1863 Madeira Cossart Gordon Sercial Solera Fortificado

Description

Cossart Gordon & Co. was founded in 1745 and is the oldest company in the Madeira wine trade. Francis Newton, a young Scotsman, set sail from Gravesend in Great Britain and arrived in Madeira on 12 September 1745, founding the company. His younger brother Thomas joined him from 1758 to 1763, followed by another Scotsman, 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‑producing companies that decided to join forces to strengthen their purchasing and wine‑production capabilities. This association was founded in 1913. During the years of discord, the old family businesses of Blandy's and Leacock joined, followed immediately after the dispute over Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating 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 bolster 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)