Fortified Madeira Wine Makers And Their Table Wines: All You Need To Know If You Plan A Visit

“We make it all” Madeira winemakers

In the 17th century, purely by strange happenstance, Madeiran winemakers discovered a method to preserve their wines during long sea voyages. This fortunate accident led to the creation of fortified Madeira wine and a boon to the Madeira winemaking industry.

However, like many things, the era of fortified wines eventually came to an end. The Prohibition era in the United States and the revolution in Russia significantly impacted the two major markets for Madeira wine, leading to the closures and consolidation of numerous fortified Madeira wineries.

Today, there are only eight fortified wine producers left in Madera. Among them, Madeira Wine Company, Justino’s, and Barbeito continue making traditional fortified Madeira wines while also producing table (still) wines.

Below is information about these producers, their table wines, and advice for visiting them.

Madeira Wine Company, S.A. | Blandy’s Wine Lodge

History

The Madeira Wine Company is a result of Blandy’s Madeira and Leacock’s Madeira joining together. With time the partners acquired additional brands that became part of their company. Today, the Madeira Wine Company is wholly owned by the 7th generation of the Blandy family. It is the parent company for Blandy’s Madeira, Cossart Gordon, Miles Madeira, their fortified wine brands, and Atlantis, their table wine brand.

Atlantis Wines

Reportedly Atlantis was the first table wine produced on the Island more than 30 years ago. However, as the majority of the table wine producers in Madeira Island are little-known mom-and-pop shops, we wouldn’t put too much trust in this claim.

Atlantis wines are made in four styles – White, Rosé, Red and White Reserve.

• Atlantis Rosé is a 100% Tinta Negra wine. It is a light-bodied wine with just 11% ABV.
• Both Atlantis White and White Reserve are light-bodied Verdelho varietals, with 11% and 12% ABV, respectively.
• Atlantis Red is a Tinta Negra varietal, light-bodied wine with 12% ABV.

Winery visit and wine tasting

While you cannot visit Madeira Wine Company or tour the Atlantis winemaking facilities, all is not lost. If you want to taste various Atlantis vintages, consider visiting Blandy’s Wine Lodge, a working winery where they make fortified wines.

At the wine lodge, you can also taste Blandy’s fortified wines and learn how these wines are made. To learn more about what to expect if you are interested in a visit, read our post here

If you are not into visiting the lodge but want to taste Atlantis, these wines are widely available at many Pingo Doce supermarkets and other liquor retailers on the Island. Atlantis is also widely available at many local restaurants, frequently sold by the glass.

• Always served chilled, it is a good food wine to pair with the white fish and shellfish served in creamy butter sauces.
• Expect light-bodied fresh white wine with the flavours of lemongrass, green apple and pronounced salinity on the palate.

Justino’s Madeira Wines, S.A. | Justino’s Madeira

History

Justino’s Madeira Wines, S.A. was established in 1953, but its roots as a family-run business in Madeira date back to the late 19th century. It is renowned for holding one of the largest fortified wine stocks on the Island. Similarly to Madeira Wine Company, Justino’s has acquired a number of companies and brands over the years. Today Justino’s is home to two brands: Justino’s Madeira and Colombo Madeira Wines. All their table wines are sold under their Colombo brand.

Colombo wines

Colombo offers a range of table wines, including basic table wines (IGP Terras Madeirenses) and reserve level table wines (PDO Madeirense). They have three styles in the basic range – White, Rosé, and Red, with specific grape blends and alcohol content. The reserve wines can vary but typically include two Reserve White wines and Reserve Red, featuring different grape compositions.

• Terras Madeirenses Colombo Tinto is a medium bodied blend of Merlot and Complexa as primary grapes and minor additions of Touriga Nacional, Tina-Barocca, Aragonez and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Terras Madeirenses Colombo Branco is a blend of Verdelho and Arnsburger.
• Terras Madeirenses Colombo Rosé is a blend of Tinta Negra as a primary grape variety and Complexa.
• Colombo Verdelho Reserva, is 100% Verdelho white wine.
• Colombo Arnsburger/Verdelho Reserva White is a blend of Arnsburger as a primary grape and minor addition of Verdelho.
• Colombo Reserva Tinto is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Aragonez.

All their wines come with the same 13% ABV.

Winery visit and wine tasting

While Justino’s online presence is average, its website lacks information about the wine tasting or tours but states that it is available by appointment. Because our email inquiries and a request for wine tasting went unanswered, we did not have an opportunity to visit this winemaker or do the wine tasting.

If you are on the Island and have no luck scheduling your visit, Colombo wines are available in the many local stores that carry alcohol.

Barbeito Madeira

History

Barbeito, led by Ricardo Diogo, the grandson of the company’s founder, Mário Barbeito de Vasconcelos, has a rich history. Initially focused on acquiring old wines, Barbeito has embraced innovation while maintaining traditional techniques. The drive for innovation gained momentum in 1991 when the Kinoshita family, long-time distributors of Barbeito wines in Japan, joined the company as partners and invested heavily in the business.

Since the 1992 harvest, Barbeito has consistently pushed boundaries, exploring new possibilities and guiding the company toward success. In 2008, they built a state-of-the-art winery in Câmara de Lobos, incorporating cutting-edge technology alongside a traditional casks room for wine aging. Today Barbeito is a nimble and image-conscious business that invests heavily in marketing to promote its brand and wines. Their labels are modern and attention-grabbing, deviating from the traditional designs of their peers.

Barbeito Table Wines

Barbeito table wines come in a single style – White blends. All of these have DOP Madeirense designation, meaning these are reserve-type wines. Among these wines Barbeito Branco de Laje is the only Sercial varietal White wine. The other wines are a blend of 90%+ Verdelho and Sercial grapes.

Despite their shared designation, these wines differ in their labelling. Some are labelled as “reserve,” while others are simply called White Wine. There is also confusion about the use of “Colheita” on some labels, which typically implies that all grapes come from a single vineyard, but technical sheets reveal this to be not the case with these wines.

Winery Visit and wine Tasting

Barbeito offers wine tasting and winery visits. However, none of the wine tasting options include the tasting of table wines.

We had every intention to visit Barbeito for a tour, but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it there despite two attempts. Barbeito’s new winery location high up the mountain proved inaccessible for our rental Fiat 500. The roads in Madeira are incredibly narrow, some may say, suitable for one-way traffic only. Many of these roads are incredibly steep, almost vertical. Despite our perseverance, we encountered an exceptionally steep road that our rental car wouldn’t conquer. When our rental car almost rolled over on one of the slopes, we decided to give up and abandon our plans to visit Barbeito. It was one of the most disappointing aspects of our trip.

If you want to visit this winery, either plan to go with a local tour operator or get a reliable car. You can easily schedule your visit with Barbeito by email.

However, if you are only interested in tasting their table wines, you can save yourself a trip to the winery. These wines are widely available in many retail locations, from supermarkets to smaller liquor stores.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while some of the fortified Madeira wine producers have ventured into the production of table wines, it is evident that these wines are often an afterthought compared to their traditional fortified offerings.

For wine enthusiasts seeking a memorable tasting experience with table wines, exploring the table wines of these winemakers may not be the most fulfilling endeavour.

However, for those truly interested in immersing themselves in the heart of Madeira’s winemaking heritage and witnessing centuries-old production techniques, a visit to these wineries, or as they call them in Madeira, wine lodges is highly recommended.