Barbeito Madeira 30 years Dueto Verdelho
€ 120.85 / 50 cl
| Producer | Barbeito |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Verdelho |
| Ageing | Blend with an average age of 30 years, bottled in 2024 |
| Alcohol | 19,5%vol |
| Serving | 14°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright, keeps almost indefinitely once opened |
Dueto 30-year-old Verdelho: four Verdelhos and a drop from the 19th century.
Tasting note
A fantastic blend, with elegance and finesse on the nose and a solid structure.
The story
The structure of the blend comes from three Verdelhos, two from 1993 and one from 1996, aged in Barbeito’s lodges. A 1991 Verdelho from the MEF lodges near the beach at Seixal added acidity and aromatic elegance. Finally, a Verdelho from the late 19th century was added to firm up the structure and give the blend a distinctive finish. The blend was created by Susana Esteban and Ricardo Diogo and bottled in April 2024.
Elsewhere in Portugal, Verdelho is also known as Gouveio. The grape gives a lightly sweet, medium-dry style, is mainly planted in the north at 400-600 m and ripens late. It is the main ingredient of Rainwater.
Madeira spends years ageing in an oxidative environment and moves into a reductive one at bottling. It is therefore best to open the bottle a few hours in advance. After that, air no longer affects the wine: an open bottle keeps almost indefinitely and often tastes even better months later. Always store Madeira upright, as the acidity attacks the cork if the bottle lies down.
Food pairing
Lightly chilled as an aperitif, or with starters of smoked fish such as salmon, caviar, olives, cured ham, duck and dried fruit and nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds.
