What is Plum Madeira?
Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands of Portugal, which is prized equally for drinking and cooking. Plum Madeira is made from prune plums instead of grapes. What makes it special is a process consisting of subjecting the wine to a high temperature for a period of months. This process is meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates. Madeira was originally unfortified, but the addition of grape brandy increased its ability to survive long voyages.
