Madeira Wine is important for the identity of not just one, but several communities and groups.
We must first consider the approximately 250,000 inhabitants of the Autonomous Region of Madeira who regard Madeira Wine as a vital part of their cultural identity. This also includes around 1.5 million Madeirans and their descendants living in countries such as South Africa, the Netherlands Antilles, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, the United States of America, France, the Channel Islands, Panama, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.
The chain, which goes from the vineyard to the glass and the plate, is long and crosses borders. In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, there are about 1200 women and men who care for the vineyard. Additionally around 200 employees in exporting wineries fulfil various specialised roles: agronomists who assist farmers, employees responsible for winemaking, coopers who repair barrels, wine aging specialists, bottlers, winemakers, laboratory technicians, and more; the organisers and participants in the events that take place annually in various areas of Madeira, within the framework of the Wine Festival; the employees of the Instituto do Vinho, Bordado e Artesanato da Madeira assigned to this sector.
Madeirans living in the archipelago also celebrate special occasions, such as Christmas .-often pairing Madeira Wine with sugarcane honey cake- and birthdays. They often take these products as gifts or "souvenirs" when visiting family or friends on the Portuguese mainland and abroad. Also noteworthy are the members of the Confraria do Vinho Madeira and the Confraria Enogastronómica da Madeira who are dedicated to safeguarding this winemaking tradition.
Outside the Autonomous Region, there are also importers who ensure the distribution of Madeira Wine; the chefs who use it as an ingredient in the preparation of their dishes; the sommeliers who advise you to your customers; the experts who evaluate the collector's bottles, in the auction table; the collectors who buy them themselves. All of them give a purpose to the combined effort of the agents involved upstream.
We must also remember the vast community of Madeira Wine lovers, whose passion has helped to preserve this wine heritage to this day. While the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that approximately 2,270,000 liters was bottled and sold, in 2023, across 60 countries and all continents.
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