Madeira Miles Edição Descobrimentos 1488-1988 Boal 15 Anos Fortificado

Description

The company that would eventually become Miles Madeira was originally known as Rutherford & Brown, established on the island of Madeira in 1814. In 1856, Henry Price Miles left England with his family and arrived in Madeira. Having worked as an apprentice since the age of twelve under the tutelage of James Rutherford, he acquired solid knowledge and experience of the Madeira trade. In 1872 the Rutherfords moved to London—Phylloxera was decimating most Madeira vineyards—and began an import business at Old Trinity House on Waterlane. This prompted Miles to purchase the company and its shares, later making a gentleman’s agreement with Rutherford that any Madeira sold by them in the UK, Scandinavia, or Russia would be bought through HPMiles and Co. A Madeira Wine Company originally consisted of several Madeira wine‑producing firms that decided to unite to strengthen their buying and production capacities; this association was founded in 1913. During a period of discord, the family firms Blandy’s and Leacock merged, soon followed by a dispute involving Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Regardless of size, preserving the unique character and style of each individual company was central to the association. By the late 1970s the company’s interests had narrowed to only a handful of the original families, with the Blandys holding the controlling share. In 1989 the Blandys, needing to bolster sales and marketing, invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to partner with them. This partnership has continued to the present, allowing the Madeira Wine Company to lead the development of the Madeira wine trade. The bottling year may not match the image shown (image purely illustrative).