1986 Madeira, Verdelho Frasqueira, D'Oliveiras

Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean at 1000km southwest of Lisbon and 500km off the coast of Morocco, Madeira island has volcanic soil and sub-tropical climate. The fortified wines are usually from 4 grape varieties with different levels of sweetness: boal (medium sweet), malvasia (sweet), sercial (dry) and verdelho (medium dry). Madeira Frasqueira must be aged at least 19 years in cask and one year in bottle, before release. The wines are heated in oak barrels in warm, sun-drenched buildings through a process known as canteiro, allowing them to caramelise and oxidise at a very slow rate. Because the island was a regular port of call on the trade routes between Europe and the New World, fortified Madeira wine was very popular in colonial America. A favourite of many US Founding Fathers, notably Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence.