for seven generations
years of history
selection
The Blandy family is unique in being the only family of all the original founders of the Madeira wine trade to still own and manage their own original wine company. Throughout its long history on the island, the family has played a leading role in the development of Madeira wine. Members of the family continues to live on Madeira, maintaining a tradition that goes back to 1811: 2 centuries of fine wine production.
Our History
Two Centuries of fine Wine Production
Arrival to Madeira Island
1808
Arrival of John Blandy founder of Blandy´s Madeira to Madeira Island.
The beginning of Blandy´s Madeira
1811
John founded his own business as a wine shipper and general trader with his brothers Thomas and George and started the production of Madeira wine. They also began importing various products from other origins
Blandy´s Wine Lodges
1824
John Blandy's tenacity in buying up small property holdings over the course of nearly 20 years allowed the family to have what is known today as, The Blandy's Wine Lodge.
Oidium Plague
1852
Occurred the disastrous oidium plague and it was Charles who had the foresight to buy up a great proportion of the stocks of old wine on the island, thus safeguarding the company.
Madeira Wine Association (nowadays known as Madeira Wine Company)
1925
Blandy's joined the Madeira Wine Association to maximise global exposure and minimise overheads.
Partnership with Symington
1989
The beginning of a partnership with the Symington of Oporto (Port producers since the 19th century). This partnership continues today.
Blandy's Malmsey 1994 Harvest
2000
Introduction of a high quality but affordable Madeira Wine of a single year known as ``Colheita`` - ``Blandy's Malmsey 1994 Harvest``. This created an important new category of premium Madeira.
Nowadays
Nowadays Chris Blandy manages the company and it continues to lead the way in the re-establishment of Madeira as one of the world's great wines.
Winemaking & Ageing
What is Madeira Wine?
Madeira is a fortified wine produced and bottled in Madeira – a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco – using specific grape varieties, aged by the unique heating system, making use of the same ancient ageing techniques that have passed from father to son, from one generation to another. This iconic fortified wine is virtually indestructible. Madeira wine is typically a mono-varietal wine, with each white varietal representing one of the four styles of Madeira. Dry, medium-dry, medium-rich and rich. Historically, Madeira Wines were divided in two categories: the ones that bear a generic age – also known as Blends – and those who were produced from one single grape variety, and from one single harvest, which can be Colheita or Vintage.
100
+ 100 Wines
49
Countries
200
+ 200 Awards
ANDORRA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA BAHAMAS BELGIUM BERMUDA BRAZIL CANADA CHINA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREECE HONG KONG ICELAND IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY JAPAN KAZAKHSTAN LATVIA LITUANIA LUXEMBOURG MACAU MALTA MEXICO NETHERLANDS NORWAY PANAMA POLAND PORTUGAL RUSSIAN FEDERATION SINGAPORE SLOVAKIA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAIWAN THAILAND UKRAINE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES VENEZUELA
Our Great Team
The passion that drives the business
Chris Blandy
CEO
Chris took over as CEO of the Madeira Wine Company in 2011 and plays an active role in the commercial and PR aspects of the company, focusing particularly on the company’s main brand, Blandy’s Madeira.
The company continues to lead the way in the re-establishment of Madeira as one of the world’s great wines.
Francisco Albuquerque
Enologist & Wine Director
Francisco Albuquerque has consecutively won the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition award “Wine Maker of the Year for Fortified Wines” in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and also the “Len Evans Trophy” in 2007. In 2012 – elected Winemaker of the Year 2011 for Fortified wines in Portugal and in 2014 – Elected Winemaker of the Year 2013 in Portugal.