Well?
From my standpoint, Yeah! My Madeira descriptors are pretty rusty, but pretty amazing off dry praline, orange peel, sandalwood, great length, perhaps my best Madeira experience.
Did someone (or do you) recommend a Glencairn for Madeira, or were those just what you had on hand? I’ve never heard of them used with fortified wine.
That’s just what the host had handy, and there wasn’t a lot left in the bottle for sharing. Host is moving to Finland (!) for a couple of years, and trying to use up some things in the cellar.
Yum!
Because of how much I have hyped the restaurant prices for certain hot Burgs and Champagnes in Helsinki?
That must be it! If nothing else, it might be nice for him to have some Helsinki wine contacts from this board to tide him through.
For sure. Tell him to get in touch with me or OttoF and wine will be drunk.
As usual, John can remember what he drank the night before and post accurately. Did I actually provide an 1885 Madeira? What was I thinking!?
I wish I could still afford the older Madeiras that have changed in price since purchasing that one (I didn’t purchase at release, lol).
IikkaL (and OttoF), would love to meet up in Helsinki … will be there in lat August. And will accept restaurant recommendations, as well.
This, wholeheartedly!
If he wants to have just an occasional evening with random bottles, us local Berserkers can take care of it whenever such is necessary.
However, if this person is interested in more in-depth wine geekery with different-themed tastings (basically on a weekly basis or even more often) with the local winos, I can try to get him into the local tasting groups. Helsinki is arguably one of the best cities in the world to geek out on wine - the only thing one needs to do is first get inside the right circles!
Missed your reply before writing the previous message. Sure, throw us a message once you’re here! As I said, both wine-themed sit-downs and getting into more in-depth tastings are both a possibility!
I guess Ilkka can throw more up-to-date restaurant suggestions than I, since I have visited so very few establishments since the pandemic. However, I went to Bonafide a month ago and loved it. A cozy and very minimal place, mainly the options are daily vegetarian or daily fish menu. And an excellent, very reasonably priced wine list.
Bonafide looks excellent.Our favorite restaurant from last summer was Nolla … but perhaps best for beer.
I look forward to finding about the geeky Helsinki wine scene. This will motivate me to figure out how to ship some wines over …
I believe I’d had one 1885, but it is probably the same bottle. I’ve had numerous 1880’s and 1882’s and they have all been stellar. 1842 and 1862 are my favs of the 19th century.
I actually ate at Nolla almost exactly a year ago. Superb food, however their wine selection was a bit on the natty side. I was really looking forward to Ganevat’s Vin Jaune they had on the list, but as luck would have it, they had just run out of it!
Hence … “perhaps best for beer”. 
I look forward to meeting you.
Thanks, Eric. One of the questions that popped up on the Vinous board was whether there was anything inherently better about a bottle from the 1800’s vs an aged bottle from the 1900’s, other than the intrigue of drinking something from ancient history?
Some Madeira is barrel aged for more than a century. For example, 1850 D’Oliveiras Family Reserve Verdelho was bottled in the 1970’s, having spent 125+ years in barrel. It is also one of the few remaining pre-phylloxera wines from anywhere still available for purchase at retail.
Yeah–I forgot to think about the pre-phylloxera thing.
Yes, I think the dual waves of odium in the early 1850s and phylloxera in the 1860s had a major effect, not the least of which was on the total production, which decreased from about 3,000 casks to about 100 per year at the lows.
I have had about a dozen pre-phylloxera Madeiras, including an 1863 Barbeito Boal last fall. I have only one pre-phylloxera bottle remaining, an 1832 Acciaioly Terrantez. I do have an 1885 Barbeito Verdelho as well.