Alan Sercial 1940 V.J.H. Madeira
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Anything but Port, this includes all non-Port fortified wines even if they call themselves Port. There is a search facility for this part of the forum.
Anything but Port, this includes all non-Port fortified wines even if they call themselves Port. There is a search facility for this part of the forum.
Thanks to Jdaw1's generousity, I now have two thirds of a bottle in my fridge at home. Mine is the one pictured on the right. I thought I knew the taste of Maderia, from my youth, but this was a bit of a surprise. It was very dry and intense. I don't dislike it, but it didn't send me a flutter, either.
I've read somewhere this is best served chilled. Any thoughts on that? What about Longevity. Should I crack on, or can it last a while.
If this suggestion is outrageous, please ignore, but I was even wondering about ice? It did seem more white Port than Red.
Although it says 1940. When will it have been bottled? No clues on the bottle.
Alan
I've read somewhere this is best served chilled. Any thoughts on that? What about Longevity. Should I crack on, or can it last a while.
If this suggestion is outrageous, please ignore, but I was even wondering about ice? It did seem more white Port than Red.
Although it says 1940. When will it have been bottled? No clues on the bottle.
Alan
Can I thank you Guys for all that advice! 
I decided to put it in the fridge. I still cant fall in love with it. I've had half a dozen friends come around and 'enquire' about my interest in Port. I've had some fun, considering I know nothing about Maderia, and suggested I was giving them a rare privilage of a 70yr old Maderia Wine.
I can see I've grabbed their attention, and to a man, they took their time, paid it reverential respect, made very enthusiastic noises, but also to a man, made comments like...'But it's just not for me!'.
I probably dont deserve them, but I cant fault their manners or their honesty.
Sooner or later, some lucky sod will walk in and truly appreciate a well known Maderia, and he'll be encouraged to drink the bottle!
Alan
I decided to put it in the fridge. I still cant fall in love with it. I've had half a dozen friends come around and 'enquire' about my interest in Port. I've had some fun, considering I know nothing about Maderia, and suggested I was giving them a rare privilage of a 70yr old Maderia Wine.
I can see I've grabbed their attention, and to a man, they took their time, paid it reverential respect, made very enthusiastic noises, but also to a man, made comments like...'But it's just not for me!'.
I probably dont deserve them, but I cant fault their manners or their honesty.
Sooner or later, some lucky sod will walk in and truly appreciate a well known Maderia, and he'll be encouraged to drink the bottle!
Alan
Thanks Derek, you've always been a helpful bugger!!!Derek T. wrote:Alan,
If you need to get rid of the Sercial '40 you could just wrap it in brown paper and take it down to St Helen's High Street around midnight - I'm sure someone will take it off you hands
Derek
I might do that thing were you sit down, mind over matter, and convince yourself that it's delicious! I once did that with whisky. I can now enjoy the soil tasting types now. Still can't handle the petrol types though.
Alan
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Simon Lisle
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Does this mean that Derek has now had his first taste of Madeira? To answer the above (and earlier) questions:Conky wrote:Thanks to Jdaw1's generousity, I now have two thirds of a bottle in my fridge at home. Mine is the one pictured on the right. I thought I knew the taste of Maderia, from my youth, but this was a bit of a surprise. It was very dry and intense. I don't dislike it, but it didn't send me a flutter, either.
I've read somewhere this is best served chilled. Any thoughts on that? What about Longevity. Should I crack on, or can it last a while.
If this suggestion is outrageous, please ignore, but I was even wondering about ice? It did seem more white Port than Red.
Although it says 1940. When will it have been bottled? No clues on the bottle.
Alan
Madeira should be decanted, usually at least one day and sometimes more.
Once decanted and after the first few days (which might see some bottle stink blowing off), it should be fine stored in the decanter at room temperature for quite a while (weeks to months).
Serve at room temperature.
No ice, not even a little bit.
The "Dry and intense" is probably due to the fact that it is Sercial, the driest of the varieties. If you want the Madeira of your youth, try Malmsey/Malvazia...thats the sweet stuff, sometimes sickly sweet, sometimes sublime.
Jay
Better things for better living through chemistry
Thanks Jay,
I tried a couple more glasses last night, and I'm determined to at least try to like it. It did taste a little better chilled, but I presume thats the same as when you dont like a younger Port, and it dumbs down the taste a little.
Have you any thoughts on the bottling? I've been told it may have been a late nineties bottling of 1940 juice, that had been left undisturbed. I was also told that there's no more, so when the bottles in circulation, from that bottling disappear, thats it.
If thats true, thats ANOTHER reason I really want to like it.
