They are sitting on thousands of gallons of the stuff and vintages that are 20, 30, even 40 years old are relative bargains in the range of €100 – €150. The current wines are all available for tasting, but they will also let you taste a few older vintages if you show a great interest in buying a bottle. Assuming it’s not overrun by day trippers, the shop is a great destination for conversation and tasting. Blandy’s Tasting Michael Tulipan More Madeira ProducersĪ short ten-minute walk away is D’Oliveira (Rua Dos Ferreiros 107), another top Madeira producer. Tours can be booked online – keep in mind they are timed and they start whether you’re there or not. Every weekday at 4:30pm, there is a vintage tour for €16.50.
SPOTBAR MADAIRA BEACH SOCCER FULL
After the tasting, peruse the full list of vintage (colheita) wines – I recommend you retire to the library across from the main tasting room, which is much more peaceful. The tour wends its way through the winery and a fascinating museum of the company’s history – at one point they owned a bank, shipping, hotels, traded in coal and more. Smack in the middle of Funchal, Madeira’s main town, the Blandy Wine Lodge may have a slightly Epcot feel to it on the surface, but it is a working winery with a restaurant, tasting rooms and a retail shop around the corner.Ī premium lodge visit which includes a packed 45-minute tour and tasting of 2 Madeiras for €5.90 per person provides a great overview of the process of making the island’s wine. At various points, the company has produced wine, ships, run hotels, and a lot more. In a sense, Madeira would not be a destination without Blandy’s. Approaching Madeira Michael Tulipan Blandy Wine Lodge Let’s just say the airport is really spiffy. No, I’m not making that up as Madeira is the birthplace of the world’s greatest living soccer star. Welcome to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. In about as long as it took me to scratch my head, the plane banked a hard right, dropped onto the runway and pulled up to the gate. We could see the airport as we descended, closer and closer to the rocky slopes. It popped up out of the crystal-clear blue sea like a mirage and as we descended, the plane hugged the coastline. So, there we were on a plane from Lisbon, fulfilling the dream of visiting this mysterious island in the middle of an ocean. Blandy’s Old Madeiras Michael Tulipan Off to the Island We had heard that some houses will even pour older wines in the tasting rooms, which turned out to be 100% true.
Madeiras are famous for their ageability and you can find ones in shops that are well over 100 years old. Another grape, Terrantez, isn’t very common but older styles will retain some sweetness balanced with a dry finish. A special taste for it was developed by the English – remember group #1?įour main grapes are used in Madeira: Sercial, the driest, followed by Verdelho, then Boal (Bual) and the sweetest, Malmsey. Ships used to stop at the island to resupply and stocked up on its wine, which spread Madeira far and wide from the East Indies to the Americas. Madeira wine is fortified, which means it traveled well in the age of exploration. One was so old, a friend remarked that it was from the Martin Van Buren administration. Madeira had been on our list since we drank some exquisite wines from the island a few years ago at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida.
Then, there was us, the couple who seeks out culinary adventures in far-flung places around the globe. Hills of Madeira Michael Tulipan Aged to Perfection #3 is for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking in the unspoiled interior. One day we stepped into one of the great Madeira wine shops, D’Oliveira, and found it swarming with Scandinavians who had rented the place out for a few hours before hustling back to their ship. As a result, you can find fish and chips on nearly every restaurant menu. It’s far from the most Portuguese part of Portugal and the island has long been accustomed to being overrun by Brits. The #1 reason seems to be if you are middle-aged and English. Nowadays, people tend to go to Madeira for a few reasons. The island is said to have been the first occupied territory when the European explorers set out across the globe in the 15th century. Madeira may be part of Portugal, but it sits off the coast of Africa. Welcome to Madeira Michael Tulipan 3 “Usual” Reasons to go to Madeira
But if you think this is going to be about trekking through ravines and up mountains, and I do love mountains (though mainly from a distance) here we are delving into the real reason to go to Madeira. This jagged land mass rises from the Atlantic Ocean atop an ancient volcano and offers enough adventure to satiate thrill seekers and nature lovers alike.
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