Hamburg IVBAM Madeira Tasting 2009

[Peter Reutter]

It has been quite a while since my last post in this forum, here you can see why...
http://www.madeirawineguide.com/03event ... ting_2009/
Enjoy
Peter

[Eric Ifune]

Peter,
Great write-up. I only wish they had tastings like this close to where I live!

[Al B.]

Does anyone know if the contents of madeirawineguide.com transferred to FTLOP included things like Peter’s write-up of the Hamburg tasting?

I’ve looked around on Madeira Wine Guide pages, but can’t find things like this.

[Peter Reutter]

Dear Al B.

As you might have noticed, the pages of MWG had been moved to FTLOP, thanks to the dedication and generosity of Roy, when I was no longer able to maintain the original MWG website. Most of the content has been transferred, but not all. And as you surely also noticed, the new owner of the MWG domain has no connection with me and the original site whatsoever.

From an old backup I was able to retrieve reports from the two Hamburg IVBAM tastings I attended in 2009 and 2010. I post them below without further editing or checking. Also please consider, that any information in these reports is 15 years old...
Best regards
Peter



Hamburg IVBAM Tasting 2009
At the 5th of October 2009, the Portuguese chamber of foreign commerce AICEP and the Madeira Wine Institute IVBAM held their annual Madeira wine tasting event in sunny Hamburg, Germany. The tasting took place in the beautiful Grand Elysee Hotel. Interesting, that the IVBAM decided to go against the stream of the world wide depression and expand this event, compared to the tasting in Berlin last year (see the post about the Berlin tasting 2008). Thanks to many wonderful Madeira wines, an interesting masterclass and a perfect organization, the event was a great success. It certainly sparked the enthusiasm of the people present for Madeira wine.

This time five Madeira wine producers were present: H. M. Borges Lda, represented by Goncalo de Spinola, Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA, represented by Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Ricardo Tavares, Vinhos Barbeito Lda., represented by Americo Pereira from Diogos Wine Shop in Funchal and Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda., represented by Julio Fernandes. The IVBAM itself was represented by vice director Joao Nunes. As always, Matthias Meichsner represented the AICEP. Lots of information about Madeira wine was available, an advertising movie with wonderful views of Madeira island was shown and tasty hors d’oeuvres and delicious Bolo de Mel relieved any hunger. All the companies present had brought their range of blends as well as some rarities, free for tasting.

The Madeira masterclass certainly was the highlight of the event. It was hosted by Michael Pleitgen, head of the Berliner Weinakademie, associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET. Ten most impressive Madeira wines were tasted. Michael Pleitgen also gave a half hour presentation about the special features of Madeira wine that fascinated even the seasoned Madeira wine veterans.

A great thank you goes to Joao Nunes, IVBAM and Matthias Meichsner, AICEP for the invitation to this perfect event. If this event is any hint at how the future of Madeira wine is going to be then there is no need for worries! The tasting notes of fourteen wines that impressed me most are posted below. You might notice that the emphasis was on sweet and semi-sweet wines, but to me this was only fitting for the start of the cold season.

H. M. Borges

1998 Malvasia Colheita
This Colheita shows a dark mahogany color. The nose is dominated by roasted dark hazelnut-aromas together with a fair amount of volatile acidity and orange. The taste is rather sweet, but well balanced with acidity, together with lots of caramel and even a hint of vanilla, then nuts again and a long caramel finish. A good example of a classic Malvasia wine. 91 points 10/2009.

1995 Boal Colheita
A bright but cold iodine brown is the interesting color of this wine. Heavy and singed caramel together with a small amount of volatile acidity please the nose. In the mouth the first sip leaves a roasted, almost smoked impression, lots of toffee here and caramel as well, but also a good measure of fruity acidity. A clean caramel finish of medium length leaves the mouth waiting for the next sip. A very nice old-style Madeira. 92 points 10/2009.

1977 Sercial Vintage
This rather young vintage Madeira displays a bright iodine brown, almost tawny color. The nose is fresh and nutty, with a slight hint of oak and a splash of volatile acidity adding to the overall impression of lightness. On the palate this Sercial is rather sweet, so this is a pleasant surprise for all those who usually do not like Sercial. A nutty foundation with powerful acidity carries caramel, a little toffee and lots of walnuts to the long finish. An impressive wine and a Sercial that is pleasant to drink without having to wait a couple of decades. 93 points 10/2009.

