Over the next few decades, Mario bought, blended, bottled and shipped, helping many of his erstwhile customers sell their stock. Barbeito as a shipper was established. However, several decades later in 1993 Mario’s grandson Richard Freitas took the reins of the company. He was keen to venture down another path for his grandfather’s enterprise, and he changed the company’s production and wine making strategies which went on to be met with huge success.

 

Today, Barbeito is recognised as a leading producer of Madeira and a “gamechanger” in terms of the quality and diversity of its bottlings. Their bottles are especially known for their distinctive pale colour, a result of the fact that they don’t use caramel to colour the wine. From a shipper in the 50s to a label synonymous with quality, they now boast a wide and varied selection, and have earned a plethora of awards and accolades from around the world.

 

Barbeito's relationship with Fortnum's goes back to 2008, and since then we have worked with them to create exclusive wines such as Fortnum’s Christmas Pudding Madeira - one of our most iconic festive wines - and the Fortnum’s Single Cask Madeira. We continue to stock more Madeira from Barbeito, celebrating their unique flavours and innovative spirit.