Cossart Gordon

Cossart Gordon is one of Madeira's most historic brands. It was founded in 1745 by three Scottish friends, Francis Newton, Thomas Gordon and Thomas Murdoch, who established the Newton-Gordon-Murdoch & Co. company. It quickly became one of the largest exporters of Madeira to America, establishing itself as a major player in the Portuguese markets. In 1808, an Irishman, William Cossart, joined the company. A man of great intellect and adventurous spirit, he made significant changes to the business, expanding it to include Sherry, Porto, Tarragona, Marsala and Malaga. However, this approach to diversifying the range of products ceased after the Second World War and the winery decided to specialise solely in Madeira. This focused work has seen Cossart Gordon become part of the Madeira Wine Company, culminating more recently in a partnership with Symington, one of the most authoritative names in Portuguese fortified wine.

Cossart Gordon produces and bottles on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Here, the grapes of Sercial, Verdelho, Terrantez, Bual, Tinta Negra and Malmsey are transformed into wine and subjected to a temperature increase that allows the water to evaporate and the wine to concentrate. All this takes place in very old oak barrels located at the Funchal winery, in the centre of the island and 30 metres above sea level, which is the ideal place to let the mysterious life of Madeira Cossart Gordon evolve. The building consists of 12 ageing rooms on three floors, separated by stone walls and wooden floors. The result is the natural creation of a different microclimate in each of the 12 rooms, in terms of exposure, temperature and humidity. Madeira has a sub-tropical, temperate climate and seven different microclimates within the island itself. The soils are of volcanic origin and their fertility allows for the cultivation of different plant species as well as being home to a surprising variety of fauna. In such a fertile green land of great biodiversity, surrounded by the immense blue ocean, something surprising is bound to arise, and that is Madeira, which, thanks to the hand of historic and great producers such as Cossart Gordon, has become one of the world's most popular fortified wines.