Madeira Leacock's Tinta Negra 10 Anos Fortificado

Description

John Leacock sailed to Madeira from the United Kingdom after his father’s death in 1741, and at the age of 15 became the youngest apprentice at the Madeira trading firm Catanach and Murdoch, remaining there until his contract expired on 11 March 1749. During his apprenticeship he kept in touch with an old friend, John Patient, who at that time lived in Charlestown, South Carolina, and suggested that they start trading themselves. Leacock agreed, marking the birth of the now world‑famous company. In 1925, as the wine industry faced difficult times, Leacock’s and Blandy’s joined forces and became part of the Madeira Wine Association, now the Madeira Wine Company. Leacock’s is today one of the company’s main brands, with key markets in the United States, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. The Madeira Wine Company originally formed as an association of several Madeira wine producers who decided to unite to strengthen their buying and production capacities; it was founded in 1913. During the years of discord, the family companies of Blandy’s and Leacock’s merged, followed soon after by a dispute involving Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Regardless of size, preserving each company’s unique characteristics and style remained at the heart of the association. By the late 1970s, the company’s interests had been reduced to a handful of the original families, with the Blandy family holding the controlling stake. In 1989, needing to strengthen sales and marketing, the Blandy family invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to partner with them. This partnership continues to the present 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)