The Blandy family has been present in Madeira for over two centuries. How would you describe your project today?
We are the seventh generation. For us, it is about having a balance between respecting our heritage and developing our business to ensure and sustain the future. Each generation of the family has the obligation to try to leave Blandy’s in a better situation for the next generation.
For those who may not be very familiar with the particularity of Madeira wine, could you introduce it to us?
The answer could be very long but I will try to summarize it for you…
Our production comes from a very small volcanic island since the total area of the vineyards is only 400 hectares. It is a fortified wine, which means that we add grape alcohol during fermentation to block it. The average alcohol content of the wines is around 19%.
Madeira wine is actually divided into four different styles. So it is a stylistic wine, most often made from a single variety. There are four styles of wine in Madeira represented by the four main white grape varieties. We have the Sercial which is the driest, the Verdelho which is semi-dry, the Bual with an average richness and the Malvasia which is the richest. The range of residual sugars varies from about 45 grams per litre for the Sercial to about 100 to 120 grams per litre for the Malvasia.
Why are there no blends?
There are blends from different years from the same grape variety but the appellation specifications did not allow us to do this with different grape varieties. We managed to change this law in 2002. One of the wines we produce today, the “Reserva 5 Anno Aged” is a blend of 50% Bual and 50% Malvasia.
Vines are present in many places on the island. What are the particularities of the different production areas and are there some areas more favourable than others?
With regard to Madeira, there are a number of elements that must be kept in mind when you want to plant a new vineyard. The type of soil is extremely important. There are about six different types of soil on the island and not all of them are suitable for growing vines. As Madeira is a volcanic outcrop, there are different layers and therefore different types of soil. You therefore need to know where the right layer is and at what altitude it is.
Altitude, precisely, plays an important role since we are very impacted by microclimates and maritime winds. So for every 100 metres of altitude, you lose one degree of temperature. So we found that in the south, the best growing areas are basically between sea level and 900 metres. Most of the vineyards are planted between 500 and 600 metres and the best terroirs are in the south and southwest of the island.
The ageing process is very specific to Madeira. With global warming, how does that influence your work?
The ageing process is what defines Madeira as Madeira wine. We have winemaking methods that many people in the wine world would avoid, because we actively expose the wine to heat and oxidation. Our winery, located in the centre of the city of Funchal, where we produce our best wines, is unique. There is a very specific microclimate in each room where very old 650-litre American oak barrels are kept. We monitor this with temperature and humidity sensors.
Of course, climate change is already having an impact. We have started a research and development project to understand the differences in temperature and humidity from year to year. We have already seen an average increase of two degrees in our cellars! This can be seen as a positive, because the warmer it is, the faster the evaporation rate and the higher the concentration of the wines. But on the other hand, we do not want the wines to be unbalanced. So we always try to make sure that the volatile acidity, sugar levels and alcohol levels remain balanced throughout the ageing process.
During your various tastings you have tested many food and wine pairings with Madeira. Which one has struck you the most?
I remember a wonderful tasting with Jean-Luc Soubie accompanied by an old 18-month-old Comté, which he brought me to Madeira when he came to our house a few years ago. We paired it with a fresh 10-year-old Madeira. Since then, this pairing has remained anchored in my mind. I also like foie gras with verdelho and blue cheeses with boal.
During Covid, I sent an email to all my contacts to ask them what was, in their opinion, the most versatile wine in the world to accompany food. More than 90% of the people I asked, including master sommeliers, great journalists, Masters of Wine answered that Madeira was definitely in the top three because of its versatility in terms of style, its residual sugar levels and, of course, its acidity. This makes it a perfect gastronomic wine. Let’s also not forget that because of the oxidative aging process that we put in place, as soon as you open a bottle, you don’t have to finish it! Madeira wine has this incredible ability to keep for several months after opening. I even have old vintages in my cellar at home that have been open for two or three years.