Blandys 1976 Bual Vintage Madeira 1.5 Litre Magnum

Description

Blandys 1976 Bual Vintage Madeira 1.5 Litre Magnum (2 bottles) is a special order item and is only available in extremely limited quantities, a perfect birthday gift for anyone born in 1976.

For over two centuries, Blandys Madeira has been synonymous with quality Madeira wine. The Blandy family has played a leading role in the development of Madeira wine throughout its long history, with members of the family continuing to maintain a tradition of wine-making dating back to 1811.

In 1989, to further expand the global market for Madeira, the Blandys approached another renowned Anglo-Portuguese family, the Symingtons (owners of celebrated Port houses such as Dow, Warre, Graham, and Cockburn), and offered them a partnership in the newly formed Madeira Wine Company (MWC). This partnership continues today, and in 2011, the Blandys and Symingtons signed an agreement giving the Blandy family control of the MWC, with the Symingtons retaining a minority shareholding. Michael and Chris Blandy, 6th and 7th generation family members, currently work in the company, upholding a tradition spanning over 200 years.

Madeira is a fortified wine produced in the Portuguese Madeira Islands. Due to its unique vinification process, which involves heating the wine in special warehouses, Madeira is one of the world’s longest-lived wines. Vintage Madeira, in particular, makes for an exceptional birthday or anniversary gift. This style of Madeira undergoes maturation in seasoned American oak casks using the traditional “Canteiro” system. In this method, the casks are gradually transferred from the top floors of the wine lodges, where it is naturally warmer, to the middle and eventually ground floors, where it is cooler, during the aging process. The Canteiro method is reserved for the highest quality Madeira, as these wines are aged without the use of artificial heat, relying solely on the warmth of the sun.

The Madeira wine is regularly racked and bottled once it reaches the desired stage of maturity, with vintage Madeiras displaying both the bottling date and the vintage (harvest year) on the label. All vintage Madeiras are bottled under the supervision of the Madeira Wine Institute.

Traditionally, Madeira wines vary in style and sweetness depending on the grape variety used. Sercial produces the driest style, while the rarer Tarrantez and Verdelho grapes yield a medium-dry style. Bual (sometimes called Boal) creates a medium-rich style, and Malvasia (also known as Malmsey) results in the richest and sweetest Madeira wines.

Madeira is a complex and captivating wine, produced in virtually every vintage. Due to the unique vinification process, Madeira improves for days after opening and can be kept, once opened, for a month or more in a decanter. Decanting will help remove any deposit that may have occurred in the bottle over time. 

Blandys 1976 Bual Vintage Madeira presented in a 1.5 Litre Magnum bottle