate, the wine was sweet, smooth, and rich.

Bual (or Boal) is a grape variety that produces a medium-sweet Madeira. The Cossart Gordon 1978 Bual had notes of spice, tobacco, cedar, and dried citrus. On the palate, it was medium sweet and powerful with a fresh, long spice finish.

Both wines were enjoyed with variety of dishes – Lobster Tagliatelle with Calabrian chili, squid ink, durum wheat; Braised Lamb Pasta with pepita seeds, charred green onions, lime; Pork Belly Risotto with butternut squash, maple syrup, chile de Arbol; Roasted Broccolini with Thai chili, parsley, sesame oil; and Oyster Mushroom with ginger, lemongrass, Aleppo pepper. Both Madeiras had the power to stand up to the heartier dishes and the acidity to cut through the rich flavors.

For dessert, we enjoyed two more Madeiras – Cossart Gordon Colheita 2008 Malmsey and Miles 10 Year Old Rich Tinta Negra.

Malmsey produces a sweet Madeira and the Cossart Gordon 2008 Malmsey was sweet with fresh acidity and notes of tea, candied fruits, and hazelnuts. It paired with the cheesecake with caviar. The fresh acidity cut the richness of the cheesecake and the savory notes of the Madeira harmonized with the caviar flavors.

The Miles 10 Year Old Rich Tinta Negra was paired with French Toast with brioche, rhubarb jame, creme fraiche. The sweet richness of the Madeira was a match for the rich and sweet dessert and the acidity of the Madeira helped cut the sweetness.

An entire meal paired with Madeira demonstrated the versatility of a wine named for an island and an island named for a wine.