🍷 Rainwater Madeira
A light, pale, medium-dry Madeira created for the American market.
Rainwater is a light, pale, medium-dry Madeira. It is a wine from the island of Madeira, which belongs to Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean. Rainwater is considered the lightest and palest style of Madeira.
The name means rain water. There is a legend: once barrels of Madeira bound for the American market were left on a shore in America, rain filled them, and the wine was diluted, becoming paler and lighter. Historians regard this as a nice story, but the exact origin of the name is unknown. What matters is that the style was created for Americans, who loved Madeira greatly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Like all Madeira, Rainwater is a fortified wine that is heated and aged, so it tolerates warmth and an opened bottle well. The taste is soft, with notes of nuts and citrus zest and a little sweetness.
Rainwater is served as an aperitif, chilled, or used in cooking for sauces and desserts. It contains more alcohol than ordinary wine, so servings are small.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Rainwater Madeira → made in → 🗺️ Portuguese wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Madeira
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Madeira
Frequently asked questions
What is Rainwater Madeira?
A light, pale, medium-dry Madeira.
What does the word Rainwater mean?
Rain water; by legend, rain diluted the wine.
Where does Rainwater come from?
From the island of Madeira, Portugal; the style was created for the American market.
Similar
🍷 Terrantez · 🍷 Sercial · 🍷 Frasqueira Madeira · 🍷 Verdelho Madeira · 🍷 Bual · 🍷 Malmsey
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.