H. M. Borges Madeira Wine Lodge: All you need to know if you are planning a visit

How we made this choice

We wanted to go to D’Oliveiras as it was our second choice. Some forty-five minutes later, unable to find parking in the close vicinity of D’Oliveiras, we gave up and moved down on our list of options again.

This time we were choosing among the backup of the backups. In other words, and if we are being honest, we had no plans to visit H.M. Borges.

Why would that be, you may wonder. You see, as this winery is a smaller, family-run business, we figured that it’ll be one of those mom-and-pop shops that abound on Madeira Island, especially among the wine bottlers. We thought that we’ll be dealing with another Garagiste winery. Let us tell you, being Garagiste is cool in Napa or France. In Madeira, being Garagiste is not cool at all. If that’s what you are called in Madeira, it likely means that your wines are of questionable quality. Let us set the record straight. When it comes to H. M. Borges, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! They are neither Garagiste nor their wines are of questionable quality.

A bit of history

H. M. Borges was founded in 1877 by Henrique Menezes Borges. This date is remarkable as just 5 years earlier, in 1872, a large number of vineyards were ravaged by Phylloxera. The founder of H. M. Borges must have been an exceptional man to go into winemaking at a time when so many winemakers were going out of business.

Like the other old winemaking businesses on the Island, H.M. Borges had its wine sold under more than one brand. Some of these old brands are still in use today. Unlike some of their larger competitors, H. M. Borges did not do mergers with other winemakers. However, they formed long-lasting partnerships that have helped them to survive. They focus on keeping their brand in the family and staying true to the old winemaking traditions. Today, the winery is run by two ladies, Helena and Isabel Borges. Both of them are the 4th generation of the Borges winemaking family.

H.M. Borges is located on the street parallel to Rua 5 de Outubro, laden with multiple underground parking, a clear bonus if you plan to drive there. We quickly found parking with plenty of space, just one block away from the winery.

Their wine tasting room is on the smaller side. Nevertheless, it is full of character. Whenever people talk about this winery, they seem to focus on the artwork by Max Romer that adorns the walls of this wine tasting room. However, there is something to be said for the well-preserved architectural elements of this building. Windows, seemingly untouched since the start of the last century, wood-clad ceiling with massive black beams; these structural elements, together with decorative elements, add to the atmosphere of the wine tasting room.

Our visit was closer to the end of their work day. The wine tasting room was quiet, almost like a library. Two younger couples quietly enjoyed their flights of Madeira wine. The wine room attendant was flitting between tables, attending to the guests’ questions and requests for more wine. It seemed like everybody felt compelled to speak in low voices to preserve the atmosphere reminiscent of the old-world gentlemens’ club.

We do not know if they offer free wine tasting at H. M. Borges. When we were there, nobody mentioned this option to us. No matter, we were not interested in the free tasting. We set our mind on a vertical wine tasting of their blended wines.

We also wanted to go on a tour. We heard that H. M. Borges’s tours were unique as they showcase the entire winery and talk in detail about their winemaking process. Unfortunately, they did not have any tours when we arrived.

H. M. Borges Wines

The winery’s primary brand H.M. Borges is sold under either Borges or H.M. Borges label. In addition, they market their wines under other labels that represent old family brands: Araujo, Henriques & Co, and J.H. Gonçalves. We got the impression that none of these old brands are being actively promoted or developed by Borges. There’s very little information available on any one of them. Wines, bottled under both J.H. Concalves and Araujo, Henriques & Co. brands appear to be limited to just 3 and 5 years old Tinta Negra blends. J.H. Concalves is available as sweet and medium sweet blends. The dryness level for Araujo, Henriques & Co wines ranges from dry to sweet.

H. M. Borges brand is a totally different story. It is being actively developed by the winery owners. Much attention recently went to label modernization, online presence improvement, and the brand’s active promotion on the Island and mainland. The owners’ focus is on cementing their brand image as being synonymous with well-crafted, all-round wines. And it is not just smoke and mirrors.

H. M. Borges 15 years old blends did even better! Their Malvasia received Gold Medal at the 2020 International Wine Challenge competition. Their Boal got Gold at the Mundus Vini competition in 2018. Mundus Vini also recognized their 20 years Malvasia blend by awarding it a Gold medal in the same 2018 competition. This blend didn’t go unnoticed by the Wine Enthusiast magazine, which rated them high 92 points. Lastly, their 30 years old Malvasia was awarded Gold by Decanter in 2019. Their previous releases were similarly recognized. 1999 International Wine Challenge awarded the Silver medal to their 10 years old Malvasia, their 15 years old Malvasia got the Gold. We think it is fair to say that the current wins are not a fluke but rather a trend.

Speaking of their blended wines, the H. M. Borges brand offers 3 to 30 years old blends, on par with such winemakers as Blandy’s and Henriques and Henriques. They also have single-harvest Colheitas and Fresqueiras. Their Colheitas and Fresqueiras, as well as blended wines, except for the 3 years old blends, are made using the traditional canteiro process. Their 3 years old blended wines are made of Tinta Negra using the estufagem process of aging the wine through heat. When it comes to their 3 years old blended wines, unlike the traditional 19% alcohol level in the under 10 years old blends, their wines have an 18% alcohol level. Likely a wink at the younger crowd that prefers lower alcohol content in their alcoholic beverages.

Here’s a table that shows age, dryness level, and grape varietals used in H. M. Borges blended wines.

It should be noted that H.M. Borges blended wines are an excellent value for the money. 5 years blended wines, at the time of this writing, cost €8.50. The Silver awarded 10 years Sercial blend comes at €19. The Gold winning 15 years old blends come at €24. As you move up the aging ladder to their 20 and 30 years old blends, the price goes up significantly. At €40 and €70, respectively, these may not be your everyday wines. In our opinion, they are worth it, perhaps as a purchase for a special occasion.

Colheitas, wine made from grapes of a single harvest and must be aged a minimum of 5 years, traditionally command a much higher price. We are not Colheitas fans as far as the value for the money is concerned. In our opinion, older blends represent a better value than quite a few of the Colheitas on the market. When it comes to H. M. Borges Colheitas, they are reasonably priced. H. M. Borges 2013 Tinta Negra comes at €19. 2005 Tinta Negra comes at €20 and 2005 Boal at €22.

If you want to buy Colheita from them, go for their Boal.

Bottom line

H.M. Borges is our favourite winery in Madeira.

It came down not just to the wines but also to the winery ambience and the experience they created for us. The winery atmosphere embodied exceptionally well the yesteryear when fortified Madeira was the wine of choice. We appreciated the unhurried ambience of their quaint wine tasting room and the helpful, yet restrained, recommendations of the tasting room staff.

This does not mean that this business is perfect. Even though they claim to be embracing the 21st century, electronic communication is clearly not their friend. Their online presence desires much improvement. We got no reply to any of our email inquiries about their wine tours and tasting. Their one saving grace is that their website provides information on when they are open to visitors for wine tasting. Inexplicably, they do not provide any information on their website about wine tasting options or tours.

We would have loved to go on their tour. Unfortunately, tours were not available when we visited them. If we had known that beforehand, we would have made arrangements accordingly. If you do decide to visit this winery, or a wine lodge as it is called in Madeira, be aware of these specifics. Do not rely on email communication with them. If you want to go on a tour, call them in advance. Better yet, get that tour slot booked. Alternatively, go for wine tasting and make an arrangement to go on a tour when you are there. If you want to do both wine tasting and a tour, unless you make arrangements upfront or through one of the many wine tour guides, you will likely have to visit H. M. Borges twice.