For The Love Of Port

Aloha Group
After several year break I have time to return to passions, ports and mads. I have a peticular maderia I am trying to get a little more info on I have looked, called googled etc it may not be worth much but I find the history very interesting.

Label states
Madiera
Commodore Perry
1829
decanted from old to new
demijohns Feburary 1883
Botled Dec 1884
William H Fearing

Fill level is Low to mid shoulder, cork is bad shape, capsule mostly gone

Mahalos in advance, glad to be a part of the group
Mike

Mike,

Sorry I can't help you on your Madeira, but I'm sure someone here can. But, welcome to the site and glad to hear you have returned and found our little crazy group of Port and Madeira drinkers.

I would guess you have a very old vintage, probably bottled in the states. Commodore Perry is probably the ship the wine was imported on. It was common practice to name the wine after the ship. My guess it was in barrel from 1829 to 1883, then in glass since then. William H Fearing is the company that bottled it. Despite the level it may be stupendous. It may not be but the only way to know is to try it. It would be a rare and memorable experience in either case.

The madiera is fabulous, it had a weep so I tasted about a teaspoon full and it was unreal, the smell filled the room. I need to get it and several others recorked but thats another post on opinions and procedures as I cant ship it. I'll keep digging on the internet and hopefully someone here will have more clues.
Aloha
Mike

Well Commodore Perry is also mentioned in Noël Cossarts book "Madeira- Island Vineyard" on page 61. He travelled around the world and also to
Aloha again,

Madeira to buy wines.

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/te ... iends4.htm

So your wine is vinho do roda. William H. Fearing is from one of the rich families in New York. Find him on Google.

I have myself one of these bottles. 1806 ( vintage ) Brig Twins ( the ship ) bottled in 1816 . Then to the NY family P P Goelet and decanted January 1885 by William H. Fearing who took over the wine at some point.

I bought it from Patick Grubb 4 years ago. He still have some of these bottles. Patrick bought them on auction in NYC.

Very nice historic "souvenirs".

Mahalo

Reidar

Reidar
Thanks for that link and hints. I am making a folder for each bottle as I collect the information. I am also compiling infomation on what was happening in the world during the vintage year. It was great fun to drink a 63 port and pass around to the guests news articles ads etc.
Mahalo
Mike