Wine Newsletter - Barbeito

Brilliantly Barbeito
PIONEERS IN THE WORLD OF MADEIRA WINE SINCE THE 1940S
It’s 1946. The Second World War has finally ended, and an astute accountant by the name of Mario Barbeito makes an observation that will change his and his future family’s life. He notices that stocks of Madeira are suddenly plentiful. Not only was Mario an astute accountant, he also possessed a refined, discerning palate, a keen eye for quality and many clients who were wine producers themselves. With all these resources at his disposal, he founded his eponymous business and set to revolutionising the world of wine.



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.
