Why it works: Raisin and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,768 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Madeira Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the must
Boil the water and sugar together for 30 minutes, then skim it clear.
Allow the mixture to cool completely.
Add 1 quart of ale for every gallon of the mixture and let it sit for 2 to 3 days in a tub.
Ferment and age
Transfer the mixture to a barrel and add the brown sugar candy, raisins, brandy, and isinglass.
Once fermentation is complete, seal the barrel tightly and let it age for 12 months before bottling.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Moist sugar
- Provides the fermentable sugar that yeast converts into alcohol, and sweetness in the finished wine.
- Ale
- Supplies yeast to start the fermentation of the sugar solution.
- Raisins
- Add fruit sugars, body and flavour to the wine.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content and stabilises the wine.
- Brown sugar candy
- Adds extra fermentable sugar and a deeper caramel flavour.
The step that matters
Cooling the boiled mixture completely before adding ale. Yeast in the ale is killed or stressed by hot liquid, so the mixture must be fully cool before fermentation starts. Skimming during the boil removes foam and impurities that would otherwise spoil the flavour and clarity.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More madeira wine recipes
You might also like
Raisin Wine64 recipes
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.