Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Madeiras ancient and modern

Friday 9 January 2026 • 3 min read
São Vicente Madeira vineyards

Wines from this extraordinary Portuguese island in the middle of the Atlantic, varying from five to 155 years old. The image above, of terraced vineyards in São Vicente, in the north of the island, is courtesy of Barbeito.

Below are two very different sets of tasting notes, one from a generic Madeira tasting held in London at the end of November 2025 and another very special tasting of 1870 Madeiras, plus three 1875s, that took place at the beginning of October.

Tomorrow I’ll write in more detail about the tastings – over two sessions – of the miraculously good Madeiras from the...

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