Visit at D'Oliveiras, Funchal

I visited D'Oliveiras in January 2005. Not the busiest season, and for me this was perfect. I was out walking in Funchal, had just been to a rather disappointing visit at the Madeira Wine Institute, where history seemed more important than showing the quality of the wines. I was walking down a narrow street and there was a door in the wall that I just walked right past.

But wasn't there some barrels inside? I walked back. D'Oliveiras it said. I had not even heard of the producer. I was a starting fan of these great wines. I had had some great Barbeito’s, some Henriques & Henriques and some Blandy's. I walked in to this to me unknown house and saw this amazing line up of old bottles, going back to 1850. There were some American tourist sitting around some tables tasting.

They talked loudly, dressed as tourists, more or less like me in fact. A kind lady asked me if I wanted to have a taste, and if I preferred dryer or sweeter style. I answered that normally Verdelho was my favorite while taking out pen and some paper (actually a tired roadmap) to write on. She nodded to me and had a long look. Did this young tourist actually know something?

I sat down and she found a medium sweet Madeira, and I notet. The Americans left. "-Are you a journalist?" she asked. "-No, just a wine fanatic." I answered. Then she asked if I wanted to taste some real Madeira and we were off. Then she took out some 70's Madeira’s. After a tasting of about 15 wines going down to the 1940's I had to leave. My palate was numb from the intense flavours. I was told I had to come back. These notes are unfortunately missing from my archive as I stored most of my loose paper TN’s on Madeira in a book that got soaked by water, so it’s just a blurry white and blue mess, and or pages glued together.

The day after I was back, with my notebook. I was welcomed as family. Some German and Dutch tourist's this day, all was quite astonished when they pulled out all the wines notet bellow to me, all those marked as JAN 05. I was probably even more astonished. They commented on that I now finally had a proper book. The other tables wondered who this young man was, with this treatment. Nobody else had a table covered with bottles older than anybody in the room. Even the boss came over and sat for a talk about wine in general, and the styles of the Madeira grapes.

25 years old back then, dressed in t-shirt, shorts and sneakers, just showing interest, and treated like Michael Broadbent.