What I Learned About Madeira

During a recent Zoom tasting of four Madeiras with Chris Blandy of Blandy's Madeira Lodge in Funchal he said

• France takes the majority of Madeira exports - they use it in cooking (!)
  
• Madeira should not be stored on its side as its high acidity will destroy the cork
• Vineyards are small and mostly family owned and farmed, and the farmers children don't want to take over. Chris is worried about the future supply of grapes
  
• For such a well known wine, there's not many hectares of vineyards and thus not much Madeira is produced

20201214-Weekday-wines-Thu.png

During a recent Zoom tasting of four Madeiras with Chris Blandy of Blandy's Madeira Lodge in Funchal he said

• France takes the majority of Madeira exports - they use it in cooking (!)
  
• Madeira should not be stored on its side as its high acidity will destroy the cork
• Vineyards are small and mostly family owned and farmed, and the farmers children don't want to take over. Chris is worried about the future supply of grapes
  
• For such a well known wine, there's not many hectares of vineyards and thus not much Madeira is produced

Thanks, Peter. I've also heard that about storing Madeira on its side.
Is there any move afoot there to use screwtops??
Tom