NV Rare Wine Co. (Vinhos Barbeito) - Madeira Savannah Verdelho

According to Rare Wine Co. founder Mannie Berk, Verdelho was in many ways the true backbone of the historic Madeira trade, since the vast majority of Madeira consumed in America during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was made from this grape. Released in 2010 as part of the Historic Series' tribute to Southern port cities, Savannah Verdelho joins Charleston Sercial in celebrating the region's preference for drier styles, in contrast to the sweeter Boston and New York bottlings favored up north. As with the rest of the series, the wine is blended by Barbeito's Ricardo Freitas from components of varying age.

The finished wine carries roughly two percent residual sugar, but that sweetness is almost entirely absorbed by the wine's bright, cutting acidity, leaving an overall impression closer to dry than sweet. The blend draws on Verdelho's natural structure to build a full-bodied, deeply layered Madeira with real length and focus.

Aromatically, the wine offers orange zest, buttery shortbread, ginger, and milk chocolate, with background notes of spice cake, woodsmoke, and dried flowers. The palate is racy and complex, showing candied citrus and spicy honey before a long, tangy, mineral-tinged finish. It pairs nicely with roasted chestnuts, toasted pound cake, or a spiced ham.