Intro to Blandy’s 10yr old Sercial Madeira – Blandy’s 10 year old Sercial Madeira is a pale, bright topaz colour with a golden tinge, fresh with dry fruit, wood and citrus flavours with a fresh and nutty persistent finish. Full tasting note and wine making – The fruit for the Blandy’s 10 year old Sercial Madeira is sourced from quality vineyards including at Jardin da Serra on the south of the island at an altitude of 500 m. The grapes underwent fermentation off the skins in stainless steel tanks. After approximately 5 days, fortification with grape brandy takes place, arresting fermentation at the desired degree of sweetness. Blandy’ s 10 Y ear Old Sercial was aged for 10 years in seasoned American oak casks in the traditional Canteiro system, whereby the casks of this wine are gradually transferred from the top floors of the lodge, where it is naturally warmer, to the middle floors and eventually to the ground floor where it is cooler. During this totally natural ageing, the wine underwent regular racking before finally being bottled. The producer – John Blandy first set foot on Madeira in 1808 to work in the accounting of?ce of Newton, Gordon, Murdoch, wine merchants in Madeira at the time. It was during the following years after he arrived that he established the wine company in 1811, developing also other businesses as managers and agents of ships and their cargo using Funchal as a port of call. Today, the Blandy family continue to own and operate the Madeira Wine Company, preserving a tradition that has lasted for over 200 years and seven generations. The Madeira Wine Company was founded in 1913 and Blandy and Leacock joined in 1925 thus forming a formidable group of top quality Madeira producers. In 1989 the Symington family became partners in the firm with the Blandy family. Their unrivalled winemaking and marketing experience combined with a worldwide distribution network enabled the Madeira Wine Company to meet the challenges of modern markets. Drink with – It is excellent as an aperitif but is also exceedingly good with flambees, dried fruits and spicy cheeses.
