5 Madeira Wineries to Visit for Fortified Wine Tasting

Henriques & Henriques

Henriques & Henriques is located in the heart of Camara de Lobos, and we thankfully stayed at an Airbnb just a few blocks away near the Baia- a location of which we highly recommend when visiting.

This winery typically does not offer tours and has more of a mini-museum setup in the tasting room at their facility, with barrels and signs showcasing the history of H&H production on the island (plus other general facts about Madeira wine you will learn at virtually every winery).

A tasting here starts with a round of young Tinta Negra wines, which we admit were not suited for our palate. That said, they offer premium flights available for purchase as well, and we threw on a tasting of a 2001 Colheita Sercial, 20 Year Terrantez, 2000 Colheita Boal, and a 2001 Colheita Malvasia for good measure. The staff here were also friendly and attentive, and they offered to swap out wines from the flights to create a more custom tasting based on our interests.

As I suspected prior to visiting this one, I walked away noting that their 20 Year Terrantez (a rare Madeiran grape) was my favorite. I had purchased this bottle during our previous visit to Portugal and loved it, so having it come out as my favorite from this tasting was not that much of a surprise.

Unfortunately for Henriques & Henriques, I found their bottle prices at the on-site shop to be significantly inflated, both from what we saw priced at stores in Madeira proper and even in mainland Portugal. That 20-year Terrantez was priced roughly 20 Euros higher than at nearby Pingo Doce grocery stores on Madeira, and we saved a bit of money simply by popping into a few stores until we found one with it available.

Still, if you want a quick and easy tasting while near Camara de Lobos, a stop at H&H is a must.

Henriques & Henriques is located at Av. da Autonomia, Sítio de Belém in Câmara de Lobos. Tastings were available for walk-ins during our visit.

Vinhos Barbeito

We normally don't like to call out a single winery as being our absolute favorite in these guides. But for Madeira, we're going to make an exception. Barbeito was our favorite producer.

We booked their Platinum tour to explore this small winery, and if you're going to splurge anywhere on the island, make it this one.

We started with a brief tour of their production facility and learned a bit about the Madeira-making process before getting a chance to walk through one of their aging rooms, where casks of Madeira have been maturing over the decades. Much like other producers, the vineyards themselves are not found onsite; however, we got a look at a few vines, which were planted to showcase the different varieties of grapes produced on the island.

From there, it was on the way to the tasting, which included seven premium bottles of Madeira, including tastings of most grape types, including the rare Bastardo, and ending with premium tastings of 20+ year old Frasqueiras (old vintages), and being given a secret pour of a wine selected based on our preferred sweetness levels.

It is rare for me to say that I loved every single bottle I tried at any given winery. It is especially true for fortified wines that run the gamut of sweetness levels. But at Barbeito, we truly loved every single pour here, and our only regret was that we couldn't afford to bring them all home with us as the winery had many bottles we've never seen anywhere else (although we did grab a 1993 Frasqueira Verdelho for good measure, breaking our budget in one swoop).

So if there is any winery on the island not to miss, be sure to book the premium, Platinum tour at Barbeito, and thank us later.

Vinhos Barbeito is located at Estrada Ribeira Garcia, Parque Empresarial in Camara de Lobos. Book a tour and tasting in advance.

D'Oliveiras

One perk of visiting D'Oliveiras for a tasting in Funchal is that they are completely free. The downside, unfortunately, is that they were only pouring three of the youngest wines, most likely made from Tinta Negra, with age indications of three to five years.

While these were quite good, and we could honestly argue perhaps the best illustration of the young style we tried on Madeira, it was also a bit of a shame because D'Oliveiras is known for their massive portfolio of Frasqueira wines (single vintage wines with more than 20 years of age in wood), which you'll see throughout the tasting room and bottleshop while visiting.

So while we were tasting these entry-level bottles (and, again, enjoying them quite well), it felt a shame to be surrounded by so many premium bottles and not be able to sample any- even for a cost. Still, a free tasting right in the heart of Funchal? It is hard to say no to that.

D'Oliveiras is located at Rua Dos Ferreiros 107 in Funchal. Tastings were available for walk-ins during our visit.

