Day 8 – Madeira: Quinta de Barbusano & Blandy’s

We woke up at 9am to get ready and pack our bags to check out of our hotel in Porto Moniz. We checked out at 11am and stopped at Ribiera de Janela (a famous rock formation in Madeira) on the way for a quick photo. I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet but luckily there was a cafe 2 minutes away. I ordered an espresso and Quejada de Coco to go and we drove 30 minutes to Quinta do Barbusano. We had a second wine tasting today in the north before heading back to Funchal for the final two nights of our trip. 

There were 12 people in our group and we did a walking tour of the vineyard first where our guide explained the two different methods they use to structure the vines. After the tour of the vineyard we were sat inside – 2 couples per table with two chairs in between at seperate tables. I’m not sure if it’s a practice they kept from Covid but I found it odd rather than seating the groups at 2 large tables together so people can socialize while enjoying the wine. We tasted 3 whites, 1 rose, and 2 reds along with a charcuterie board and lunch. Our favorite was the 3rd medium bodied white wine and the lighter red wine. 

Overall the pours at TerraBona were more generous and I liked their wine better, but they only did white wine there where as Quinta do Barbusano had more variety. After tasting the 6 wines they asked us which was our favorite and we were served an additional glass (or two) with lunch. For lunch we had bolo de caco, salad, Espetada, and a side of potatoes. However, the dessert course was my favorite – homemade passion fruit pudding, I basically licked the plate clean. By 3pm we had finished our wine tour and jumped in our car to head back to Funchal. While the north of Madeira was beautiful, lush, and remote, it had been fairly cloudy and I was excited to be back on the sunnier side of the island. 

We checked into the Savoy Palace by 3:45pm. This hotel immediately gave old money vibes with the suede couches, curtains, and gold accents. We had a sea view room but this hotel was set back a bit further from the ocean compared to Cliff Bay. We did however have ocean access if we wanted to jump in for a swim later through their sister hotel Royal Savoy. There was also a beautiful view of the mountains on the walk to our room.

We decided to continue our wine series and walk down to Blandy’s to try some of the local Madeira wine which is similar to port. First we did a tasting of the 4 different grapes that were 10 years old in age. Then Verdalha and Buel were our favorites. Next we ordered the 15 year old Verdalha and Buel. I like the Buel best but we were also trying these alongside chocolate which both complemented and muted the sweetness of the wine. We decided to try the dry flight next and ordered the cheese board to go along with it. The Atlantis Rosé was our favorite. 

At 6:30pm Blandy’s closed so we went back to hotel to lay out in the sun and relax. The Savoy property is MASSIVE and very resort like. It was a journey getting to the sea access point at the sister hotel Royal Savoy – up the stairs, over the bridge, down an elevator and over another bridge to get there. We hung out for about an hour and then went back up to our room to shower and unwind. I realized we were out of protein bars so we walked to a nearby grocery store but the only bars they had were candy. We walked 5 minutes further and found a food court type plaza with a DJ playing which was cool but full of tourists – and no protein bars. The 2nd grocery store also only had no protein or granola bars so I settled on a bag of nuts. The cashier thought I was Portuguese and was surprised when I spoke to him in English. Back at the hotel we relaxed on the balcony and watched the fireworks go off in the distance. Happy 4th of July!