Vinhos Barbeito Madeira

First populated in 1420 by the Portuguese, the island of Madeira is the largest of what was once known as the Enchanted Isles. The vines the settlers planted thrived, and Madeira wine became increasingly famous, especially the concession given to it for colonial export in Britain’s 1660 Navigation Act. By the mid 1700s, it was the world’s most famous wine, used for such occasions as toasting the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Ricardo de Freitas is the third generation to run this small company, since grandfather Mario Barbeito set himself up in business in 1946. Over the last ten years Ricardo has transformed the operation into what must be the most dynamic of all Madeira shippers. Estufa wines are made here (and are actually pretty good, using a method whereby the wines don’t get ‘burned’ during the process), but we only deal in Ricardo’s canteiro wines, which are bottled only in small batches. Additionally, Barbeito no longer use caramel in any of their Madeiras, making a huge difference to quality. Over the last couple of years, Ricardo has been picking up gongs by the handful for his work, and we foresee many more to come.