Madeira is a fortified wine made on the portuguese madeira islands, off the coast of africa. madeira is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own, as an apéritif, to sweet wines usually consumed with dessert. cheaper cooking versions are often flavoured with salt and pepper for use in cooking, but these are not fit for consumption as a beverage. the islands of madeira have a long winemaking history, dating back to the age of exploration (approximately from the end of the 15th century) when madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the new world or east indies. to prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added...

Source: Wikipedia