Henriques & Henriques

2000 Bual Single Harvest
This single harvest wine shows its young age by the bright mahogany color with a greenish rim. In the multilayered nose with a little volatile acidity dried fruits and caramel dominate, but there is also a hint of vanilla. On the palate the wine is pleasantly sweet, but also rounded and harmonious with lots of caramel and soft acidity. In the background there is subdued fruit that carries on to the creamy caramel and toffee finish. This wine might not have a lot of personality but it is just easy to drink and a real fun wine. A nice drink for the cold season too. 92 points 10/2009.

1998 Rich Single Harvest
This wine is made from Tinta Negra Mole and shows a bright iodine brown color. The nose is multilayered with caramel, toffee, walnut, raisins and a hint of coffee beans. In the mouth there is a fierce attack of acidity that carries on as a backbone, but also yummy aromas of citrus fruits that compete with a broad layer of caramel. The rich sweetness adds to the pleasant impression of this wine, ending in a long and fruity finish. A well made TNM wine! 91 points 10/20009.

Madeira Wine Company:

2001 Blandys Harvest Malmsey
A golden brown color with a slightly reddish rim, almost like a chestnut brown promises a rather heavy Malmsey. The nose is packed with caramel and different nutty aromas, a hint of roasted aromas as well. In the mouth there is considerable sweetness but also lots of acidity, so this wine is in good balance. There is lots of caramel, lots of walnut and a funky roastiness that carries on to the caramel finish, keeping the wine from being cloying. Very nice and pleasant to drink, a great wine for the cold season and already quite complex despite its young age. 92 points 19/2009.

1990 Blandys Colheita Malmsey
This colheita shows a dark iodine brown with a slightly greenish rim. The nose is rather subdued, with a hint of volatile acidity and some caramel. But once on the palate, the wine shifts to a higher gear with a very good balance between heavy sweetness and powerful acidity, bitter-sweet fruits to go with it, almost a hint of grapefruit there, then a caramel finish of medium length. An impressive wine that would benefit in complexity from a couple more years in cask and might even return as a young vintage Madeira. 91 points 10/2009.

1976 Blandys Terrantez Vintage
This Terrantez vintage Madeira was the best wine of the tasting for me. Later one of my Madeira wine comrades told me, that this wine is one of his favorites and that he has been buying it for years. I had never had this wine before, but after tasting it , I can easily see why. The color is a dark mahogany. In the nose there is a kaleidoscope of aromas, lots of volatile acidity, a little musk, dark and roasted aromas, then a touch of something wild, funky, leathery, waxy, hard to describe, but pleasant and very well fitting into the overall impression, and finally a lot of dried fruits. So much fun before even the first sip, wow. And then with the first sip the wine keeps its promise: nutty sweetness, powerful acidity, a layer of bitter walnut, lots of caramel, raisins, molasses, that wild, funky, leathery thing in the background again and then a long bitter walnut finish. What a great wine, hard to believe it only had 21 years in cask. I just hope they will give it more time, since this is going to become a classic Terrantez vintage Madeira. 94 points 10/2009.

Vinhos Barbeitos

VB Reserve
Lote 2 Cask 12d und 46a
This rarity displays a bright iodine brown color and a fruity nose with caramel to go with it. The palate is also very fruity, funky acid there as well, leading to a clean and fresh impression, then there is some caramel and medium sweetness in the finish. A nice wine that will do well as an aperitif as well as an after dinner drink. 92 points 10/2009.

Malvasia 20 Years Old
This rare 20 YO Blend shows a tawny color with straw colored rim. The nose is focused on nutty and fruity aromas. In the mouth the wine is rather sweet, but complex, with lots of acidity, a little overpowering, lots of fruit and a long bitter walnut finish. Other participants liked this wine a lot more then I did. 89 points 10/2009.

2001 Boal Colheita
Interesting straw color with a hint of yellow here. The nose displays candied orange and grapey fruit, reminding me of a Moscatel de Setubal. The palate is also on the light side with lots of sweetness but rather little acidity, a hint of fruit, then toffee and caramel. For an acid freak like me the wine was a little cloying and one-dimensional. The all-caramel finish was rather short. 89 points 10/2009.

1981 Verdelho Vintage
A well-known Verdelho to me, this 1981 wine, that spent 24 years in cask until 2005. The color is a medium bright tawny with a hint of red. The nose has dried fruits, a hint of cinnamon, some raisins, more complex then I remembered. The palate is quite powerful with lots of fierce acidity, only little sweetness in the background, leading to an almost dry overall impression, nice citric fruit here with only little caramel, but complex and nutty. The powerful acidity carries through to the walnut finish. A good and very powerful wine! 93 points 10/2009.

Vinhos Justino Henriques

1995 Colheita
The predecessor of my favorite TNM-colheita shows a golden brown and an unusual but pleasant nose with fruity caramel and an initial blast of peppermint. The palate is sweet and balanced with pleasant acidity, nice fruit in the background, but the focus is on caramel, walnut and almonds, with a slightly bitter nutty finish. A well made TNM wine. 91 points 10/2009.

