Five Minutes With: The Winemaker Who Stayed

He trained in Bordeaux. He could have worked anywhere. He came back to Madeira to make wine in terraces carved by his great-grandfather.

You studied in France, worked vintages in three countries. Why come back?

Because I kept comparing every wine I made to the ones I remembered from home. I'd be in Burgundy, tasting something beautiful, and I'd think: but does it have what Madeira has?

Also, I missed the difficulty. Winemaking here is not easy. The terraces are tiny, the slopes are insane. In France, they looked at photos of our vineyards and laughed.

What does Madeira wine have that others don't?

Time. We make wines designed to outlive us. A Madeira bottled today might reach its peak in 2150.

Also heat. Most wines are destroyed by warmth. Madeira is created by it.

What's changing in Madeiran wine?

The young winemakers. There are maybe ten of us who came back with outside training but deep roots here. We're reviving abandoned vineyards, replanting indigenous varieties.

What stays the same?

The land. The climate. The knowledge passed down through families. You can't learn that at oenology school. You can only inherit it.

What would you want visitors to understand?

Don't drink it like port. The dry styles are some of the most versatile food wines in the world.

And visit the vineyards. Walk the levadas that water them. Context changes taste.