Madeira is just about indestructible. While almost all other wines can't take heat and motion and won't last more than a couple of days once the bottles are opened, Madeira can survive all those things. In fact, Madeira thrives on heat; without heat it wouldn't exist.

Madeira is a Portuguese island four hundred miles off the coast of North Africa. It was perfectly situated in the Atlantic to become a thriving port for ships traveling to South America and around Africa to Asia. Transporting wine was difficult because it was undrinkable by the time the ships arrived at their destinations. Shippers added brandy or a neutral grape spirit to stabilize the wines.

After enough trips, it was discovered that the wines tasted better after the voyages than before, and Madeira, as it came to be called, that had made a round trip was better than Madeira that had traveled only one way.

Shippers began putting wine in the holds of ships for the sole purpose of developing their flavors. This proved too expensive, so winemakers had to come up with other ways to simulate the journeys. Subjecting the wine to heat did the trick.

Madeira usually starts out like port. After fermentation and fortification it spends several months in heated tanks or rooms or is left exposed to the sun. As the wine literally cooks and oxidizes it develops a caramel color and nutty flavors.

Like sherry and port, there are different types of Madeira. These types share the name of the primary grape used to make them:

• Sercial is the driest style. It has high acidity and might remind you of almonds.

• Verhelho is smoky and moderately sweet. It is suitable as an apéritif.

• Buals have a raisiny sweetness.

• Malvasia Madeiras, more frequently called Malmsey Madeiras, are the sweetest of them all and have a pronounced nutty flavor.