Cossart Gordon, Sercial, 5 Year Old, NV

Sercial is the driest of the four classic Madeira grapes, and this five-year-old from Cossart Gordon shows exactly why people fall for it. The grapes are fermented dry before fortification, then the wine spends years aging in American oak casks gently warmed in the lofts of Funchal under the traditional canteiro system. That slow baking gives you Madeira's signature tang and that nearly indestructible character. Pour it slightly chilled as an aperitif and it wakes the palate right up. A bottle keeps for months after opening, so there's no rush.