Hello, Justin here.

I’m quite excited; this is the first time I’m posting for Wine Blogging Wednesday. This was originally started by Lenn Thompson and is now in its 51st edition, hosted by Joe Roberts at 1WineDude. The theme is “Baked Goods and Madeirized wines”.

Allow me to digress a bit. In the early seventies, the end-of-empire centrifuge was up to full speed and about to fling my parents out. In the nick of time, I was conceived. It all happened on an idyllic, but not quite palm-fringed island off the Portuguese coast - as in the Portuguese Overseas Province of Moçambique coast.

Anyway, Rhodesia, spittoon distance from the Moçambique border was where we lived. Some of the first words I ever heard, in uterus no doubt, were Portuguese. Some of my mother’s relations even took it one step further and lived in Moçambique - for three generations. So it’s no surprise that I feel a warm affection for all things Portuguese and Mozambican (note the post-colonial spelling change). My favourite meal has always been “Churrasco do Frango” with Piri Piri. I must admit this affection did not extend to Portuguese wine at first, but that little fault was corrected in due course. There can be no better place to start appreciation of Portuguese wines than with a glass or two of Madeira wine, which I love to drink when I can get my hands on it.

Fast forward to September 2004, my first visit to Madeira, when we descended on the island for my cousin’s wedding. Of all places, he and his bride had met in Mozambique. If you haven’t been to Madeira, then I can’t recommend it enough. …