I’m interested in getting started trying some Madeiras. No reason other than I’m trying to broaden my horizons. I’m not a huge dessert wine person, though a) I do enjoy sweet wines from time to time, and b) I know that not all Maderias are sweet. A few questions:
1- Where would you recommend I start? Dry (Sercial) given that I normally drink dry wines (as most people here I do suspect), or do I start with a sweeter style? Also, what about age? I’m tempted to start with an old bottle, but happy to be talked out of that if a younger bottle is the way to go.
2- Is the age-ability/durability similar across sweetness levels? I know Madeira is famous for lasting forever, but is that the same for sweet styles as well as dry styles?
3- Any recommendations regarding decanting? I heard 1 day per decade of age is a general rule. Is that true?! If so, how do you recommend I do that? I don’t have room in my cellar for a decanter to sit upright for days on end. I’m hesitant to leave it open in the fridge where it can absorb odors or on the counter where it can collect dust and bugs.
4- Does vintage variation matter as much with Madeira as with other wines?
5- Any other general advice or thoughts are welcome.
Probably sweet. Or medium-sweet. The combination of piercing acidity, funky rancio, high alcohol and bone-dry taste might be a bit too much for people unaccustomed to dry Madeira - even if these are spectacular wines.
2- Is the age-ability/durability similar across sweetness levels? I know Madeira is famous for lasting forever, but is that the same for sweet styles as well as dry styles?
Yes. The wine is already ruined to oblivion during the vinification process so there’s not much you can do to the wine to ruin it worse.
3- Any recommendations regarding decanting? I heard 1 day per decade of age is a general rule. Is that true?! If so, how do you recommend I do that? I don’t have room in my cellar for a decanter to sit upright for days on end. I’m hesitant to leave it open in the fridge where it can absorb odors or on the counter where it can collect dust and bugs.
It’s one day per decade of bottle age. So if the wine has been bottled in the 1980’s, then four days is recommended. The wines tend to get reductive with age. And develop some stinky bottle funk as well. However, if the wine is from the early 1900’s yet bottled only in the 2010’s, no need to let the wine aerate for more than an hour or two.
4- Does vintage variation matter as much with Madeira as with other wines?
Not really. Madeira is almost always very high in acidity and the oxidative winemaking decimates most of the vintage variation.
5- Any other general advice or thoughts are welcome.
Cosign on this. A dram of one of the 4 bottles open with some cheese after dinner.
I also bought some of the 10 year Broadbent madeiras recently, a little less expensive than the Rare Wine series, I’ll probably open those too to try side by side with.
Sercial is sorta an acquired taste. Dry, with very high acidity. Old examples are terrific, but some have screechy acidity. Probably would start with Verdelho. Also high acidity but not as austere.
Vintage does matter, but less so than other wines. A good year for one variety may not be so good for another one. I have my favorites that tend to be good for several varieties.
As far as decanting, when in doubt, give it a week.
Contrary to some popular opinion, I would not recommend starting with the Rare Wine Company series unless you want to go with sweet styles such as their Boal or Malmsey. In my opinion, the RWC Sercial and Verdelho bottlings don’t represent what I find to be the norm for those grape styles from any other producer.
I would start with a Verdelho as it’s more off-dry/medium sweet. Specifically, I recommend the Henriques & Henriques 15-year Verdelho. It pairs well with dishes with some fat, specifically like Chicken Cordon Bleu, Scallops with morels and cream, or believe it or not, fried chicken.
Sercial is an excellent overall dry wine, but it does require certain dishes to tame what can be high acidity. I’ve drunk a lot of 19th century Madeira and the most interesting have always been Sercials.
RWC series for sure but look around for the special bottlings which are worth the upcharge over the regular city series. The Jefferson reserve is a beauty. Porto Moniz if there’s still any around is serious 50+ year old wine. In the regular series the Boston Bual is a solid standby.
Yes, the 4 “regular” RWC bottlings, plus whatever special releases from that series you can find, are a great place to start. The Thomas Jefferson is still out there and is phenomenal. Try the regular ones first so you have some context on how great that is.
YES! All of the H&H age designated wines are great. All. They’re a bit more expensive than the same age from other producers, and they should be, because they’re generally much better.
Yes, the 4 “regular” RWC bottlings, plus whatever special releases from that series you can find, are a great place to start. The Thomas Jefferson is still out there and is phenomenal. Try the regular ones first so you have some context on how great that is.
The Baltimore “Rainwater” is very good as well.
I’m a particular fan of Borges 10 and 15 year old range. They even have a 20 year old Verdelho.
Sercial is also known as the Dog Strangler for very good reasons.
From Decanter “Esgana Cão
Portugal’s ‘dog strangler’ grape sounds as fierce as it is! This grape is capable of prodigious levels of acidity whereever it is planted. It is, in fact, better known by its off-shore name Sercial but on the mainland as Esgana Cão or Esganoso (plain ‘strangler’) it finds its way into Vinho Verde, Douro wines and Bucelas. While a varietal ‘dog strangler’ might be an interesting marketing ploy, I suspect the wine would win few friends”
This is some great advice. Thanks everyone. Since posting this, I’ve experimented with some younger NV bottlings of the sweeter styles, and enjoyed them. The RWC wines were really nice. I’ve been curious about some of the aged bottles, as well as dry Madeira, so I snatched up an old bottle when I got the opportunity- 1940 Justino Sercial. Photos attached.
I’m still a bit confused about how best to proceed. If the recommendation is one day decant per decade of bottle age, how do I know when this was bottled? There’s no bottling date listed on the label. Maybe someone can enlighten me from the photos?
Also, I’m assuming since the wine is already oxidized that I don’t need to drink the whole bottle at one time. So, do I decant half of it and then just leave the rest in the original bottle? How long will the rest last? And will that remaining wine require the same decant time or less?
Thank you for indulging my newbie questions. Hopefully the info will help someone else similarly clueless. Any help is much appreciated, and I’ll be sure to post a tasting note when I do pop the cork.’
Basically I wouldn’t worry about decanting. Otto’s advice may well be correct (I am not in a position to comment), but most commercially available bottles will have been bottled recently.
Old garrafeira Madeiras are wood aged, bottled when the shipper thinks the wine in a particular cask is in a good place, and then it is ready for drinking.
Open the bottle, drink what you want, and leave the rest. The best Madeiras are very expensive, but can be enjoyed one small glass at a time over months, if not years.
Same applies to less venerable Madeiras too - just drink them when you want.
Disagree. The reason to decant long bottled wines is to reduce bottle stink. A very off putting aroma. Air won’t hurt Madeira at all, on the contrary it helps. Decanting for a time gets rid of the off aromas.
OK- but back to my original question. How long do I decant for?
Otto suggested 1day per decade of bottle age, but there’s no indication when this thing was bottled. The back label is a little banged up, so it doesn’t seem new.
Well, according to Justino’s website, the last time they bottled the 1940 Sercial was 2016, but I agree this bottle looks older. There is some discussion on the For the love of port website about some of these bottles: What Madeira(s) Have You Purchased Recently? - Page 20 - For The Love Of Port (see post fourth from bottom). If the speculation is correct, these are from the 1980s and therefore somewhere likely in the 35-40 yrs. in bottle. I don’t know enough about importers labels to confirm, but thought I’d pass this along.
