Re: What Madeira Have You Opened This Week?
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2026 5:04 pm
Hi Mark, thanks for the insights!Mark L wrote: ↑Tue Jan 06, 2026 12:23 pm Hey Glenn,
I'm sorry that you had that let-down experience with your 1875!
I don't recall that this was bottled that long ago, but still -- I would recommend waiting several days and re-tasting. It sounds like you opened and then tasted, and served same-day?
Naturally, I trust your expertise and your experience in madeira (even though you often prefer port), so if you think it's corked, I believe you. My only thought might be to give it a few days of serious air, and then see how it is before opening a second bottle (or returning the first).
Good luck!!!! Naturally, I hope it works out. (One of the reasons I recommend this is also to hope that if it does work out OK by waiting, that it will give you the confidence in your remaining bottles!)
I will say that periodically there are bottles that I've opened and fully decanted as recently as a couple weeks ago then closed with a t-stop, still need more time in glass before they "return" to their normal selves upon serving. (not all, but a couple here and there -- enough that I tend not to worry anymore when a madeira is tasting like it's out-of-whack out of the bottle, ...but it does remind me that serving from an open bottle that I haven't tasted from in a while might not show very well if I decide to share it spontaneously (on the spot) with a visiting guest. At best, I will pour it earlier in the evening, and come back to serve/share it later.)
Yes, this was opened same day. It had a couple of hours just unstoppered in the bottle, so not a true decant.
The 1875 has been bottled multiple times, apparently. I have 2 bottles that were bottled some time in the 1970s, and then these 4 new ones that were bottled in 2016. I also saw some bottles mentioned as having been bottled near 2016... I don't recall exactly when off the top of my head, but it was something like 2014 or 2010. Relatively recently, as opposed to the ones from the 1970s.
My understanding of the general rule is about a day of decant for every decade in bottle, which means I probably should have opened this bottle the day before. I didn't decide to add it to the tasting until the day of, unfortunately.
I do plan to taste it again soon-ish, and will probably pour my glass in the morning to taste that evening. That will give it some much needed air, and hopefully that will help.
That said, according to others at the tasting this was clearly TCA and not just bottle stink like madeira can sometimes develop. And the palate was just off to me, again not in a way that I would associate with time in bottle. But maybe air will help?
I've reached out to Farr Vintners to ask about their corked wine policy. I'll let everyone know what they say.
