Boal Reserva Madeira NV Barbeito 500ml

So The Boal Reserva from Barbeito, medium sweet in character, naturally cask aged (no caramel in here!), it is delightful on its own (I may start on this early doors on Christmas day!) but partners very well with semi-sweet dishes (such as poached figs, ginger cake), and can be very delicious with a cheeseboard. By the way, at £13.95, this wine is a steal, and of course it keeps nicely in the fridge for several weeks, or overnight in my house.

Barbeito was founded in 1946, and current winemaker Ricardo Diogo de Freitas took over in 1993.

He's been looked upon as a bit of a pioneer - producing single cask bottlings, not colouring with caramel, shipping with sail power etc. In reality, these are just traditional methods that are being revived, and his Madeira is all the better for it. They invest heavily in the production of quality grapes, and all of the heating and ageing takes place in barrels in naturally hot attics, a method known as Canteiro. This is a longer and more costly process than its alternative (known as Estufa, where the process is sped up in heated tanks), but makes all the difference. If you think Madeira is just for cooking with, think again and try these. Not only can you pair them with pretty much anything, but once opened they are pretty much indestructible.