Barbeito - Malvasia Reserve - 5 years
Vinhos Barbeito is located on the island of Madeira , an autonomous region of Portugal. Vinhos Barbeito was founded in 1946 by Mário Barbeito de Vasconcelos and is still run by the family. At the time of Barbeito's founding, more than 30 other Madeira wine exporters were operating in the company. Mário Barbeito died in 1985 and his daughter Manuela de Vasconcelos took over the general management of Vinhos Barbeito. She had already worked for the company since 1976. In 1991, with the arrival of Ricardo Vasconcelos Freitas in the company, the decision was taken to stop exporting wine in bulk and to concentrate efforts on production, aging and blending of quality wines. That same year, a family member became responsible for making the wine.
As a mountainous island, there are a variety of microclimates in Madeira. The mountains, reaching up to 1,800 meters, cause the humid air from the winds arriving from the northwest to cool and condense into rain clouds, which means that the north and center of the island are considerably cooler. and wetter than the south. Madeira has an area of around 74,000 hectares, of which only around 450 hectares are planted with vines. The soils are of volcanic origin and rich in nutrients. This, together with abundant rain, provides fertile conditions and therefore vigorous vines. The maturation process of modern Madeira wines replicates the hot, oxidative conditions the wine was subjected to when shipped in the 17th and early 18th centuries.
Malvasia Reserve is made from the Malvasia grape. The grapes are pressed in a pneumatic press. Fermentation is stopped by adding fortified alcohol (96%) when the desired degree of sweetness is reached. The wine was aged using the “ Canteiro ” technique for 5 years; it is a long and complex process associated with higher quality wines. The wines are aged in old oak barrels in a warm environment, and the barrel is left with a small air gap, to encourage oxidative development . It contains 106 g/L of residual sugars. Age is an indication of style rather than a minimum or average.
Grape variety: 100% Malvasia