Blandy's Wine Lodge and Cossart Gordon

Blandy's may be one of the most recognizable producers in Madeira as it is widely available abroad, particularly in the United States.

Visitors to Blandy's can choose to take a tour of the wine lodge in the heart of Funchal, visit a vineyard just outside of the city, or simply pop into the lodge for a la carte tastings- giving the best of all worlds depending on your interest level.

During our visit, we took a tour of the wine lodge in Funchal with a premium tasting, which coupled a museum-like experience that shared the history of Blandy's with general Madeira wine-making commentary, and finished with a tasting of their 10 Year Sercial, 10 Year Malmsey, and a 2017 Colheita Malmsey as well. Despite having more premium bottles in their portfolio, this one was a great introduction to the two grape types (and we were not upset as Malmsey is one of our favorites!).

While the tasting at Blandy's was decent, we have to admit we also visited this one to try another label in the Blandy's family, Cossart Gordon. This line is among our favorites of all the Madeira we've had over the years, and much like premium Blandy's bottles, they are available to try by the pour at the bar at the Blandy's Wine Lodge. Naturally, we stuck around for a few a la carte pours.

So to finish this particular experience, we bought samples of Cossart Gordon's 1986 Frasqueira Terrantez as well as the 2008 Colheita Boal. Both of these were exquisitely beautiful wines, and we left with a bottle of the 2008 Colheita Boal to take home with us as it came in at quite a reasonable price point- a significant discount from what we saw in the mainland!

Don't overlook tastings of the Cossart Gordon line when visiting here!

Blandy's Wine Lodge is located at Avenida Arriaga, 289000-064 in Funchal. Tours should be scheduled in advance; however, Blandy's Wine Lodge sold pours for walk-ins during our visit.

H.M. Borges

Finally, we come to H.M. Borges- another fortified winemaker located in the heart of Funchal. Much like Blandy's, H.M. Borges offers tours of its facilities and was arguably our favorite tour on the island, offering a robust look at winemaking as well as the history of the winery itself, plus also giving a great look into the production space, as you get at Barbeito.

We also booked a premium Diamond tour, which included six premium wines, with one Frasqueira thrown in. The nice thing about this tour is that those who book other tiers of tastings go together, and it is only separated out at the end based on the flight type you purchased. In situations like these, I'd normally recommend booking each level to try more wines; however, for groups of two or more, they were kind enough to swap out a few wines here and there so we could try more. A very nice touch!

Much like with other wineries, we found that their Frasqueira and premium bottles were more to our tastes; however, given their price points, we settled on the 10 Year Verdelho as being a standout not just for its quality, but for a rather reasonable price point at the winery for the more entry-level style.

H.M. Borges is located at Rua 31 De Janeiro Nº 83 in Funchal. Book a tour and tasting in advance.

Bonus – Quinta do Barbusano for Still Wine

When we first thought to publish this article, we were only going to focus on the fortified wine makers on the island. That said, we visited one still wine producer as well, Quinta do Barbusano outside of Sao Vicente, and we'd be remiss if we did not mention it briefly here, if only for one specific reason- the drive into this one is rough.

Barbusano is located down a rocky and narrow road past the Capelinha de Nossa Senhora de Fátima chapel outside of Sao Vicente.

For those who are brave enough to make the drive down, which was among the most harrowing roads we drove on in the entire island, a beautiful tasting room and vineyard views will be your reward.

This winery sells most of its wines available for by-the-glass pours, which we appreciated, and we sampled some of its entry-level wines, which were, admittedly, fine. That said, we purchased a bottle of their premium Vinhas Do Antonio line that was made with more obscure grapes on the island, which we felt like were delicious bottles for the slightly more premium price point.

So if you do anything here, splurge on the Vinhas do Antonio bottles!

Quinta do Barbusano is located at Caminho Agrícola do Barbusano, 26 outside of Sao Vicente. They offer tours with advanced booking and tastings for walk-ins; however, if a tour is going on you may have to wait for a tasting.

Do you have a favorite winery in Madeira from your visit? Comment to share!