Distinctive characteristics of Madeira wine regarding its traditional winemaking and modern analytical methodologies.

Madeira wine, a fortified wine produced in Madeira Island, is a special wine among all types of wine due its specific winemaking process. The aim of this chapter is to describe important aspects of Madeira winemaking and some scientific research currently carried out in these particular kinds of wines. The first part of the chapter concerns the most important aspects of winemaking technology used in Madeira wine production. The second part, the more extensive, deals with the different groups of compounds and how these are modified during the various steps of the production process, namely the aging period.