Tonight from 6-8pm we’ll sample Charleston Sercial Madeira from the Rare Wine Company along with some special red and white wines.

Madeira was so popular in the 1800s, just as brownstone Brooklyn was being built, that a wine list dated in the year 1844 from the Astor House (which used to be in Manhattan at Broadway and Vesey) features half a page of madeira wines and just a handful of first growth bordeaux and grand cru burgundies.  Madeira makes a great gift – it can last up to a year after being opened

Charleston Sercial is nutty and tangy with some sweetness but is relatively dry compared to most madeira.

Mike recently added some wines and spirits specifically geared at the home cook.  For cooking, we recommend H.M. Borges medium dry madeira ($12).  For the cook, we recommend the Charleston Sercial.