Have you ever had a really old wine? I'm not talking about a 30 year old Bordeaux or a 50 year old Tawny Port. I mean REALLY OLD. Triple figures.
Last week a friend brought a unique bottle to wine to a dinner/tasting: A 1908 d'oliveiras reserva boal Madeira wine from Portugal. This baby was 105 years old! Here's a photo of the bottle we enjoyed:
The small island of Madeira sits far off the coast of Portugal. It has been producing and exporting wines for eons. Years ago, when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a long, round trip on a slow, rocking sailing ship, the producers found the flavour of the wine had been transformed by exposure to heat and movement. Since that discovery, the Madeira winemaking process involves heating the wine and deliberately exposing it to some levels of oxidation. Of course, it's fortified with 'neutral wine spirits' (Brandy) much like Portugal's other well known export, Port. Then it's aged in casks for many, many years.
In fact, the 1908 we enjoyed was bottled in 2008 - 100 years after its vintage. For about a century, the wine rested in these casks:
Can you imagine that? Conceiving of and making a product you will NOT sell in your lifetime? That's some long-term planning!
Amazing. I hope you one day have the opportunity to try a similar wine. It's a memorable experience! Do you have any similar experiences of your own? Feel free to 'reply' to this blog and let us know.
En Vino Veritas!
- Terry Liebman