1996 Colheita
This TNM colheita has been a favorite of mine for a long time and it impressed me again. With its dark iodine brown color and its rich nose of figs, nuts and coffee this colheita is complex and fun to drink. In the mouth it is quite sweet, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acidity, then toffee, almonds, walnuts, also some darker more roasted aromas as well. This time the wine is even more rounded and mellow, may be because of the longer storage time in cask. The grapey finish is long. A very pleasant drink and a good combination of complexity and harmony. 92 points 10/2009.




Hamburg IVBAM Tasting 2010
Arriving at Hamburg the weather was rainy, cold and rather windy – perfect conditions for the tasting of Madeira wines. On October the 27th 2010, the IVBAM, represented by Joao Nunez and the Portuguese chamber of foreign commerce AICEP, represented by Matthias Meichsner, held their annual Madeira wine tasting in the north-German Hanse town. After the very successful tasting last year, this year was even a step up. Five producers had come to Hamburg to present their range of blended wines as well as some Colheitas, single harvest wines and Frasqueiras (=vintage Madeiras): H. M. Borges Lda, represented by Goncalo de Spinola, Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA, represented by Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Ricardo Tavares, Vinhos Barbeito Lda., represented by Marianna Pinto and Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda., represented by Julio Fernandes.

The afternoon started with a Madeira Master Class about Madeira blends. This event was hosted by Michael Pleitgen, head of the Berlin Weinakademie, associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET. He gave an hour long presentation about the special features of Madeira wine that contained lots of information for even the seasoned Madeira wine veterans. First we learned some Madeira wine history, heard about John Hancock, the 1768 Madeira party and the sons of freedom. Then the focus shifted to geography, with information about soils, climate and the building of the levada irrigation system. After grape varieties, viticulture, the wine-production and the different styles of Madeira, we went on to taste four samples of 10 year old blends and the MWC’s Alvada 5 year old blend.

After the Madeira Master Class, the five producers offered their range of wines for free tasting, accompanied by a delicious variety of food, perfectly matched to the wines by the chefs of the Hamburg Raddison Blue hotel. Over 40 wines were to be tasted; tasting notes of 14 of them are listed below. The overall level of quality and the price-value-ratio were even higher than in 2009.

A great thank you goes to Joao Nunes, IVBAM and Matthias Meichsner, AICEP for the invitation to this perfect event, as well as to the producers for generously sharing their Madeira wines. Over the last years now these tastings have become a jour fixe in the autumn time for Madeira wine lovers in central Europe. It is fun to see that each time the IVBAM and AICEP somehow manage to even top the level of last year’s event. No doubt these events boost the popularity of Madeira wine amongst wine lovers and help restore its rightful place at the top of the fortified wines.

H. M. Borges

10 years old Sercial
This wine shows a bright iodine brown with a fresh and very appealing citrus nose with a little walnut and almond as well and some toffee in the background. The palate is just off-dry, soft and nutty, with a little toffee too and only little acidity, ending with a clean dry finish. 89 points 10/2010

1995 Boal Colheita
This Colheita features a bright but cold iodine brown color with a voluptuous caramel nose together with a small amount of volatile acidity. The palate offers an intense layer of toffee with a good measure of fruity acidity, some vanilla is also there. Last time I also noticed some dark and roasted aromas that I didn’t really find this time. A long sweet and acidic toffee finish ends this tasty Colheita. 92 points 10/2010

Henriques & Henriques

10 years old Malmsey
This wine shows a medium dark mahogany color, the nose is dominated by raisins, some roasted aromas and a little VA. The palate is very sweet but the sweetness is also perfectly counter-balanced with high acidity. Toffee is dominating the palate, but a little smokiness and the high acidity keep the wine from being cloying. The finish is also a little smoky so it all works out perfectly. This wine may not be the most complex one, but is powerful and very pleasant to drink. 90 points 10/2010

20 years old Terrantez
I never had this wine before so it was a huge surprise for me when I first saw this 20 years old Terrantez blend. The color is of brilliant medium dark iodine with a chestnut rim, the nose is sweet and nutty, rather subdued. The palate shifts into a higher gear with an initial soft feel of mainstream nutty sweetness, but then a slightly bitter, but typical Terrantez-backbone comes shining through. The wine evolves in your mouth into a wonderful example of Terrantez with a long and sweet finish that gives a glimpse of Terrantez-bitterness at the very end. Well done. I hope they put this on the market soon! 92 points 10/2010

