Was cruising the wine aisle at the grocery store tonight and saw a bottle of Rainwater Madeira (by Sandeman, maybe?). Never heard of this and was curious…is it a style? Diluted madeira? Marketing? It was pretty inexpensive, whatever it was.
Cheers!
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Frank.
This stuff is not bad. It is probably some multi-off-vintage madeira. I use it for cooking.
For inexpensive madeira, this is the best quality stuff I have found.
FWIW.
Don,
After reading your post, I went back and bought it. For $15, I figured what the heck?!?!
Just tried it. Very light and a bit sweet (relative to other flavor components) for me, a bit like a tawny port of madeira. For $15, it’s probably a great bargain, and I would drink it if offered, no problem.
On the other hand for $40 or so, I’d probably buy one of the Rare Wine Co proprietary releases (Boston, Charleston, whatever) to keep around the house for myself.
Cheers!
The Broadbent 10 year is an excellent $40ish bottle, as is the Blandy’s 15 year madeiras.
I’ve never liked rainwater madeiras for drinking, just a bit lacking on flavor for me, but excellent for cooking or reduction sauce.
I agree with you guys Frank and Ron.
If I am drinking, I want one of those Rare Wine series releases. The defunct New Orleans was one of the best. For the bucks they are really nice.
Also the Broadbent bottlings. I had one with Roy Hersh a few years ago. Not too expensive and excellent!
This is a decent cooking Madeira however. For the price, it is the best I have found.
From Wikipedia:
“A style called “Rainwater” rarely produced today and, when it is, is usually shipped only to the United States. This style of wine is mild and similar to Verdelho, but can be expected to be made from Tinta Negra Mole, and is primarily used as an aperitif. There are conflicting accounts of how this style was developed. The most common is that the name derives from the vineyards on the steep hillsides, where irrigation was difficult, and the vines were dependent on the local rain water for survival. Another theory involves a shipment destined for the American colonies that was accidentally diluted by rain water while it sat on the docks in Savannah, Georgia. Rather than dump the wines, the merchants tried to pass it off as a “new style” of Madeira and were surprised at its popularity among the Americans.[1]”
Some markets in the US, and the colonies before the American Revolution, prefered a pale and light style of Madeira. Many shippers were not above adding a gallon or more of red wine per cask to darken up a wine to give it the appearance of more age. The paler wines where thought to be more pure. The name has been bastardized over the past century and now is a cheap and light blend of Negra Mole. Ironically Negra Mole is a red variety.
Rainwater can be sipped and is for my money, something that is even below the 3 and 5 year old bottlings (in terms of quality) on the market. Like Don, I strictly use Rainwater for cooking and love to sautee scallops in it and also mushrooms of all types.