In the captivating world of fortified wines, Vintage Madeira stands out as a true gem, offering a unique and exceptional drinking experience. At Fareham Wine Cellar, we are proud to offer a curated selection of Vintage Madeira wines from esteemed Madeira houses, including Blandy’s, Leacocks, Cossart and Gordon which are all owned by The Madeira Wine Company
Please check here for the current list of Vintage Madeira wines available.
For 200 years, 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 and members of the family continue to live on Madeira, maintaining a tradition that goes back to 1811. In 1989 in order to further expand the global market, the Blandy’s approached another Anglo-Portuguese family, the Symingtons Family (owners of Port Houses Dow, Warre, Graham and Cockburn amongst others) and offered them a partnership in the newly named Madeira Wine Company (MWC). This partnership continues today and in 2011 the Blandys and the Symingtons signed an agreement giving the Blandy family control of the (MWC). The Symington remain minority shareholders. Today, Michael and Chris Blandy, 6th and 7th generation members, continue to work in the company, maintaining a tradition that spans over 200 years.
Vintage (or Frasquiera) Madeira must be aged in cask for a minimum of 20 years, in practise they are aged for much longer, before being bottled under Madeira Wine Institute supervision. The wine must then be aged in bottle for a further two years before being released for sale. It must be noted that the word vintage does not appear on bottles of vintage Madeira because, in Portugal, the word “Vintage” is a trademark belonging to the Port traders. Therefore one normally find the grape variety and the vintage on the bottle or label, usually with more information on modern back label.
