Mannie Berk | In the 1950s and 1960s, Avery's was perhaps the richest source of very old and great Madeira in the world. From the time he joined the firm full-time in the 1920s, Ronald Avery kept his customers well supplied with Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Sherry, but then in the 1950s he emerged as the great source of Madeira for British and American collectors. Most of his wines are believed to have come from one of two sources: the Madeira Wine Association and the estate of the late Stephen Gaselee. By the late 1960s, with little old Madeira left to buy, Avery wound down his Madeira business. This famous wine came from Visconde Val Pariso’s estate in Porto Moniz, on the northwest corner of the island. It was a prized wine in Avery’s portfolio of rarest Madeiras. In 1960, Avery wrote to California collector Roy Brady: “This is the finest Old Madeira that we have and it’s very unlikely there will ever be another one to approach it in quality.”

Roy Hersh | Medium-dark shade of amber-tawny with a narrow golden-green edge. A scorched earthy nose hinting more toward Sercial, with citrusy grapefruit-pith, VA, iodine, saline and old wood overtones, which I liked. Light in weight, with tart, hot, and sharp volatile impressions, leather, lime, grapefruit, and resinous flavors; ultra-dry, fading fruit, until the bitter-sweet medium-length finish. The 1846 Visconde Verdelho from Madeira’s quaint town of Porto Moniz had a sterling reputation, yet this one (bottled circa 1940–1950) failed to live up to it, in my opinion. | 16.5