To increase purchases, Charles restricted all exports from France, Spain, Italy and Portugal to any English Colony.

After the marriage in 1662, the happy monarch granted Madeira the right to sell the island's wines directly to the British Colonies. Madeira gained exclusive trading rights with the British Colonies through the Marriage of Portuguese Princess Catherine of Bragança to Charles II of England. It wasn't until the end of the 17th Century that wines were to become a powerful export for the island. Thus the barrels were shipped back and forth over the equator until 1794 when a technique was discovered for artificially heating the wine in large ovens or wine hot houses called estufas.Įventhough exports of the wine grew during the 16th Century, sugarcane remained Madeira's number one export at the time.

These and other catchy names added to the wine's growing popularity in every port. Soon the wines were called 'Returned Wine' or 'India Circuit Wine'. The sailor, thinking this was a tragic waste, opened a cask for a taste and discovered a fine tasting wine when he touched the liquid to his lips. Shortly before returning to Funchal Harbor from Hong Kong, the sailor's Captain ordered barrels of presumed spoiled wine to be thrown overboard. Legend has it that an ordinary sailor was responsible for this discovery. Their 'sauna bath' in the hull was a healthy exercise and improved their good nature. The hardy barrels of Madeira wine seemed to have enjoyed the ride, coming home in better shape than what they had been upon first departure. Some barrels that would not be sold were returned to Funchal and, when tasted, were found to be superior to wines not taking these extended voyages. Ships setting out from Madeira would sail for India by way of the Cape of Good Hope subjecting the barrels of wine to sizzling temperatures as the boats crossed the equator all the while rocking the casks back and forth. Soon enough, the new wines started showing promise so the English found it advantageous to switch their trade to Madeira where they no longer had to deal with the monopolies and could get wines at the same level of quality.ĭuring the 16th Century, the old sailing vessels that were used to travel the oceans to India, China and Japan rolled back and forth on the sea like a piston in an engine. In the 15th Century, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal ordered the Malvasia vine to be planted on the recently discovered island of Madeira and ordered the production of wines to commence to compete with the wine commerce monopoly that Venice and Genoa had dominated since the 13th Century.