1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

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Tlie Vineyards and Wines of Madeira.

Yankee cognomen of Rainwater Madeira, on acconnt of their remarkable softness and delicacy. Here also were stored a vintage wine of1863—a Yinho do Sol, as it was called,from its having been matured by exposure to the sun,and never having passed through the estufa—and finally a pale, delicate Malmsey ofthe preceding year's vintage,with a highly-developed bouquet, which promised to become a wine of singularly choice character. In the armazem de Vinhos Velhissimos—the ground-floor range of building on the southern side of the courtyard—were some large butts containing reserve wine of great age and numerous soleras, including a Cama de Lobos, the origin of which dates back to 1844—a deep-coloured, powerful wine of fine high flavour, replenished from time to time by wine from the bastardo variety of grape. A Sao Martinho solera, dating from the year 1842, was a soft choice wine with fine bouquet, while a Bual solera going back to the year 1882 proved remark ably delicate in flavour. There were also a couple of Malmsey soleras founded respectively in the years 1885 and 1850,the former of which had all the qualities of a choice liqueur; together with a butt of Verdelho vintage wine of the year 1851, which had never been exposed to artificial heat: a sound mellow wine of the highest character. At the end of this solera store is a store containing Surdo or sweet wine,and Vinho Concertado or boiled mosto,thinned by the addition of some ordinary wine, and which,like the Jerez vino dulce and vino de color, are used for flavouring and colouring wines ofinferior quality. Proceed ing through the arched passage leading into the little garden, planted with bananas, rose-trees, and geraniums, and having vines trained in corridors over the walks, we came upon another store containing wines of the years 1874 and 1875,from the north side of the island, which, without the high character of Madeira proper,are lightand agreeable to drink,and are shipped at what appears to be a very moderate price. In their Pateo ■stores alone Messrs. Cossart, G-ordon, and Co. had upwards of a couple of thousand pipes of wine, thirteen hundred of which were in a condition for shipment.