For The Love Of Port

What is the longest you've cellared any of your Madeira bottles and which is/was it?

I have a few that I've been sitting on for over a decade, not that it's a long time, but keeping my hands off them has been a real challenge.

What about you ... do you have bottles that have been in your own cellar for many years, and if so ... which?

I'm not positive, but I believe the oldest I've held onto is some 1933 Vinhos Justino Henriques Malmsey that I've had for almost 20 years. I think I've two bottles left from a case.

My first two I bought, 15 years before I started collecting, Xmas 1985 at MWC IN fUNCHAL
AO-SM 1882 V AND AO-SM 1910 S ! :hoppingmad:

D'Oliveira 1937 Sercial and Barbeito 1954 Malvazia, both in 1997.

Not Madeira, but I've also a few bottles left of Sandeman Very Old Amoroso Sherry that I purchased in 1985. It's nice stuff as well.

I've got a couple of bottles of Malmsey Madeira that I picked up 20 years ago from the old Government liquor stores. I can't recall the producer's name but it was on sale for C$10 a bottle. I've looked but I've never found any reference to the shipper.

One of bottles I opened was left half empty (but stoppered) on my mother's dining room sideboard for 5 years. One day, after a wine and dinner party we tried the Madeira. It was superb. So impressed were the dinner guests that a few of them wanted to buy my remaining bottles.

From that episode I learned that Madeira is indestructible. Imagine, a half bottle surviving and developing additional complexity over five years in an apartment dining room. Thats why I say, if you see a bottle of Madeira sitting on a heat register, by a sunny window in a shop, don't hesitate. Chances are it will be just fine. Just don't tell the retailer.

Cheers...........Mahmoud

My original 'computerized' list was Feb 1991 - and 2 (possibly 3) bottles are still in there.
Leacock 1905 Sercial
Leacock 1927 Bastardo

the third is the 1830 Quinta de Serrado Malmsey - but I also bought that later and I don't know which purchase survives.

So all of those pre-date 1991 (and the chances of finding exact purchase dates are pretty slim).

PS The hardest part was finding a program to open that old file!

Alan, I have a simple Word-file with all info about stock. Paper copy in a banksafe, and computercopy always sent
to a friend of mine, in case my house burns down.. :type: :devil: All are insured ...

Reidar