A Guide To Matching Madeira With Food

From fresh dry sercial to the sweet and full bodied malvasia, madeira wines match very well with all kinds of dishes.

Sercial (Dry)

Light in colour, full bodied and perfumed it is perfect as an aperitif and goes well with olives, toasted almonds, caviar or salmon canapés and hors-d’oeuvres. It is equally good with smoked fish like salmon, sword fish, tuna or black scabbard, shellfish, sushi or fish mousses. It is delicate and so a good match with fresh goat's or sheep cheeses.

Verdelho (Medium Dry)

Excellent as an aperitif.  Along with the drier sercial, verdelho combines perfectly with olives, toasted almonds and dry fruits and is pleasant with most soups, particularly consommé, fresh cream soups and onion soup. Try it also with Serrano ham or smoked meat or garlic mushrooms.  It is especially tasty with game terrine or pâté.

Bual (Medium Rich)

Full bodied and fruity, it's harmonious with fresh tropical fruits, dry fruits, cakes and fruit tarts. Blandy's 5 year old bual is a perfect accompaniment to soft cheeses. The older Blandy's 10 year old goes very well with matured cheese. For something more decadent, this madeira wine can be paired with milk chocolate, pralines, petit-fours and fresh cream cakes.

Malvasia, Malvazia and Malmsey (Rich)

Dark in colour, full bodied and aromatic, this style is great with tropical and dry fruits and also with nuts such as walnuts and hazelnuts. It is fantastic with dry fruit cakes and fruit tarts, butter biscuits, dark or milk chocolate, pralines and petit-fours. It is equally elegant with most cheeses but especially with blues such as Danish Blue, Roquefort, Stilton or Gorgonzola.  A must on any Christmas dinner table.