Madeira Wine Company

5 years old Blandy Alvada
I like this entry level but very well made blend with its medium mahogany color and its rich and fruity nose. The sweet and very fruity palate and the surprisingly long fruity finish make this wine very easy to drink and very enjoyable. 90 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Sercial 1997
The bright straw color of this Colheita is very appealing; the sweet nutty nose with a little ginger and cinnamon is very elegant. The palate is dry and refreshing, nutty, a little ginger again in the background, lots of clean acidity and a dry nutty finish of medium length. 91 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Bual 1997
This Colheita shows a medium dark mahogany color with sweet and soft toffee nose with a touch of vanilla, hmmm. The palate is quite sweet, with lots of toffee, walnuts, a sweet vanilla backbone and a sweet almond finish of medium length. This is a nice and rather typical Bual Colheita. 92 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Verdelho 1998
The color of this Colheita is medium dark iodine, with a subdued nutty nose. The palate is rather sweet for the Verdelho range, but soft and elegant, with a nutty base and a soft toffee layer on top. Just when you think that this is a little mainstream some darker coffee aromas appear and lead over to a slightly bitter finish of medium length. An interesting wine! 92 points 10/2010

1976 Blandys Terrantez Vintage
This was my favorite wine last year in Hamburg and it repeated first place in 2010. The color is dark mahogany with a rather aggressive nose with volatile acidity, a little musk, dark and roasted aromas, then a touch of something wild, funky, leathery, waxy, hard to describe, but pleasant and very well fitting into the overall mysterious impression, and finally a lot of dried fruits. The nose keeps amazing me, even though I have had this wine a couple of times now. The palate is nutty sweetness at first, with powerful acidity, a layer of bitter walnut, lots of caramel, raisins, molasses, that wild, funky, leathery thing in the background again and then a long bitter walnut finish. Every time I just think: Wow, what a great wine, hard to believe it only had 21 years in cask. 94 points 10/2009

Vinhos Barbeitos

10 years old Verdelho
This Verdelho blend shows a rather bright iodine color, with an appealing fresh but nutty nose with a tough of wood in the background. The palate is quite sweet for the Verdelho range, but soft and mellow with a nice mélange of walnut, toffee and caramel, no roasted aromas whatsoever, so the overall impression of softness goes through until the walnut finish of medium length. This blend is perhaps a little mainstream, but the perfect wine to sip when it is cold and rainy outside. It was the first wine of the Madeira Master Class and really made me feel welcome. 90 points 10/2010

1988 Sercial Vintage
The color is cold bright iodine; the citrusy nose displays lots of lemon and orange aromas, fresh and zesty. The palate is highly acidic, a little fruity sweetness in the background, with lots of lemon and orange, but no nuttiness here. This is all about citrusy fruit aromas, with an acidic finish of medium length. Well done! 92 points 10/2010

2002 Colheita Canteiro Single Cask 110, Tinta Negra sweet
This Colheita has just been released and is the sweetest wine in the whole Barbeito range. The color is dark orange-yellow with a sweet nutty nose. The palate is very sweet, but there is also a lot of acidity to keep the wine in balance. The overall impression is richness, with sweet nuts, toffee, a little burnt sugar in the background and persistent acidity to keep the wine from being sticky sweet. The wine has been aged in a hot warehouse, you can tell that from the slightly burnt taste in the long sweet toffee finish. Wow, this is made from Tinta Negra, hard to believe, but just adding proof to the quality of the TNM grape. 92 points 10/2010

Vinhos Justino Henriques

10 years old fine dry
The wine has a medium bright warm brown with orange rim and a nose dominated by lemon and citrus aromas so intense it leaves the impression of a lemon candy. There is no nuttiness whatsoever, but intense fruit with a slightly vegetable-like background, still very pleasant though. The palate is dry, but with lots of fruity citrus aromas –pineapple, lemon, a little orange- leading to an almost sweet impression. This wine is all about citrus fruit, with an acidic finish of medium length, no toffee or caramel, very impressive and refreshing. 91 points 10/2010

1996 Colheita
This Colheita still is my favorite TNM wine, with its dark iodine brown color and its rich nose of figs, nuts and coffee. The wine is quite sweet on the palate, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acidity, then toffee, almonds, walnuts, also some darker more roasted aromas as well. I have been following this wine for four years now and probably had it a dozen times. It seems to become more rounded and mellow, but the complexity and the long grapey finish still make it fun to drink every time. 92 points 10/2010

[Al B.]

Peter - thank you so much for going through your old back-ups and then posting your notes.

They might be from 15 years ago, but they are still fascinating pictures of how the wines were at the time and - maybe - part of the answer to if (and if so, how) Madeira evolves with bottle age.