1880 Madeira Cvm Malvasia (Gargalo Empalhado) Fortificado

Description

It is said that the Madeira wine’s chief mentor was Infante Dom Henrique, who encouraged the cultivation of the Malvasia Cândida grape, originally from Candia in Crete, on the island of Madeira, and this proved to be a great success. By the mid‑15th century Madeira wine was already being exported, with routes that took it to Europe where it was regarded as a delicacy, even used as a perfume for the court ladies’ scarves. The prestige of this nectar was such that it is frequently referenced in history, the arts and the legends of several nations. For instance, it was called a precious essence in William Shakespeare’s play *Henry IV*; the legendary decision of the Duke of Clarence to fulfil his death sentence by drowning in a cask of Madeira Malvasia; and the toast by Sir Winston Churchill during one of his visits to Madeira in 1950, with a wine that had been refused by Napoleon during his passage through Madeira on the way to exile on the island of St. Helena. The year of bottling may not match the image shown (illustrative only).