Reasons to try Blandy’s 10-year-old-range
Madeira producer Blandy’s has launched a 10-year-old range that showcases four white grape varieties: Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey. The post Reasons to try Blandy’s 10-year-old-range appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Madeira producer Blandy’s has launched a 10-year-old range that showcases four white grape varieties: Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey.
The range, which also spans four styles – dry, medium dry, medium rich and rich – has been created under the guidance of CEO and seventh generation family member Chris Blandy, together with award-winning winemaker Francisco Albuquerque.
But what else makes it stand out? To begin with, each varietal undergoes an ageing process in Blandy’s 16 different ageing rooms located across two distinct sites – The Blandy’s Wine Lodge in Funchal and the winery in the cooler climate Caniçal on the western-most tip of the island.
Sercial and Verdelho are then moved to Caniçal for the final three to five years of ageing while Bual and Malmsey remain in the warmer temperatures of Funchal and are only moved to Caniçal for bottling.
According to Blandy, this unconventional winemaking approach is part of the company’s “refreshed approach to producing and consuming Madeira” and to additionally show the potential when creating “more interesting and complex styles of wine which are exceptionally food friendly and great in cocktails”.
Blandy explained: “The four wines in the new 10-year-old range have been aged based on the unique individual qualities of each variety to really showcase what makes each style so unique. Experience and a real understanding of how our wines age best over time is one of the many benefits of being the seventh generation in a family-owned business. We are also making great strides in our understanding of how our wines are being impacted by the island’s changing climate.”
Blandy added: “There is a 1-2ºC average temperature difference between Funchal (23.2ºC) and Caniçal (21.6ºC), but when you compare the hottest rooms in Funchal, the difference in average temperature goes up to 3ºC., with a 17% increase in humidity as well. With this information, our highly trained winemaking team hopes to further develop our understanding of how wine is being affected by the island’s changing climate”.
The range, which also spans four styles – dry, medium dry, medium rich and rich – has been created under the guidance of CEO and seventh generation family member Chris Blandy, together with award-winning winemaker Francisco Albuquerque.
But what else makes it stand out? To begin with, each varietal undergoes an ageing process in Blandy’s 16 different ageing rooms located across two distinct sites – The Blandy’s Wine Lodge in Funchal and the winery in the cooler climate Caniçal on the western-most tip of the island.
Sercial and Verdelho are then moved to Caniçal for the final three to five years of ageing while Bual and Malmsey remain in the warmer temperatures of Funchal and are only moved to Caniçal for bottling.
According to Blandy, this unconventional winemaking approach is part of the company’s “refreshed approach to producing and consuming Madeira” and to additionally show the potential when creating “more interesting and complex styles of wine which are exceptionally food friendly and great in cocktails”.
Blandy explained: “The four wines in the new 10-year-old range have been aged based on the unique individual qualities of each variety to really showcase what makes each style so unique. Experience and a real understanding of how our wines age best over time is one of the many benefits of being the seventh generation in a family-owned business. We are also making great strides in our understanding of how our wines are being impacted by the island’s changing climate.”
Blandy added: “There is a 1-2ºC average temperature difference between Funchal (23.2ºC) and Caniçal (21.6ºC), but when you compare the hottest rooms in Funchal, the difference in average temperature goes up to 3ºC., with a 17% increase in humidity as well. With this information, our highly trained winemaking team hopes to further develop our understanding of how wine is being affected by the island’s changing climate”. 
