Pereira d’Oliveira 1977 Terrantez madeira

I was hard pushed to choose just one bottle from the amazing collection of aged madeiras that was shown at the Berry Bros & Rudd tasting a few weeks ago but went for this 1977 Terrantez from Pereira d'Oliveira on two grounds:

It’s the year my son Will was born and at £67 in bond (£95 shop prices) it’s (just about) affordable on a writer's budget*. And certainly good value for a wine that could easily last until Will’s 50th in 2027. (Eeek - what a thought!)

It’s also the wine I enjoyed most out of the line-up - despite the gems from 1908 (£342) and 1875 (a mere £702 a bottle) - a heady mix of ground coffee, treacle toffee and grilled hazelnuts with that wonderful searing madeira acidity - apparently more obvious in madeiras made from Terrantez than from other grapes.

An absolute treat and a great Christmas present for any 35 year old (who I hope is not reading this post)

* Berry Bros does have some other great madeiras in its range if you don’t want to spend quite as much.