Vintage Madeira Tasting at Wine Watch

"I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial."

Thomas Jefferson

This event is always one of the highlights of the year. Imagine drinking a wine that was made when George Washington was president?  These old Madeiras are some of my favorite wines and they last forever.

I know forever seems like a long time but if you are a bottle of Madeira, a lifetime is a VERY long time.      The oldest wine tonight is from the 1795 harvest!

You can’t call yourself a wine lover if you have never tried Madeira. I remember the first time that I tasted a vertical selection of Madeira at the Great Wine Seminar and I was stunned at the wines complexity and the layers of flavors and aromas that continued to rise from the glass for hours. These Madeiras were from the cellar of Dr. Bob Maliner, one of the world's premier experts on the subject of Madeira who will be leading us through this tasting tonight.

After this tasting I began a search looking for all the old Madeira that I could find, and Wine Watch now has one of the largest collections of Madeira that you can find in South Florida. Join us as we will taste through one hundred eighty years of Madeira with the world's leading authority and one of the largest collectors of this special beverage. Wine Watch Catering’s Toni Lampasone will be preparing a few courses to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting is $695 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Vintage Madeira Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, November 5, 2015
7:00 PM

Tasting Line-up:

1891 Vintage Sercial Araujo De Barros

Sercial is a white grape and a corresponding style of Madeira, one of the four recognised styles of this fortified wine, along with the medium-dry Verdelho, the medium-sweet Bual and Terrantez and the sweet Malvasia. A vintage Sercial Madeira resembles a Tawny Port in colour, yet the nose has pronounced citrus aromas, and as the wine ages the aromatic profile becomes similar to old Rieslings.

1934 Vintage Verdelho Blandy

Historical records show plantings of the Verdelho grape in continental Portugal as early as the 15th century. It is one of Madeira's noble grape varieties and was the most widely planted on the island until the 20th century. Plantings then dwindled and the regional authorities were so alarmed that they put in place a plan to revive the grape.

It is a high yielding, early ripening white wine grape variety, and performs best on cooler slopes on the north side of the island. Its berries are small and oval shaped with thick skins. The name Verdelho on a bottle indicates an off dry to medium-dry style of Madeira wine, inbetween that of Sercial and Bual.

1795 Vintage Terrantez Barbeito

Tarrantez is a very rare varietal and produces one of the most profound of all the wines that I have tasted from Madeira. It is not quite as sweet as the Bual or Malmsey but would be considered one of the sweeter styles. Volatile aromas of toffee, all-spice, dates and sundried raisins on the nose incredible amount of fruit remaining on the nose, exotic spices. Wow still incredibly fresh on the palate, this wine is the smoothest on the palate and has an impression of silk with sweet dates and fig with fudge like notes and some fresh ground coffee very exotic and again wonderful freshness, a lemon zest like quality on the finish. Finish 50 KILLER!! George Washington was president of the U.S. when this wine was born! Unknown 19th Century Madeira discovered in one of Avery's Cellars

1910 Vintage Bual Barbeito

A noble grape variety grown in Madeira and producing a style of Madeira richer than Sercial and Verdelho but not as sweet as Malmsey
It has many subvarieties, although Bual Cachudo is the highest quality one, and is the most commonly planted. It is a good yielding grape and performs best on the lower slopes on the south side of the island around Camara de Lobos and Funchal.

1950 Vintage Bual Barbieto

1931 Massandra White Muscat

1830 Vintage Malmsey Quinta do Serrado

 A Christie's offering, this perfectly preserved Malmsey is not as sweet as one would guess, appearing almost more Bual in style. Its nose shows chocolate aromas and the taste is unbelievably fresh, and even brightly acidic after all these decades. Notes of nuts and caramel add to the intense and long palate. This is history in a bottle, but besides all that, this is as enjoyable and delicious as it is rare!

Menu

Sweet Onion and Walnut crusted snapper with Madeira butter

Chocolate dusted oxtail confit served in a napoleon with beemster Gouda Mash on top a nest of almond green beans

Bacon dipped with Dark chocolate, Chocolate hazelnut truffles

The fee for this tasting is $695 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.