It will serve me right if I fall in love with it on the last sip!
Alan
I tried a couple more glasses last night, and I'm determined to at least try to like it. It did taste a little better chilled, but I presume thats the same as when you dont like a younger Port, and it dumbs down the taste a little.
Have you any thoughts on the bottling? I've been told it may have been a late nineties bottling of 1940 juice, that had been left undisturbed. I was also told that there's no more, so when the bottles in circulation, from that bottling disappear, thats it.
If thats true, thats ANOTHER reason I really want to like it.
It will serve me right if I fall in love with it on the last sip!
Alan
I have not had that particular Madeira, and perhaps it is an off bottling. I am not at all an expert, hving very limited experience compared to Port, but I would characterize the better Madeiras as similar to the older Colheita Ports in terms of complexity. A really good Sercial should be zingingly acidic along with sweet, and complex as hell. Think the acidity of a quality 2005 Reisling, with the sweetness of a Beerenauslese, and the complexity of a pre 1900 Colheita Port. With a little bit of Esszencia Tokai thrown in? Very nice in front of the fire on a cold day, with the added benefit of not going bad in the decanter between consumptions of bottles of port.
The time in bottle should not hurt so much, which adds to the idea that maybe it's a bad bottle or just a bad Madeira.
Jay
The time in bottle should not hurt so much, which adds to the idea that maybe it's a bad bottle or just a bad Madeira.
Jay
Better things for better living through chemistry
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Simon Lisle
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not worthy of a Madeira of its age
It seems that there’s a problem with that bottling. Not sure what, but not worthy of a Madeira of its age. Sorry chaps.
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Overtired and emotional
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After reading this thread, I can see that the barbarians are not only at the gates but have taken them off their hinges and sold 'em for scrap.
Chill madeira? Not decant it at least 48 hours before drinking? Crikey, what's going on?
I became acquainted with vintage madeira some years ago when the old, and once fine, Willoughbys on Cross St Manchester was being closed by its owners Lees brewery. Lees had a long standing relationship, I believe, with VJH and so, very unusually for this part of the world, stocked some vintage madeiras. In their closing down sale, I bought a dozen for what was relatively a song, including the 1940 sercial.
No, it is not in the first flight, but it does have the beguiling complexity which is the hallmark of most such wines. I do subscribe to the egg cup theory; just one small glass at a time will do. Properly decanted and stoppered, the wine remains fresh for months after opening. That takes some, but not all, of the pain out of the cost of the wine.
Richard Mayson has just written a book on madeira, but is not yet published. Alex Liddell's book is still in print in the Mitchell Beazley series, although it is, to me at least, rather too idiosyncratic to be a good first guide.
A side effect of madeira is that it makes me go on and on and on and...
Chill madeira? Not decant it at least 48 hours before drinking? Crikey, what's going on?
I became acquainted with vintage madeira some years ago when the old, and once fine, Willoughbys on Cross St Manchester was being closed by its owners Lees brewery. Lees had a long standing relationship, I believe, with VJH and so, very unusually for this part of the world, stocked some vintage madeiras. In their closing down sale, I bought a dozen for what was relatively a song, including the 1940 sercial.
No, it is not in the first flight, but it does have the beguiling complexity which is the hallmark of most such wines. I do subscribe to the egg cup theory; just one small glass at a time will do. Properly decanted and stoppered, the wine remains fresh for months after opening. That takes some, but not all, of the pain out of the cost of the wine.
Richard Mayson has just written a book on madeira, but is not yet published. Alex Liddell's book is still in print in the Mitchell Beazley series, although it is, to me at least, rather too idiosyncratic to be a good first guide.
A side effect of madeira is that it makes me go on and on and on and...
Bloody Hell John! 3 months too late.
Interesting comments, and I've still got a quarter of the bottle left. I've been earnestly trying to get to like it, using your eggcup theory.
If only I'd known, I'd have left it alone, and tried to organise an off-line. I'd have brought you a nearly full bottle and encouraged you to 'knock yourself out!'
Having said all of that, it's clear I could do with stumbling across a great glass of Maderia, just to confirm I'm not keen on it all, and it's not just this particular one.
Alan
Interesting comments, and I've still got a quarter of the bottle left. I've been earnestly trying to get to like it, using your eggcup theory.
If only I'd known, I'd have left it alone, and tried to organise an off-line. I'd have brought you a nearly full bottle and encouraged you to 'knock yourself out!'
Having said all of that, it's clear I could do with stumbling across a great glass of Maderia, just to confirm I'm not keen on it all, and it's not just this particular one.
Alan