Marlene Osteen
There’s something about December in the mountains that calls for lingering — a second cup of coffee, another log on the fire, one more toast before the night is through. After dinner, when the plates are cleared and the conversation softens, nothing completes the moment quite like a small glass of something rich, sweet, and quietly complex.
Port and Madeira are the masters of this theater. Both are fortified wines — stopped mid-fermentation with brandy — but they take different paths.
Port comes from Portugal’s steep Douro Valley. Madeira comes from a volcanic Atlantic island where wines are deliberately heated into something nearly indestructible. Both are wines built for endurance, but each offers its own style of comfort and grace.
My own affection for Madeira began many years ago when my husband, Chef Louis Osteen, was invited to create a menu for Wine Spectator magazine. I was asked to do the wine pairings. The editors would taste the menu with both his wines and mine, then decide whose pairings better complemented each course.
Louis’s dessert was a silken crème brûlée — its caramelized top giving way to custard beneath —and I paired it with a Malmsey Special Reserve Madeira. The editors were, as they say, wowed. The deep toffee notes, gentle nuttiness, and warm, golden sweetness of the Madeira mirrored the dessert’s flavors perfectly. In the end, they chose my pairing. It remains one of my fondest professional victories—and a testament to how Madeira can elevate a meal’s final act from sweet to sublime.
Madeira is a wine that defies time. Crafted to withstand long sea voyages, it’s heated and oxidized on purpose, developing layers of caramel, fig, and roasted nut that unfold slowly, like a fireside story. The Rare Wine Company’s Malmsey Special Reserve, available at Highlands Wine Shoppe, captures that richness with a bright acidity that keeps every sip alive.
If your tastes lean toward Port, Highlands Wine Shoppe owner and sommelier Stephanie Miskew recommends the Kopke Fine White Port—a delightful surprise when served slightly chilled—or the Kopke 20-Year-Old Tawny, a golden-amber beauty with notes of dried apricot, toasted almond, and orange peel. Both are elegant companions to cheese, nuts, or even a sliver of fruitcake.
In a season that celebrates tradition, these wines remind us that some pleasures deserve to be savored slowly. Pour a small glass, pull your chair closer to the fire, and let December unfold — one rich, velvety sip at a time.
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