Henriques and Henriques Sercial 10 Year Madeira

Henriques and Henriques Sercial 10 Year Madeira is a benchmark dry Madeira made entirely from Sercial, the island's highest-altitude varietal, aged in seasoned cask for a minimum of ten years—though the blend typically draws from stocks considerably older than the statement requires. Sercial vines grow on Madeira's north-facing slopes where Atlantic fog and steep terroir produce grapes with natural acidity and restrained sugar, qualities that survive fortification and extended oxidative aging. This is the driest style of Madeira, built for the table rather than the dessert course, and Henriques and Henriques has made it continuously since the house was founded in 1850. The producer operates from Câmara de Lobos on Madeira's southern coast, where the family maintains one of the island's largest reserves of old wine and controls the full chain from vineyard to bottling. After harvest, the must is fermented until the desired sugar level is reached, then fortified with grape spirit to 19% alcohol, halting fermentation and preserving Sercial's characteristic dryness. The wine is then aged in seasoned American oak and chestnut casks under Madeira's traditional canteiro method, where natural heat in the lodge's upper floors gently oxidizes the wine over years, concentrating flavor and building the style's signature smoky, nutty complexity. The ten-year age statement reflects the youngest component; much of the blend has seen significantly longer maturation. The wine shows mid-amber in the glass with aromas of roasted almonds, dried apricot, light wood smoke, and vanilla. On the palate it is bone-dry with bright acidity, flavors of toasted hazelnut, salted caramel, and oxidized apple, and a faint saline edge that makes it a natural partner for oysters, uni, grilled swordfish, or aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. The finish is remarkably long, a hallmark of extended cask age, with lingering notes of burnt orange peel and walnut skin. Serve lightly chilled as an aperitif or alongside sushi, ceviche, or charcuterie with Marcona almonds and Castelvetrano olives. Henriques and Henriques Sercial 10 Year Madeira is available at Off Premise in Lincoln Park for pickup at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.