The Daily Telegraph

Madeira is the order of the day and PETER GROGAN reports on a new campaign for the Portuguese export. Historically, the wine has a rather fuddy-duddy image, which the Madeira Wine Company (now part of the Symington Port dynasty) is keen to change,' he says. The first step in this direction was the launch of Alvada, a smartly packaged blend of five-year-old wines with a shocking pink label', which, according to Grogan, has been a success'. Although, the best thing to come from the island is still the vintage Madeiras, which emerge with all those nutty, coffee and drid-fruit flavours deliciously intensified by the effects of evaporation'. General wines of the week, with a Portuguese theme, include 2002 Quinta de la Rosa (10.95 or 9.85 by the case; Berry Brothers & Rudd) and 2003 Quinta do Crasto (6.99; Adnams).