Portugal is home to some of the most interesting wines in the world. It lends its name to the most popular of fortified wines, Port, but there's another star among its products that deserves as much attention. Whether it's in the distinct flavor, the unique method of crafting, or its special tie to American history, Madeira is a drink not to be missed.

One of the things that sets Madeira apart from other fortified wines is its resilience. Granted, fortified wines are crafted to last much longer than regular vino, but Madeira beats them all. It is because of the strength of the grapes used to make it that Madeira is even around today, though the medical history of Madeira is a rocky one.

The story starts in the mid-1500's when Portugal, like many European countries, was in the middle of a booming maritime exploration period. Long trade voyages to Asia, Africa and the New World made keeping wine on ships next to impossible. It was in this period that fortified wines became the standard. Wine makers found that adding a neutral cane sugar distillate to wines gave them a much longer shelf-life, especially on hot sea vessels. Today, wines are fortified with brandy, but that practice didn't come into wine making until the 19th century when Madeira was already falling out of vogue. At the time, the fortified wines from the island of Madeira were just called Port like everything else.

The production of Madeira is inherently tied to sea travel in more ways than one. Some of the earliest batches were made using salty water-logged casks and exposed to extreme heat on the voyages to Asia. Where these elements would normally destroy a wine, they somehow improved Madeira. So much so, in fact, that producers began heating their casks on the island before even shipping them out. Still today, producers of Madeira use heat to create that distinct flavor, sometimes going as high 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Those modern batches artificially heated using steel casks and electric coils tend to produce imbalanced, unsubtle wines. Vintage Madeira, on the other hand, is much richer and more complex, made by aging the wine in wooden casks using nothing more than sunlight. This process can take decades.

Madeira played an interesting role in American history as well. As anyone familiar with viticulture knows, wine grapes are picky about where they'll grow. In the 18th century, New England was one of the last places those warm-weather vines would take hold. As a result the colonies were big importers of fortified wines, making Madeira especially popular for its ability to survive the grueling journey across the Atlantic. When a sailor named John Hancock had a duties dispute concerning his most recent shipment of Madeira, the ship was seized and a riot broke out in Boston. In addition, many early American governmental conventions served Madeira to their delegates.

Since then, Madeira has survived a world-wide vine plague that threatened to wipe out the vineyards of many famous grape varieties, an unfortunate fashion trend away from "island" wines like Port and Marsala, and the troubled early years of wine production in the American west. Today, Madeira isn't quite as popular as it was in the 18th century, but it's still well worth the adventure. Be it a strong, dry Sercial or a sweet, dark Malmsey, you've got to love the spirit of this spirit. The more you abuse it, the better it tastes. It truly is the drink of sailors and revolutionaries.