Verdelho 10 YO Reserva Madeira Barbeito

Barbeito’s 10 year old Reserva Verdehlo is sweet ‘criminally good’ (Jancis Robinson, no less!), complex and lasting but with such superb, zippy acidity, perfectly acceptable for morning sipping! The Verdelho is sweet, 60 odd grams residual sugar but it is still refreshing, citrus notes, floral and honey, soft in texture, well balanced and persistent. It will go with lots of different foods from smoked salmon to Jamon Serrano to shellfish pasta.

Barbeito was founded in 1946, and current winemaker Ricardo Diogo de Freitas took over in 1993.

He's been looked upon as a bit of a pioneer - producing single cask bottlings, not colouring with caramel, shipping with sail power etc. In reality, these are just traditional methods that are being revived, and his Madeira is all the better for it. They invest heavily in the production of quality grapes, and all of the heating and ageing takes place in barrels in naturally hot attics, a method known as Canteiro. This is a longer and more costly process than its alternative (known as Estufa, where the process is sped up in heated tanks), but makes all the difference. If you think Madeira is just for cooking with, think again and try these. Not only can you pair them with pretty much anything, but once opened they are pretty much indestructible.