Barbeito Verdelho Vinho Branco

Pale straw in colour with golden yellow hues. The bouquet shows chalk, stone, herbaceous notes that are being increasingly replaced by ripe stone fruit, paired with bouquet garni and a hint of lily scent, light stone fruit, very complex. The palate shows minerality, creamy and very herbaceous on the edge, then light stone and elegant aromatic echo. The textures meander fascinatingly between the creaminess, the aromatic warmth, which acts like an umami reinforcement on the finish.

The Barbeitos, on the other hand, entered the business much later, in 1946. Yet, their accomplishment is nearly as great, given not only the number of firms that have since vanished, but the fact that they entered the business during a particularly dark time for Madeira. In the early 1990s, Manuela Barbeito began to turn over the reins of the company to her son Ricardo Freitas. Armed with a history degree from the University of Lisbon, Ricardo not only brought a deep respect for Madeira’s classical roots, he also brought new energy and new ideas to the company. One of these ideas was to restore the role that Madeira once had as a companion to food. Ricardo also joined with The Rare Wine Co. to create our pioneering Historic Series Madeiras, which have pumped enormous new vitality into the once-vibrant American market for Madeira. Of course, Ricardo is continuing his grandfather’s and mother’s legacy of sourcing great old wines, and preserving them for future generations. But he is also creating his own legacy.