Beginner seeking guidance on where to start

[Yuri A.]

Hello everyone,

Being very new to Madeira, I have only tasted the common supermarket Blandy's "Duke of Clarence" rich Madeira that I drank on a rare occasion and found it to be a decent and interesting drink. Recently, however, I purchased Blandy's 10 year old Malmsey and understood that there is so much more to this drink than I initially thought. This taste of raisins-toffee yet with such bright acidity was just marvelous, and it was probably the best drink I've tried so far (you vintage tasters are likely to be laughing right now, but it's true!). The small 50cl bottle disappeared in 2 evenings.

But anyway, having said that, next week I am going to visit a friend who loves port, but never tasted Madeira, so I would really like to bring a bottle and introduce it to her. This is where I could really use your help, however my choice is limited and so is my wallet - I am just a student.

She likes sweet drinks, so it probably has to be Bual or Malmsey. Also she hates any resemblance of coffee in a drink.
And this is what I can choose from:
http://www.shjoneswines.com/Search/madeira
Waitrose
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/keyword- ... t-is-17038

In addition to this, there is a shop without website near me that sells all 4 noble varieties of Blandy's 10 year old 50 cl, all at £19, except for Malmsey which is £12 for unknown reason.

I would also like to ask if you could recommend something that is good value for money that I could be getting as a "weekend drink".

Many thanks in advance,
Yuri

[Eric Ifune]

Hello and
And welcome to the world of Madeira.
The Duke of Clarence is an Estufa wine, heated in tank to up to 40 C. for several months.
The 10 year old Blandys is a Canteiro wine, aged in cask and of much higher quality.
Of the wines you list, the one that catches my eye is the Barbeito 2000 Malvasia Single cask 39A. It is indeed the product of a single cask and chosen for it's high quality. The Barbeito 2000 Single Harvest Malvasia is a blend of multiple casks. It too is a fine tipple. The Blandys 2004 Single Harvest Malmsey is also a nice drink, Malmsey being the English term for Malvasia. The Blandys style is more opulent than Barbeito.
Hopefully someday you'll get to try a true Vintage Madeira which must be aged in cask a minimum of 20 years. These would be a step up than even the above wines.

[Roy Hersh]

Eric has offered great advice, but I also like the Blandy's 10 year old Bual from you list. Thanks for joining the discussions here Yuri and we hope you will report back as to how your Port loving friend enjoys Madeira.

[Andy Velebil]

Yuri,
Just wanted to say to the Board, really good to have another Madeira lover. Please feel free to ask all the questions you want, including what may seem "simple" you to. We are all about sharing information here.

[Yuri A.]

Thank you everyone for warm hospitality and advice. I think I will go with single cask barbeito next week. I am just worried that acidity will remind her of coffee, and she absolutely hates it (I am a big coffee fan though). By the way, those H & H 15 year olds from Waitrose aren't worthy of note?

[Eric Ifune]

Yes, the Barbeito wines will be more acidic on the palate; but that is one reason I like them. If it's a concern, the Blandys Single Harvest will have less.
I like the H&H wines. The Verdelho and Boal are my favorites among the 15 year olds. If you can find their 20 year old Malvasia, it's really nice.

[Justin A]

Yuri,
Welcome! I always believe that whenever you are new to something, the most important thing to do is to establish a range as soon as possible. What I mean by that is to try to get your hands on an older vintage madeira so you can see the heights that this wine can achieve. It may set you back a bit of money (I wouldnt spend less than $200 on the experience) but in the long run you will be able to better judge (for yourself) qualitative aspects of the lesser wines which can be delightful.

[Jon D]

Hi all,

I've got a few queries along the same lines of the original poster.

This is the foundation of my "normal drinking" Madeira collection:
- H&H 20yr Terrantez
- Blandy 20yr Terrantez
- D'Oliveiras 1977 Terrantez
- Barbeito 20yr Malvasia
- Blandy 10yr Malmsey
- Blandy 5yr Bual
- D'Oliveiras 1968 Bual

I have a few 1900s bottles stashed away, however I probably can't afford to replace them once they're finished!

My questions:
1. Are there any "essential" recent vintages from D'Oliveiras (or any other shipper) that I should acquire?

2. I am missing Verdelho and Sercial, although this is not deliberate. Locally, the only Verdelhos and Sercials I can get are Barbeito 5yrs, and the various H&H blends. Any recommendations out of those, or is it better to import some vintages myself? For background information, a 1980s D'Oliveiras vintage/colheita will cost 2.5x more than a H&H 15yr blend for me.

3. Any other "building block" Madeiras I should get? I don't have access to Broadbent 10yr Malmsey, unfortunately...

(FYI - my favourite Madeira so far has been D'Oliveiras 1912 Verdelho - preferred it even to the 1850!).

Many thanks in advance!

[Eric Ifune]

I love the 1968 D'Oliveiras Bual. I also really like the 1982 and the 89 Malvasia. Also their 77 and 88 Terrantez.
I pretty much enjoy any of the Barbieto Colheitas and they are a relative bargain as well.

[Jon D]

I love the 1968 D'Oliveiras Bual. I also really like the 1982 and the 89 Malvasia. Also their 77 and 88 Terrantez.
I pretty much enjoy any of the Barbieto Colheitas and they are a relative bargain as well.

Thanks for that Eric. Will pencil down your recommendations for my next purchase.

I skipped the 88 Terrantez on my recent order as the 77 was only an extra EUR 10 - figured that was a fair price for the extra time in cask.