Winemaker Notes
Aged in oak casks for at least 3 years. Esteemed for its concentrated aroma and subtle flavor, it can be served as an apéritif or as an after dinner drink. Madeira, warm and luscious in both its dry and sweet variations, makes an excellent wine for winter and the holiday season. Clear dark reddish-copper in color, it breathes classic and very appealing Madeira scents of dried dates and figs and mixed nuts. Smooth and gently sweet, it's not a "sticky" dessert wine but shows good fresh-fruit sweetness built on Madeira's sturdy core of tart, lemony acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The non-vintage Rainwater Medium Dry is aged for three years in oak casks and this was bottled in January 2011. It has a light, toffee-scented bouquet with hints of creme brulee. There are subtle notes of marzipan, raisin and fresh fig that are well-defined and become voluminous with aeration. The palate is sweet and spicy on the entry. It is understated at first with smoked walnut, nougat, cumin and Chinese 5-spice and it builds gently towards a harmonious, beautifully balanced finish with traces of red chillies, dried honey and walnuts. This is a wonderful Rainwater.
A steep, volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean that rises to over 6,000 feet at its highest point, Madeira actually sits closer to Morocco than Portugal, the country to which it belongs.
Today the vineyards of the island cover tiny step-like terraces called poios, carved from the basalt bedrock. Aptly named Madeira, this fortified wine comes in two main styles. Blended Madeira is mostly inexpensive wine but there are a few remarkable aged styles. Single varietal Madeira (made from Sercial, Verdelho, Boal or Malmsey), is usually the highest quality and has the potential to improve in the bottle for decades.