Blandy’s New Releases

BY NEAL MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 08, 2020

Packaging has always been important for selling wine, as any major champagne house will tell you. Of course, it is different for samples. I don’t need to tell you that I review the contents of a bottle, not its aesthetic virtues. However, hats off to the Madeira Wine Company, whose quartet of new releases in conveniently sized 5cl bottles came nestled in a wicker box lined with linen in traditional Madeira colors of green and red. Chris Blandy mentioned that I was not the only recipient whose daughter had requisitioned the box post-tasting. Unfortunately, I was unable to participate in a virtual tasting; however, I did speak to Blandy about these releases, which were all bottled in 2020. He explained how Blandy’s endeavors to always keep one of the classic varieties on the market (Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey, plus Terrantez despite its minuscule production) at any one time. Some readers may remember that I reviewed a 2008 Verdelho under the Blandy’s brand in October last year, so I asked why they would bottle the same under a different stencil, Cossart Gordon. Blandy answered that generally, Cossart Gordon tends to have less residual sugar than Blandy’s, and a little more roundness by comparison – something to keep in mind for future releases.