(WSJ) - IS IT LIKE PORT? That’s the first question most wine drinkers ask when contemplating a glass of Madeira, according to Michael Scaffidi, wine director of Union Square Cafe in New York. His answer? “Madeira is so much cooler than Port.”

More and more wine drinkers—from collectors to sommeliers such as Mr. Scaffidi, and even a few regular wine drinkers—seem to agree. According to the Madeira Wine Institute, U.S. sales of the Portuguese wine have jumped from $1.23 million to $2.13 million over the last four years.

I have been thinking about Madeira myself, as it’s a wine I should know more about. It’s one of the world’s most complex wines, with multiple styles and types and a long and illustrious history. Perhaps that’s why all the Madeira wine lovers I know seem to be so well-versed in history, not to mention quite smart.

Madeira is a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of the same name. Although many people think of Madeira as quintessentially English, it was actually once the most popular wine in this country, and the list of early American Madeira drinkers reads like a super-patriots roll call: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Betsy Ross.