Blandys - Duke of Sussex Dry Madeira wine – 75cl

The Blandy family are unique as they are the only family of all the original founders of the Madeira wine trade to still own and manage their original wine company. Throughout its long history, the family has played a leading role in the development of Madeira wine. They continue to live and work on the island, maintaining a tradition that goes back to 1811; 2 centuries of fine wine production. Madeira wine is famed for its unparalleled ability to age. At Blandy's wines are still ageing from 1920 and there are bottles dating back to the late 1700s. They are also famous for their ability to remain fresh (almost indefinitely) once opened. This is thanks to the unique maturation process it undergoes and the high of the wines, the latter of which gives them a fresh zingy character. Madeira wine is naturally heated in old oak casks by the sub-tropical climate of Madeira. This process caramelises the sugars and concentrates the wines flavours through evaporation (in the first 4-5 years up to 7% of wine is lost). In addition, the extended cask ageing allows the wines to “breathe” by slowly exposing them to oxygen. It is this heat, oxygen contact & concentration of the wine that produce madeira’s classic complex flavours of caramel, toffee, rich dried fruit and a hint of nuts. This production method was originally discovered by accident aboard sailing ships in the 15th and 16th Century. It was on one particular round trip to India, that barrels of madeira wine in the ships hold were found to greatly improve in flavour after they had crossed the equator 4 times. For many years shippers would deliberately subject the wines to the heat of the tropics on these long voyages to produce the Madeira wine style. They were known “Vinho da roda” (round trip wines). The advent of steam driven ships drastically shortened the maturation times, which together with the ing costs of shipping meant all production was moved to wine lodges on the island. Today Madeira is produced in a variety of drier and sweeter styles. The drier styles make for a great aperitif, while the sweeter richer styles are the perfect after dinner drink. They are also fantastic with desserts, cheeses & fine cigars. We recommend you serve your Madeira chilled.

• A classic fortified wine produced on the island of Madeira. Famed for its unrivalled capacity to age (you can still find Madeira wines from the 1700s) and ability to stay fresh once opened..
• 2 centuries of fine wine production. Family owned since 1811, Blandy’s are the only founding family of the madeira wine trade to still own and manage their original company..
• Unrivalled performance at the international wine competitions – 7 producer trophies (including “best Portuguese wine producer”), 14 best in category wine trophies and 76 gold medals..
• Duke of Sussex is a dry style of Madeira - perfect served chilled as an aperitif, over ice with a slice of orange or with cheeses..
• Aged an average of 3 years, made from the islands indigenous 'Tinta Negra' grape variety..
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