James Madison's Montpelier We the People Fall 2014 | Page 11

We The People
11

After a year of researching Madeira with The Rare
Wine Company and wine historians, Montpelier
curators have matched Madison’s preferred variation
of the fortified Portuguese wine. On Constitution
Day, September 17, several cases of Mr. Madison’s
Madeira were installed in the mansion attic for aging,
following 19th-century practice.

I

n collaboration with the White House Historical Association and The United States Capitol Historical Society,
James Madison’s Montpelier commemorated the bicentennial of the August 24, 1814 British invasion with a
two-day symposium held September 3-4 at the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at
Decatur House.
Renowned scholars discus