Wset Diploma - Madeira Shippers

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MADEIRA WINE COMPANY (MWC)

Historic Timeline

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1913 – The Company began as the MadeiraWine Association, formed by 3 shippers Hinton, Welsh & Cunha andHenriques & Camara

many other firms joined in the leanyears that followed that for a time the MWA became known as “the shippers’scemetery”

1925 – the Blandy and Leacock familiesjoined to MWA

1953 – Cossart Gordon

TheMWA became an unwieldy body with a huge number of different companies and brandnames (about 20 names).

1974-5 - The MWA was forced to changedirection after the 25 April Revolution. New executive committee was set upchaired by A.Miles, with R. Blandy and W.Leacock each representing theirfamily’s interests and the principal shareholders.

1981 – renamed the Madeira Wine Company (traded in thenames of 9 companies)

1988 – The Blandy family entered into a joint venture with the Symington family (greater internationaldistribution, brought expertise, helped to improve standard of viticulture andwinemaking)

2010 – theSymingtons sold most of their holding to the Blandys, retaining a small stakein the MWC

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MADEIRA WINE COMPANY (MWC

Main Facts

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The most famous (no longer the largest shipper in terms of volume!)

Operates from 3 sites: 2 in the centre of Funchal an 1 out east in the Freeport

Relies on grapes from around 500 growers

New stainless steel estufas are the most energy efficient on the island, saving an estimated 50% of the energy expended in the past

Produces a full range of wines under 4 brand names: Blandy, Cossart Gordon, Miles and Leacock

All the MWC’s three-year-old blends are made from Tinta Negra and are subject to estufagem. All other wines are made from traditional white grapes and are aged in wood.

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Blandy's

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• Founded in 1811 by John Blandy, still family-owned• The company soon started exporting wine to other countries from Russia to USA. In order to broaden their activities, they also began importing various products from other origins.• 1952 (oidium plague) John Blandy who bought big proportion of the stocks of old wine on the island, thus safeguarding his company's ability to continue selling fine Madeira.• In 2000 the Blandy’s Madeira Wine Company led the way with the introduction of a high quality but affordable Madeira of a single year ("Colheita"); "Blandy's Malmsey 1994 Harvest". This was the first dated Madeira ever launched other than the very expensive and rare Vintage Madeiras• In July 2002, Blandy’s Madeira again launched a completely new style of Madeira "Blandy's Alvada” (blend of 2 noble grape varieties, Malmsey and Bual with the influence of new oak)• Andrew Blandy owns a new vineyard in Funchal• American oak

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Cossart Gordon

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Founded in 1747 by Scotsman FrancisNewton who was joined by Thoms Gordon in 1758. William Cossart joined in 1808.

The oldest shipper of Madeira winestill in existence

At the end of 19th century Cossart Gordon expandedinto shipping their own brand of port, sherry, Marsala and Malaga as well asrepresenting number of French producers in the UK.

Suffered from the imposition of prohibition in theUS, the MWA competition

Joined the MWA in 1951 only with a 7% share of thenew company

In 1990’s family’s shares were sold to theSymingtons.

a full rangeof wines is still bottled under the Cossart Gordon label

the winesoriginally destined for the US, were always slightly drier in style thanBlandy’s, whose main market was the UK. This distinction has been maintainedsince the two houses were brought under the roof.

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HENRIQUES& HENRIQUES

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• Unique among Madeira wine shippers in that the company has almost always owned its own vineyards• The firm established in 1850 • In 1993, the H& H bought land and planted 10 ha of Verdelho. With the help from the technicians from port wine region, it was the first vineyard on Madeira to be mechanised. It remains by far the largest single vineyard on the island.• Also they have vineyards planted with rare Terrantez and Malvasia Candida vines• H & H produce a full range of wines, totally independent of Justino’s (same owner)• 3 and 5-year-old blends, made predominantly from Tinta Negra, are subject to estufagem in tank, whereas 10-, 15- and 20-year-old wines, made from the traditional white grapes, are all canteiro wines.• H & H produces wines under a number of different labels: Carmo Vinhos, Casa dos Vinhos da Madeira, Belem’s Madeira Wine and etc. also, H & H bottle madeira wine for Sandeman.• In 2010 group La Martiniquaise bought a majority stake in H & H

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JUSTINO’S

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Not widely available on the home market• Vinhos Justino Henriques was a small family-owned shipper when Siegfredo da Costa Campos bought the company in 1981. • In 1993 it became part of the French wine and spirits distribution group La Martiniquaise.• The single largest shipper of madeira wine, producing around 1.6 million litres a year.• Heavy investment in wine making, bottling and estufagem process has improved the overall quality at all levels, in the past, many Jastino’s wines were rather heavy, stewed and soupy in style.• Wines are sold under the Madere Cruz label in 20 cl flasks mainly in France. Cruz accounts for 90% of the bottled madeira sold in France (the largest single market for madeira wines)• Not widely available on the home market• Since 1995 the company has been building up a stock of good colheitas (they claim that they invented this category). These are made either with Tinta Negra ( at least 10 yo), or traditional grape varieties (at least 15 yo)• Most wines are aged in French oak casks from Seguin Moreau that were previously used for cognac or Armagnac for at least 8 years. • No vineyards, buy from 800 – 1,130 growers• 3 yo and 5 yo ranges are all subject to estufagem in stainless steel.• Use Tinta Negra also for wines better quality (10 yo, colheita)• Have one of the cooler lodges on the island (at 300 m above sea level) and use solar panels to heat the interior of the armazens• Produce good range of unfortified wines for the local market under the Colombo’s label (CS, Merlot, Syrah, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional)

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No vineyards, buy from 800 – 1,130 growers

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BARBEITO

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• Established in 1946 by Mario Barbeito, this company is a relative youngster among the madeira shippers but has a stock of some historic wine.In the post-war period, Barbeito made money mostly from selling bulk wines for export (Scandinavia and Japan)Mario Barbieto died in 1985, in 1991 his grandson changed the firm’s orientation, ending bulk shipments.Kinoshita family (Japanese distributor since 1967) became a partner in 1991.Japan had become the most important market for 3 year-old wine, Delvino. Now Barbeito’s market share in Japan is about 60%Since early 1990s the company has been making a much more restrained, delicate style of madeira with less power and pungency which initially marked them out from the other houses on the island.Open that they use caramel for colouringThe first of madeira shippers who replaced concrete estufas by modern stainless steel tanks with external jackets where temperature are computer controlled. About ¾ of the company’s wines are subject to estufagemTheir most recent innovation is a mechanical stainless steel lagar, which is used for Tinta Negra (deeper and darker wine, full-bodied, suitable for ageing in canteiro)Produce a complete range of madeira wines (3yo -> 40 yo)In 2001 Barbeito launched a series of numbered single-cask calheitas, often from a single vineyard.No vineyards, 120-140 growers