Introduction

INTRODUCTION

It began in 1995 with a fax. Mannie Berk, owner of The Rare Wine Company, was searching for wines to shore up his inventory of older Madeiras. A visitation request was sent to Manuela Vasconcelos Barbeito de Freitas at Vinhos Barbeito. When Mannie arrived, he was met by Dona Manuela's son, Ricardo Freitas, and from there began a partnership that not only provided The Rare Wine Company a pipeline to older Madeiras, it also changed the future landscape of Madeira consumption in America.

THE PARTNERSHIP

The wines of Madeira were going through tough times, but Mannie felt a kinship with Ricardo, who, like him, had a belief in the wines and what they could eventually achieve in the marketplace. Ricardo's relationships on the island was key in acquiring hidden stashes of old wine which eventually found their way into the hands of The Rare Wine Company's customers. While this was advantageous for the “already converted”, what could be done for the consumer who knew little about Madeira and could not afford acquiring such precious bottles?

In an attempt to mold Madeira into a more mainstream beverage, Mannie and Ricardo set about the task of creating wines with an aged character at a cheaper price. Mannie would develop an idea for a particular wine and Ricardo would employ innovative blending techniques to achieve those ends. Older wines would be blended with newer. Tinta Negra Mole, which was less expensive and generally perceived as a “lowly” varietal, was treated with respect and carefully vinified. From this collaboration was born The Rare Wine Company's “Historic Series” of Madeiras. They were attractively packaged, produced in substantial quantities and provided quality above what was previously available at their price points. These wines sold well and placed Madeira on more wine store’s shelves, providing a relatively affordable entry point for the consumer previously unacquainted with the genre.

THE CELEBRATION

With the realization last year that the twentieth anniversary of their partnership was at hand, both Mannie and Ricardo began planning a commemorative wine dinner to celebrate their two decades of collaboration. Several wines were chosen that held special meaning to Ricardo, some never before poured at any previous Rare Wine Company event. This affair eventually materialized in Washington DC, at the lavish Jefferson Hotel, well known for its extensive selections of Madeiras by the glass. Columbus Day was the chosen date… a particularly appropriate day. Ricardo's grandfather, Mario Barbeito, founded Vinhos Barbeito and was always fascinated by Christopher Columbus, who lived for some years on the Madeira archipelago. Mario even established a Christopher Columbus museum on the island, but unfortunately it suffered severe damage during the devastating floods of 2010.

This commemorative dinner began with both Mannie and Ricardo recalling their first encounters. Aside from scrambling at the last minute to accommodate Mannie’s vegetarian diet, Ricardo was shocked by the sheer quantity of wine that Mannie requested and recounted the logistics required to hand-bottle it all. Ricardo's mother was equally astonished at how much of her prized 1795 Terrantez, 1834 Malvasia, 1863 Bual, etc were being sold. These are wines that early customers of the Rare Wine Company are well familiar with and surely lament their rarity in the marketplace today. The rise in prices of these wines, if they can be found at all, are indeed a testament to the increasing popularity of Madeira which can, at least in part, be attributed to that first fax in 1995.

Flight 1 (15 notes)