Rare Wine Company 'Historic Series'

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Madeira was the United States’ most prestigious wine, shipped to connoisseurs in major seaports from New Orleans to Boston. Prominent families purchased vintage Madeira in cask or demijohn, and built sizeable collections for long-term aging. In the late-1800s, successive plagues of Oïdium and Phylloxera devastated Madeira production, and the tradition of Madeira drifted into obscurity.

As America’s leading merchant of rare, old Madeiras, The Rare Wine Co. has been a major force behind Madeira’s recent revival in the marketplace—introducing a new generation of wine lovers to the wonders of vintage Madeira. But it has long been our dream to introduce Madeira’s glory to a broader market—teaching Americans about both Madeira’s magical quality and our two centuries of shared history.

It is our belief that the usual introductions to Madeira—five- and ten-year blends— often fail to offer the extra magic and distinction that marks the great vintage wines. With this in mind, we teamed with Vinhos Barbeito’s owner, Ricardo Diogo Vasconcelos Freitas, to create the Historic Series—affordable Madeiras that reflect the style and complexity of the great vintage wines.

As the holder of one of the great libraries of 18th and 19th century Madeiras, Ricardo had a unique understanding of the qualities we sought. Our goals seemed simple, but it took over two years of trials to reach our aims. We wanted wines that would express true varietal character and display the traits of vintage Madeira. While no “Vintage Character” designation exists for Madeira as it does for Port, we felt that such a creation could contribute to Madeira’s ongoing resurgence.

Affordable Madeiras are typically blended for uniformity but, with this project, we seek to create highly individual wines—wines that display uniquely the combinations of acidity, concentration, aromatics, and richness that mark the finest Madeira. By working with small lots, we are able to include parcels of old wine (many exceeding 30 years old) which give the wines the character of Vintage Madeira. The source and age of these parcels may vary from lot to lot, but they will always help to achieve a more expressive result.

To emphasize America’s deep historical connection to Madeira, each wine in the series is named for a U.S. city where Madeira was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Thus, the series offers Boston Bual Special Reserve, New York Malmsey Special Reserve, and Charleston Sercial Special Reserve. Each bottle bears an early engraving from that city, along with a back label describing the wine and America’s special link to Madeira’s illustrious history.