Verdelho
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Virtually indestructible; highly stable and can be enjoyed immediately upon release or cellared for several decades.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Consomme and rich broths, toasted nuts, aged sheep's milk cheeses
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Bristol's maritime history is deeply intertwined with the fortified wine trade, and Averys of Bristol stands as a monumental guardian of this legacy. For centuries, ships arriving at the Bristol docks carried casks of fortified wine from the Atlantic island of Madeira. Averys famously selected outstanding casks of Verdelho directly from top island producers, shipping them to their historic Culver Street cellars for maturation and bottling under their own label. Verdelho occupies a unique stylistic niche in Madeira—traditionally medium-dry, balancing a vibrant, electric acidity with a rich, textured palate. The wine undergoes traditional aging, coaxing out complex notes of dried stone fruits, orange peel, toasted nuts, and a signature smoky, saline undertone derived from the island's volcanic soils. This historic bottling represents a classic era of the English wine merchant as an active partner in the maturation of fine Madeira.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 1793 in Bristol, England, Averys is one of the United Kingdom's oldest and most historic wine merchants, celebrated for its pioneering spirit and deep connections with global wine regions. Under the influential leadership of Ronald Avery and his son John Avery MW, the family-run merchant became famous for identifying exceptional parcels and importing fine wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Porto, and Madeira, often bottling them under their own prestigious label. Their historic cellars on Culver Street in Bristol have long curated a diverse portfolio ranging from classic French appellations to innovative New World expressions, maintaining an uncompromising commitment to quality and traditional merchant craftsmanship.