Sicilian Hunter
32 Cal.
I've seen this wine mentioned by Mark Baker, shown as the drink of favor in the taverns in the series TURN and read about why it was brought to the colonies.
Apparently, wine would just about turn to vinegar by the time a ship arrived at the colonies so the wine that came from the Madeira island of Po.rtugal started to become "stabilized" with a dose of alcohol to manage the voyage.
I tracked some down and gave it a try today
I acquired the aforementioned brand, aged 5 years, 19% alcohol by volume and $21 a bottle.
Not cheap!!
It has almost and brandy like feel to it but reminds me of a Port.
An interesting connection with history.
Early American history (17th – 18th centuries)[edit]
John Hancock whose boat seizure after unloading a cargo of 25 pipes of Madeira caused riots in Boston.
Madeira was an important wine in the history of the United States of America. No wine-quality grapes could be grown among the thirteen colonies,[4]so imports were needed, with a great focus on Madeira.[3][5] One of the major events on the road to the American revolution in which Madeira played a key role was the British seizure of John Hancock's sloop the Liberty on May 9, 1768. Hancock's boat was seized after he had unloaded a cargo of 25 pipes (3,150 gallons) of Madeira, and a dispute arose over import duties. The seizure of the Liberty caused riots to erupt among the people of Boston.[6][7]
Madeira was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, and it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence.[3] George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams are also said to have appreciated the qualities of Madeira. The wine was mentioned in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. On one occasion, Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the great quantities of Madeira he consumed while a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress. A bottle of Madeira was used by visiting Captain James Server to christen the USS Constitution in 1797. Chief Justice John Marshall was also known to appreciate Madeira, as were his cohorts on the early U.S. Supreme Court.
The Sicilian
Apparently, wine would just about turn to vinegar by the time a ship arrived at the colonies so the wine that came from the Madeira island of Po.rtugal started to become "stabilized" with a dose of alcohol to manage the voyage.
I tracked some down and gave it a try today
I acquired the aforementioned brand, aged 5 years, 19% alcohol by volume and $21 a bottle.
Not cheap!!
It has almost and brandy like feel to it but reminds me of a Port.
An interesting connection with history.
Early American history (17th – 18th centuries)[edit]
John Hancock whose boat seizure after unloading a cargo of 25 pipes of Madeira caused riots in Boston.
Madeira was an important wine in the history of the United States of America. No wine-quality grapes could be grown among the thirteen colonies,[4]so imports were needed, with a great focus on Madeira.[3][5] One of the major events on the road to the American revolution in which Madeira played a key role was the British seizure of John Hancock's sloop the Liberty on May 9, 1768. Hancock's boat was seized after he had unloaded a cargo of 25 pipes (3,150 gallons) of Madeira, and a dispute arose over import duties. The seizure of the Liberty caused riots to erupt among the people of Boston.[6][7]
Madeira was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, and it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence.[3] George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams are also said to have appreciated the qualities of Madeira. The wine was mentioned in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. On one occasion, Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the great quantities of Madeira he consumed while a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress. A bottle of Madeira was used by visiting Captain James Server to christen the USS Constitution in 1797. Chief Justice John Marshall was also known to appreciate Madeira, as were his cohorts on the early U.S. Supreme Court.
The Sicilian
... but I understood his sentiments. 
