Both madeira and port are 'fortified' wines; the wine has had grape brandy added to it after a couple of days' fermentation, making it about 80% wine and 20% brandy. The main difference is in the regions the wines originate and the grapes used, making Madeira a little bit more exclusive. Origin: Port originates in the Douro Valley, Portugal. The valley stretches east from the city of Oporto to the border with Spain. The term "port wine" can only refer to these wines, much like French regions lay claim to certain titles. Madeira is an island southwest of Portugal, off the city of Casablanca. Grapes: There are 48 authorized grape varieties which can go into a port. The most common are 8 red and 8 white, with tinta rariz, tinta francisca, touriga nacional and touriga francesca topping the list. Madeira is made with only four varieties of grapes, and a bottle of madeira should be labelled according to which were used in it. These are: -sercial, a very dry taste, light color -verdelho, medium dry, golden color -bual, medium sweet, velvety, dark gold to brown -malmsey, the original grape, sweet, chestnut-brown The grades of Madeira are: -Reserve: 5 years or older -Special Reserve: 10 years or older -Extra Reserve: 15 years or older.