A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
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A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Re: A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
Auction details:
Christie's to auction discovery of 18th-19th Century Madeira, 7 December, New York
FROM THE LIBERTY HALL MUSEUM
ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF EARLY MADEIRA IN THE UNITED STATES
New York – Christie’s announces the sale of a selection from one of the most extensive early collections of Madeira in the United States, dating to the 18th-19th centuries. Recently rediscovered at The Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University, New Jersey, a selection will be included in the auction Finest Wines and Spirits, Including The Liberty Hall Museum Collection of Historic Madeira and an extraordinary Collection of Pre-prohibition Whiskey on December 7 at Christie’s New York.
Discovered during a six-month refurbishment project in 2015, almost three cases of Madeira wine from 1796 and approximately 40 demijohns from the 1820s, were found in the Liberty Hall Museum. During the wine cellar restoration, the museum exposed the original brick flooring that had been covered by a layer of concrete, and removed an extra wall, likely erected during the Prohibition era, to reveal numerous cases that had been nailed shut for nearly a century.
The December 2018 Christie’s auction will include an offering from this historic discovery, highlighted by a selection of demijohns that were recorked in October 2018 in partnership with APCOR, The Portuguese Cork Association, and catalogued under the expertise of Francisco Albuquerque, Winemaker for the Blandy's Madeira Wine Company, S.A., and Edwin Vos, Head of Wine at Christie’s. Featured lots include Lenox Madeira, imported by the Late Robert Lenox Esq. via Philadelphia in 1796, bottled in the Summer of 1798, Re-bottled in June 1888 (estimate: $6,000-8,000 per bottle); Madeira 1846, Old Sercial in demijohn, recorked in 1871 and in October 2018 (estimate: $35,000-55,000 per 5-gallon demijohn).
Edwin Vos, Head of Wine, Continental Europe, Christie’s comments: “Christie’s is honored to be entrusted with the sale of this incredibly rare selection of early Madeira. Putting together this auction has been a true collaboration with our partners at the Liberty Hall Museum, APCOR, and the Madeira Wine Company. The journey from discovery to the uncorking, tasting, and cataloguing of these century-old vintages has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our specialist team and an extremely rare buying opportunity for collectors.”
Francisco Albuquerque, Winemaker for the Blandy's Madeira Wine Company, S.A., remarks: “This is a landmark moment, as this discovery not only represents one of the largest collections of early Madeira in the United States, it also signifies the timelessness and lasting quality of Madeira wine. These vintages are approximately 200 years-old and yet they still retain the nuanced qualities and notes found only in Madeira coupled with the finish of time. This auction offers a remarkable opportunity to not only own a piece of history, but to experience it.”
The discovery represents one of the largest known early collections of Madeira in the United States and one of the most extensive in the world. America's original 13 colonies imported about 95 percent of Madeiran wine produced on the autonomous islands of Portugal, according to historical accounts. Madeira was a popular beverage for elites in colonial and early America (George Washington was a noted collector, as was Thomas Jefferson).
Further background and detailed lot information will be shared ahead of the sale. The Liberty Hall Museum will additionally be holding a public exhibition dedicated to this discovery with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Christie's to auction discovery of 18th-19th Century Madeira, 7 December, New York
FROM THE LIBERTY HALL MUSEUM
ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF EARLY MADEIRA IN THE UNITED STATES
New York – Christie’s announces the sale of a selection from one of the most extensive early collections of Madeira in the United States, dating to the 18th-19th centuries. Recently rediscovered at The Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University, New Jersey, a selection will be included in the auction Finest Wines and Spirits, Including The Liberty Hall Museum Collection of Historic Madeira and an extraordinary Collection of Pre-prohibition Whiskey on December 7 at Christie’s New York.
Discovered during a six-month refurbishment project in 2015, almost three cases of Madeira wine from 1796 and approximately 40 demijohns from the 1820s, were found in the Liberty Hall Museum. During the wine cellar restoration, the museum exposed the original brick flooring that had been covered by a layer of concrete, and removed an extra wall, likely erected during the Prohibition era, to reveal numerous cases that had been nailed shut for nearly a century.
The December 2018 Christie’s auction will include an offering from this historic discovery, highlighted by a selection of demijohns that were recorked in October 2018 in partnership with APCOR, The Portuguese Cork Association, and catalogued under the expertise of Francisco Albuquerque, Winemaker for the Blandy's Madeira Wine Company, S.A., and Edwin Vos, Head of Wine at Christie’s. Featured lots include Lenox Madeira, imported by the Late Robert Lenox Esq. via Philadelphia in 1796, bottled in the Summer of 1798, Re-bottled in June 1888 (estimate: $6,000-8,000 per bottle); Madeira 1846, Old Sercial in demijohn, recorked in 1871 and in October 2018 (estimate: $35,000-55,000 per 5-gallon demijohn).
Edwin Vos, Head of Wine, Continental Europe, Christie’s comments: “Christie’s is honored to be entrusted with the sale of this incredibly rare selection of early Madeira. Putting together this auction has been a true collaboration with our partners at the Liberty Hall Museum, APCOR, and the Madeira Wine Company. The journey from discovery to the uncorking, tasting, and cataloguing of these century-old vintages has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our specialist team and an extremely rare buying opportunity for collectors.”
Francisco Albuquerque, Winemaker for the Blandy's Madeira Wine Company, S.A., remarks: “This is a landmark moment, as this discovery not only represents one of the largest collections of early Madeira in the United States, it also signifies the timelessness and lasting quality of Madeira wine. These vintages are approximately 200 years-old and yet they still retain the nuanced qualities and notes found only in Madeira coupled with the finish of time. This auction offers a remarkable opportunity to not only own a piece of history, but to experience it.”
The discovery represents one of the largest known early collections of Madeira in the United States and one of the most extensive in the world. America's original 13 colonies imported about 95 percent of Madeiran wine produced on the autonomous islands of Portugal, according to historical accounts. Madeira was a popular beverage for elites in colonial and early America (George Washington was a noted collector, as was Thomas Jefferson).
Further background and detailed lot information will be shared ahead of the sale. The Liberty Hall Museum will additionally be holding a public exhibition dedicated to this discovery with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Eric Ifune
- Posts: 3412
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:02 pm
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America - USA
Re: A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
I've a feeling the demijohns will be priced in the stratosphere, but it would be real cool to have one. 
I'd have to figure out how to get it home since Christies doesn't ship to Nevada. Road trip?
I'd have to figure out how to get it home since Christies doesn't ship to Nevada. Road trip?
Re: A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
If you road trip, swing through Pittsburgh and pick me up. I have friends in NY, we can crash on their couch. :) ![[friends.gif]](./images/smilies/friends.gif "Friends")
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Eric Menchen
- Posts: 6342
- Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:48 pm
- Location: Longmont, Colorado, United States of America - USA
Re: A treasure trove of Madeira ... FOUND!!
Eric, I'm on your way, and I can bring straws. Stop in CO, stop in PA ...Scheiny S wrote:If you road trip, swing through Pittsburgh and pick me up. I have friends in NY, we can crash on their couch. :)
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Eric Ifune
- Posts: 3412
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:02 pm
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America - USA
