The author was “a chef for 15 years”, as told in an interview with The Portugal News. While owning a restaurant, Bronkhorst was very connected with wine and ended up founding a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) wine school. Currently, Jeroen Bronkhorst is a Certified Madeira Wine Educator; therefore, an enthusiast about Madeira Wine.

Given his passion, the author decided to write a book about Madeira Wine, since Bronkhorst believes that “Madeira is the pinnacle of wines, but there’s so little of it, and too few people get to taste its unique styles.” This way, the book would be a way of informing people about the drink and the island, which he feels “a duty and a strong need to promote.”


Jeroen Bronkhorst describes the book as his salvation, as it was written “during the COVID period”. When social relations were not at their best, due to the measures applied at the time. While missing the contact with people, the author found that writing “was a wonderful distraction”, while the environment around was “quiet and peaceful”, what the author considers “the perfect conditions for writing.”


The author keeps the book in a special place as it gathers “the beauty of the island and its fascinating history, the perseverance of its winemakers”, and also describes how complex Madeira Wines are. Jeroen Bronkhorst not only shared his passion with people, but also shared knowledge about a topic that he considered it is not well detailed online, or even in literature. Under the motto “wine is culture in your glass”, Jeroen Bronkhorst published a book about Madeira Wine based on “historical research, museum archives and literature.”

Madeira Wine Today – Explore the wine, discover the island

Author

Currently, the Deputy Editor at The Portugal News, Bruno G. Santos, is really interested in national politics. With a degree in Journalism and Communication, he also loves to write about different topics like Portuguese culture, society and other current affairs. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos