Madeira: an island with taste
Madeira - the flower island. Expect lots of unique colorful flowers everywhere, dramatic cliffs and ocean views. We travelled to Madeira for a culinary and wine-focused escape. The island is beautiful, but for gastronomy lovers, it also has serious depth.
Festa da Flor
Celebrating flowers
One of the highlights was the annual Madeira Flower Festival, or Festa da Flor - and yes, it is as lovely as it sounds. The official Madeira tourism board describes the festival as a celebration of nature and spring, with the island’s gardens becoming even more colourful and exuberant. The parade in Funchal was impressively polished: abundant flowers, beautifully dressed performers, and participants of all ages. It felt festive, local, elegant and magical.
Madeira wine
Of course, no culinary trip to Madeira is complete without diving into Madeira wine. We visited Blandy’s Wine Lodge in Funchal for a (very) professional wine tour and exclusive tasting. Blandy’s has been at the heart of the family’s wine business for seven generations, ageing Madeira wines in the traditional canteiro method. Madeira wine is fortified, beautifully age-worthy, and ranges from dry to sweet, with classic styles including Sercial, Verdelho, Bual/Boal and Malvasia/Malmsey.
Our favourite? The 20 Years Old Malmsey. Rich, sweet and layered, but still lifted by that signature Madeira freshness. Blandy’s own notes mention honey, brown sugar, spices, nuts, dark chocolate and a long warm finish — which is exactly the kind of tasting note that makes you nod very seriously while secretly wanting another sip. Being able to taste the subtle differences between styles side by side is a must if you are on the island. This visit was part of a promotional collaboration, but our enthusiasm was entirely unforced.
Fine dining at Madeira
Dinner at Audax was another standout. The restaurant has an open kitchen, which we always love: it gives you a front-row seat to the craft.
The restaurant is dark, atmospheric and immediately gives a sense of fusion. Service was very sharp, the wine pairing was genuinely strong. Our welcome glass of Champagne to start with was one of the better ones we have tasted recently: mature, but not tired; developed, yet still crisp.
The menu had a beautiful build-up. The fish dish (Peixe da Costa) in particular had that perfect balance of richness, acidity and spice, with the wine cutting through the fat in exactly the right way. The main course of pork belly with pork ear and cabbage showed confidence: playful, flavourful and experimental without becoming forced. Audax dares to play with flavour, but never loses the plot. Looking purely at the food and wine, it felt star-worthy - the kind of place where you think: it is probably only a matter of time.
More than a pretty Atlantic island
Beyond the fine dining, Madeira has plenty to offer culinary travellers. Expect excellent fish, including the island’s famous black scabbardfish, and proper meat specialities such as skewered beef cooked over fire. Add the island’s wines, its dramatic landscapes, its excessive floral atmosphere and the sea wildlife (make sure to go whale spotting!), and Madeira becomes much more than a pretty Atlantic island.
It is a destination for people who like their travel with flavour, texture, history - and preferably a glass of 20-year-old Blandy’s Malmsey at the end of the day.
