Why the new Madeiras from Henriques & Henriques play like an orchestra
“Humberto Jardim, managing director of Henriques & Henriques, was in London to show the new releases of his exemplary Madeira wine, including one that is completely new to the market. Victor Smart hears why Jardim uses an orchestral analogy to work with his wines and analyzes Boal 1997, which is new on the market, as well as Single Harvest Sercial 2001, Single Harvest Verdelho 2007, Single Harvest Boal 2000 and Malvasia 2001. “
“We’re tucked away in a corner of London’s exclusive wine club, 67 Pall Mall, for a masterclass on Single Harvest Woods, given by Humberto Jardim, managing director of Henriques & Henriques.
For the tasting, we have five wines from 1997 to 2007 with a typical retail price of around £70. It’s clear from the outset that Jardim’s quiet enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the wines are totally infectious, making this a rare introduction to Madeira of the highest standard.”
H&H is the only producer in Madeira with its own vineyards, which allows it to control production from cultivation to harvest.
“Madeira is a volcanic island 640 kilometers west of Saharan Africa, administered by the Portuguese since colonial times. Once sober and calm, the tourism industry there is courting a younger audience. But the wines themselves still have their characteristic acidity and a supernatural ability to age. When I ask him about it, Jardim says that he has bottles of Madeira worth around €7,000 each at home which, although opened, will last for decades, provided they are well corked.
Madeira’s secret is that the wine is fortified and deliberately oxidized to mimic the warm conditions below deck at sea in the 17th century, when the wine’s unique characteristics came to be valued. The USA soon became an important market with the Declaration of Independence being toasted with a glass of the drink.
Henriques & Henriques was founded in 1850. It is one of the most famous producers and – with the claim to own vineyards on the island – exercises control over all aspects of production.”
In 1992, Henriques & Henriques began an expansion program – acquiring cellar space and planting new vineyards
“The Madeiras have been described as displaying “old school chic”. At the lower end, they offer great value for money. The quality of even the most basic Madeiras improved greatly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Cheap wines are now much fresher and cleaner. Tinta Negro is the grape that provides important cash flow for H&H. But at the more expensive and rarefied end, it’s all about refinement, complexity and a wonderful variety of flavors. There is, according to Jardím, a triangle of acidity, alcohol and residual sugar: the trick is to “create a wall of each of these facades”.
Humberto Jardim, head of Henriques & Henriques, London, June 2024
As we begin the tasting, Jardim explains that he will take us through a flight of wines in the same way as an orchestra, from violin, viola and cello to double bass. The “violin” that opens this sequence is the Single Harvest Sercial 2001 (£75 a bottle, 20% abv). With exceptional acidity, the Sercial variety appears in the driest of wines and this is uncompromisingly one of them. It’s grippy and there are aromas of green fruit and a marked astringency. Light-colored and full-bodied, it’s perfect as an aperitif and goes well with olives.
Moving on to the Single Harvest Verdelho 2007 (£66, 20% abv), we’re down an octave. This is lean with spicy green flavors and the more familiar Madeira flavor profile of stone fruit, nectarine and candied fruit. It’s deep amber with a tangy lemon character and a lovely vein of acidity.
In fact, some vineyards on the island are now using Verdelho to produce table wines, described by Jardim, in his calm and genial way, as “quite interesting”.
Then on to a Boal 1997, which is new on the market and is pitted against the Single Harvest Boal 2000 (£70, 20% abv). There’s toffee and caramel in the ’97 and Jardim points to an almost metallic finish. There’s a good deal of complexity and layering, and hints of green tea. This is simply delicious – an astonishing explosion of flavors that should win over even the most hardened skeptic.
The younger, semi-sweet wine is a little less flashy, showing dates and figs, and a taste of curry. There’s an aroma of dried fruit and a bit of old wood. This wine has been a big hit with customers at the H&H restaurant. It found its way onto the tasting menus of one of London’s three Michelin-starred restaurants, paired with a burnt sugar tart.
Finally, the contrabass, or Malvasia 2001 (£78.50, 20% abv). This has notes of bitter chocolate, an attractive saltiness and molasses. It’s lean, structured, but not cloying. In the words of our masterclass tutor, it’s like “clearing your throat when you have a bit of sand walking along the beach”. Inimitable.
Madeira can claim much more complexity at a younger age than Port. With its ability to survive indefinitely in an open bottle, it’s a wine tailor-made for bars and restaurants. And although it’s about refinement, there’s plenty of room for the younger cohort of imaginative mixologists to include it in their quest for new and exciting cocktails.
Henriques & Henriques is distributed in the UK by Mentzendorff, which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To find out more about them, click here.
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