H&H Madeira Verdelho 10 Yr

H&H Madeira Verdelho 10 Year is a fortified wine at 20% ABV in a 750mL bottle — 100% Verdelho in the medium-dry meio seco style, aged a minimum of ten years by the traditional canteiro method at Henriques & Henriques in Câmara de Lobos, Madeira — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 20% vol
• Size: 750mL
• Grapes: 100% Verdelho
• Sweetness: medium-dry (meio seco — R.S. ~73 g/L)
• Aging: minimum 10 years in balseiro and pipas by canteiro — the house's stated youngest-wine-in-blend policy, stocks typically well older
• Origin: Henriques & Henriques — Câmara de Lobos, Madeira DOC, Portugal (est. 1850)

Madeira's Dinner-Table Classic

Verdelho is the food-friendliest of Madeira's noble grapes — bright, citric, and edged with smoke and sea spray — and the H&H 10 Year is one of the island's benchmark renditions. Every drop is 100% Verdelho, and every blend carries only wines of at least ten years in cask, aged slowly in the lodge's warm lofts by the canteiro process. The importer's notes lean into the sensory detail: apricot kernel, mandarin orange, dried honeycomb, Earl Grey tea, and a late-autumn sea smoke, with the telltale olive-green rim of a wine that has genuinely lived in wood. Explore the full Henriques & Henriques range, or browse the store's dessert and fortified wines.

Tasting Notes

Apricot kernel, mandarin orange, and dried honeycomb over Earl Grey tea and roasted nuts, with island smoke and a saline sea-spray edge. Medium-dry with striking acidity — the olive-green rim says canteiro before the palate confirms it.

How to Enjoy

Serve lightly chilled (59–64°F) in 2–3 oz pours — this is the most approachable Madeira at the table: pair with roast poultry, grilled fish, mushroom dishes, and hard cheeses. Works as an aperitif and in cocktails; keeps indefinitely once opened.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "canteiro" mean?
The traditional Madeira aging method: casks rest in warm lodge lofts for years, concentrating and oxidizing the wine slowly. H&H uses canteiro for all its 10-, 15-, and 20-year wines.

Is 10-year Madeira really 10 years old?
At H&H, the age statement reflects the youngest wine in the blend — the stocks used are typically well older than ten years.

Is Verdelho Madeira sweet?
The Verdelho 10 Year is medium-dry (meio seco) — sweeter than Sercial, drier than Boal and Malvasia — and its acidity makes it taste fresher than the number suggests.

How long does Madeira keep after opening?
Effectively indefinitely — Madeira is one of the most durable wines in the world once opened.

For the dinner-table Madeira done properly: order H&H Madeira Verdelho 10 Yr online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.