Madeira - Blandy's John Blandy first set foot in Madeira in 1807, when, as a 23 year old soldier, he was posted to the island with a British Army garrison under the command of General Beresford who had been sent to help the Portuguese thwart any invasion attempt by Napoléon. As a quartermaster the young John Blandy came into contact with local wine merchants and from here his interest in wine burgeoned. In 1811 he returned to Madeira and founded the company that bears his name. Five generations later the Blandy family is the leading producer of premium quality wine on the island. |
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