I’m sorry if this has been addressed here before. I’ve seen it mentioned, but never thoroughly discussed. I know of someone who has some rather old bottles of Solera Madeira. I believe the dates on the bottles are from the late 1800s or early 1900s. The bottles have not been stored well AT ALL. They have been kept by this person as decoration and have experienced conditions that would surely ruin any other wine of even a third that age. Since Madeira is already oxidized and somewhat cooked, I am wondering if the storage conditions really matter. I know there are some Madeira aficionados here, but I’m not sure if any of them has ever had such an old bottle that has been so mistreated. I’m hoping that someone can tell me if it’s worth trying to acquire one of these bottles. I don’t know yet, but I suspect that I might be able to purchase one for much less (exponentially less) than a well stored bottle of this age would be worth. Might it at least be worth taking the chance? Might the wine be drinkable even if it’s not as good as it could have been. Should it be fine? Thanks in advance.
edit: I should probably add that the fill levels are not far below the shoulders.
Doug, at a slight risk of overstating a point, lousy storage can’t kill Madeira. The only thing I intentionally do is store the bottles standing upright - storing a very acidic bottle of wine like Madeira on it’s side will really tend to deteriorate a cork over time, and I’d rather have a dried out crumbly cork than a cork where the acidity of the wine has allowed it to import cork taint to the Madeira, but short of that, Madeira is virtually indestructible.
As long as they were stored in an upright position they should be fine…the wine was literally cooking in a barrel for a LONG time before being bottled so there is nothing your friend could have done to harm the wine (except for maybe put it in the microwave)
I have a bottle of 1922 D’Oliveras Madeira. We opened it in June 2007 and drank all but about 3 ounces. It has been sitting upright since then. Talk about storage abuse. I tasted it about a month ago. It was great.
Madeira is pretty sturdy. I have drunk about half a dozen 19th century bottles with only one problem bottle. When I pushed down on the cork with the corkscrew the cork was instantly pushed into the bottle. Of course I tasted the wine and unforunately it was ruined.
Madeira is already cooked during the estufa process so additional heat is unlikey to do more damage.
Madeira is already cooked during the estufa process so additional heat is unlikey to do more damage.
Actually, the best Madeiras are made by the Canteiro process and not estufa. The wines are placed in cask and left in relatively warm areas, i.e. top floor of the warehouse. And Madeira has a semi-tropical environment so it gets pretty warm. 20 years minimum for vintage wines. The casks have to be sealed by the IVDP government authorities as well so the wine just sits. Canteiro refers to the wooden blocks the casks sit upon. Estufa is used for the lesser blends and some 5 and 10 year old wines. The wine is warmed to 120-150 degrees F for several months. Usually there are warming then cooling cycles which is specific for each shipper.
It’s recommended that Madeira in bottle be stored upright as was mentioned above. Once opened they can remain good for many months or years. Air is Madeira’s friend.
I believe the upright storage is related to the high acid level and its possible negative effect upon a contacted cork.
I have always stored my bottles on their side. The bad bottle that I had was opened shortly after delivery and the other wines from that shipment were fine.
I believe the upright storage is related to the high acid level and its possible negative effect upon a contacted cork.<<<<<
Bingo! The high acidity will tend to eat away at the cork, and potentially impart cork impurities into the wine. As Jay just indicated, once opened it will keep for an extended period of time, so the fact that the cork will dry out and lose it’s seal is almost irrelevant, because you can strain out the bits of cork once you decant. Most of the winemakers on the island will actually give you a replacement cork for once you open the bottle because the original will be in such bad shape.
Madeira is also infamous for the crappy short corks they used to use. The high extract and acidity would cause the cork to fail and the contents of horizontal storage to be lost. With upright storage, this is less of a problem and even if the cork fails one can save the contents of the bottle. Madeira also loves air so if the cork dries out, it isn’t a problem. The extremely high acidity levels tend to mitigate bacterial contamination.
I don’t get this: if the wine has been opened and not hermetically sealed, wouldn’t the alcohol evaporate out in a matter of days (maybe a few weeks at most)? After that, wouldn’t the wine spoil quite soon?
The ONLY, repeat ONLY thing that can kill a bottle of Madeira (beyond TCA … and I only know of two examples from all the owners of the existing 8 producers left on the island … in their entire experience with the beverage) is dropping the bottle on the ground and having it break.
The two things that would normally DESTROY any other kind of wine on earth; 1. Oxidation 2. Heat – are part of the production methods required for Madeira to be vinified properly. So unless Kryptonite has an affect on Madeira like it does Superman, the only thing you need to worry about is not dropping your bottles and having them break.
That’s just one of the many unique facets of one of the world’s finest vinous beverages.
Roy
I was visiting Barbeito a few years back, and I got the impression that cellaring bottles on the side could actually ruin the wine, hence they should always be stored upright.
no. I can’t explain the science behind this (maybe someone here can), but I know from personal experience and the personal experience of many others that the alcohol level in a bottle of Madeira stays pretty consistent over a few months of being open. The idea seemed a bit strange to me given the fact that spirits and liqueurs hold onto their alcohol quite well over multiple years in unsealed containers.
Roy
I was visiting Barbeito a few years back, and I got the impression that cellaring bottles on the side could actually ruin the wine, hence they should always be stored upright.
Cellaring bottles of Madeira on the side is not really any bigger deal for Madeira than it is any other type of wine. Yes, the corks may be a bit shorter … but the reason you were told to store the bottles standing up is so that there would never be a chance of the Madeira coming in contact with the cork. IF IT HAD any contact with a TCA infected cork, it would ruin the wine (like any other). Otherwise, I see NO other real benefit to keeping a Madeira standing up in your cellar. Others may disagree, let them prove why. I have yet to see any of my really old Madeiras with short corks become so deteriorated by the acidity that it ate away at the corks. In fact, not even once.
As another example, short corks may not be perfect for LT aging but I’ve had ancient bottles of Madeira that were lying in a cellar I unearthed in 2001 and every single one has been phenomenal. I don’t believe it is a coincidence, yet these are not just old wines … but old bottles. None had moved whatsoever since 1941.
I know that many believe the “upright stance” is the right way, but from empirical evidence over many bottles opened, I’ve just never found it to be relevant.
As far as the TCA angle, does anyone really believe their bottle of Madeira did not have the wine in contact with the cork somewhere along the line before they owned it?
On a related side note, should bottles of tawny or LBV port that have T-shaped cork stoppers (like those in whisk(e)y bottles) be stored on their side or standing up? Or does it matter?
It really doesn’t matter. If there’s a T-stopper in the bottle, it is a sure sign that the producer did not mean for the bottle to be cellared for the long haul.
I have always kept my bottles horizontal, but that has more to do with space restrictions and how my cellar is set up with racking.
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