Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Adegas de São Francisco, Funchal
Plenty of places on Madeira offer wine tastings, but none will give you such a
solid introduction to the history of its unique wine. With its heavy ancient
beams and its cobblestone courtyards, the Adegas de São Francisco feels as
old as time. It is set in the surviving parts of a 16th-century Franciscan friary,
most of which was demolished when Portugal passed its laws banning reli-
gious orders in 1834. The premises were acquired by the Blandy family
(see
p25)
in 1840 and have been used ever since for making Madeira wine.
Top 10 Features
1 Courtyard
2 17th-centuryWinePress
3 Goatskins
4 Attics
5 WineShop
6 WineMuseum
7 MaxRomerTastingBar
8 VintageRoom
9 ShoppingArcade
0 The“OldestStreet”
Sampling Madeira wine at
the Max Romer Tasting Bar
To the west of the
wine lodge, there is
an outdoor café in
the cloister of the
São Francisco friary,
now a delightful
public garden.
You can wander in
and out of the wine
lodge whenever it is
open. Wines may be
sampled for free in
the Max Romer
Tasting Bar without
booking a tour.
£
Goatskins
!
Courtyard
Winemadealloverthe
islandwasbroughtforsale
toFunchal.Porterscalled
borracheiros
sippedfromthe
40-litreloadsofwinethat
theycarriedingoatskins.
Theromanticinner
courtyardofthewinelodge
isshadedbysomeofthe
island'stallestbanana
trees
(above)
.Itisringed
bythreestoreysofattics
withwisteria-drapedexter-
nalbalconiessupportedon
massivetimberbrackets.
• Avenida Arriaga 28
•
Map P3
• 291 740 110
•
Open 9:30am-1pm,
2:30-6:30pm Mon-Fri,
10am-1pm Sat (Max
Romer Tasting Bar also
open for lunch)
• Admission free
•
Tours: 10:30am,
2:30pm, 3:30pm,
4:30pm Mon-Fri,
11am Sat. €4
•
In-depth vintage tours:
4:30pm Wed, Fri. €6
$
Attics
Massivetimberssupport
threestoreysofventilated
attics
(below)
.Wineshere
areagedincaskswarmed
onlybythesun,amethod
knownas“Canteiro”that
producesqualitywines.
@
17th-century
Wine Press
Ontheguidedtouryou
willbeshownatraditional
winepresscarved
withtheJesuit
symbolofacross
withinatriangle.
TheJesuitsranthe
island'swinetrade
untilthelate18th
century.Englishand
Scottishmerchants
thentookitover.
For more on Madeira wines
See pp58-9
12
