Return to Previously Sold listings
A bottle of D'Oliveira's Colheita Verdelho 1981 (bottled in 2004) kindly donated by AWE Honorary President, Charles Metcalfe. Charles is an internationally-known and admired member of the wine world, an eloquent speaker, a great writer and he sings pretty well too! Many people in the UK will know him from the 12 years he spent presenting drinks on ‘This Morning’ and his other television work with BBC Digital and Sky TV. Charles needed absolutely no arm-twisting when the idea to auction wine for Wine Relief was put to him and we are grateful for his generous support.
Here are his comments on the wine:
'This is a wine that marks the transition between the traditional Madeira 'Vintage' wines, and the new generation of 'Single Harvest' or 'Colheita'. The rule used to be that you could only use a vintage date for a Madeira if it had spent a minimum of 20 years in wooden casks, then another two years in bottle before release. In 1999, another type of vintage-dated wine was introduced, known as 'Single Harvest' or 'Colheita' (the Portuguese word for 'vintage'). The rule for this is that it can be released after only five years in casks. This wine was first released as a new-style Colheita in the mid-90s. This later bottling, although still called 'Colheita', actually qualifies as a vintage-dated wine according to the traditional rules.
Verdelho is one of the four great white grapes grown on Madeira in small quantities, and is usually made into a medium-dry style of Madeira. This has gentle, greengage and nut aromas, and a creamy, typically tangy feel. Keep the unopened bottle vertical (not on a horizontal rack). Madeira is such a stable wine that this wine will keep well for months after the bottle has first been opened, although some of the finest, most volatile aromas may disappear if you keep it part-drunk for too long.
I was given this bottle on a visit to Pereira D'Oliveira in 2006, as one of their latest vintage releases. They are one of the Madeira shippers who have really suffered from the ban on carrying liquids in hand baggage on planes, as they used to sell a lot of old wines to visitors to Madeira. And like most Madeira shippers, they were hit hard by the terrible floods that hit the island last year. So I am happy to donate this bottle to be auctioned for a good cause. Whoever buys it will have a glimpse of an excellent example of the extraordinary wines made on this beautiful sub-tropical island.'
Menu
Have a similar item to sell?
Start now
United Kingdom 
