Madeira Cossart Gordon 1745 -1945 Duo Centenary Celebration Fortificado

Description

Cossart Gordon & Co. was founded in 1745 and is the oldest company in the Madeira wine trade. Francis Newton, a young Scot, set sail from Gravesend in Great Britain and arrived in Madeira on 12 September 1745, founding the company. He was joined by his younger brother Thomas from 1758 to 1763 and later by another Scot, Thomas Gordon of Balmaghie, also in 1758. The Cossart family has been among the most influential on the island for almost two centuries. The most authoritative book on Madeira, *Madeira: The Island Vineyard*, was written by Noël Cossart, a former senior partner of the firm, born on the island in 1907. To this day, Cossart Gordon Madeiras is considered the finest available. The Madeira Wine Company was originally an association of several Madeira wine producers who decided to join forces to strengthen their buying and wine‑production capacities. This association was founded in 1913. During the years of discord, the old family companies of Blandy's and Leacock joined, immediately followed by the dispute involving Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating thus the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Whatever its size, maintaining the unique characteristics and style of each individual company was at the heart of the association's focus. In the late 1970s, the interests in the Madeira Wine Company, as it was known, were reduced to only a handful of the original families, with the Blandy family holding the controlling share. In 1989, the Blandy family, needing to reinforce the sales and marketing side of the business, invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to join them in partnership. This partnership has continued to this day, allowing the Madeira Wine Company to play a leading role in the development of the Madeira wine trade. The bottling year may not correspond to the image presented. (illustrative image only)