Madeira Wine Tasting Tour: Blandy's, Lunch & North Coast

Two Wineries, One Island: How Madeira's Wine Makers Still Do It the Old Way

You visit two historic wineries (Blandy's in Funchal and Barbeito's on the return) with tastings of red, white, rosé, and fortified Madeira wines. The day includes a drive through the UNESCO Laurissilva Forest, a walk through vineyards in São Vicente, a traditional espetada lunch with local wine, and a stop at a North Coast viewpoint. Hotel pickup and drop-off from Funchal are included, so you don't arrange transport yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Madeira wine tasting and sightseeing

• Depart from Funchal
• Visit Blandy’s Wine Lodges
• Taste Madeira Fortified Wines
• Cross island via Laurissilva Forest
• Arrive in São Vicente
• Taste red, white, and rose wines
• Walk in vineyards
• Enjoy lunch with espetada dish
• Stop at North coast viewpoint
• Visit Barbeito’s winery
• Final Madeira wine tasting
• Return to south coast

The experience

"The wine doesn't change. We do," our guide said as we pulled into Blandy's Wine Lodges in Funchal, and I realized he meant it literally. The fortified wines aging in those wooden casks had been sitting there for decades, some longer than the building itself. Blandy's is one of Madeira's oldest producers, and the tasting room still smells like wood and time. You taste the red, white, and rosé first, the everyday ones, and then the Madeira fortified wines arrive, and suddenly you understand why people have been shipping these across oceans for three hundred years. The whole Madeira wine tasting tour moves at a pace that lets this sink in. You're not rushing through a checklist.

After Blandy's, the van climbs north across the island, and the landscape shifts completely. The UNESCO-listed Laurissilva Forest closes in: moss-thick, green in a way that doesn't exist in most places, and the air changes. By the time you reach São Vicente on the North Coast, you've crossed the island's spine and the light is different. The second winery sits in vineyards that drop toward the ocean, and the tasting here is slower, more casual. Red, white, rosé again, but this time you walk the vineyard rows afterward, and the guide points out which slopes face which way and why it matters. Then lunch arrives: espetada, the island's traditional skewered beef, grilled and served with local wine. It's not fancy. It's the thing people here actually eat.

The viewpoint comes after, when you're full and a little loose from the wine, and the North Coast spreads out below: volcanic cliffs, the Atlantic, villages tucked into impossible angles. You stand there longer than the itinerary probably intends. On the drive back to the south coast, Barbeito's is the final stop, another tasting of special Madeira wines, the kind that have names and stories. By then you've been moving for most of the day, but it doesn't feel rushed because the guide isn't treating it like a checklist. He's treating it like the reason you came. Hotel pickup and drop-off from Funchal means you don't navigate the island yourself or negotiate a taxi at the end.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Funchal, wine tastings at Blandy's Wine Lodges and Barbeito's, a walk through vineyards in São Vicente, lunch featuring the traditional espetada dish paired with local wine, a stop at a North Coast viewpoint, and a qualified guide and van for the full journey.

Information

Lasts 8h, runs Wednesday and Friday at 09:30, from € 210 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 10 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesWednesday and FridayDeparts at 09:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 101 private ›

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Under 5: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Wine Tours Madeira

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to taste Madeira's wines at the source without arranging your own transport, timing the stops, or deciding which wineries to visit: the fixed itinerary and included pickup handle all three.

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Top questions

How long is the full-day Madeira wine tasting tour?

The tour runs most of the day, departing from Funchal and returning in the evening. Exact duration depends on your hotel location and traffic, but plan for approximately 8–9 hours total.

What's included in the tour price?

Wine tastings at two wineries, lunch with espetada and local wine, hotel pickup and drop-off from Funchal, and a qualified guide and van for the day.

Is the tour suitable if I don't know much about wine?

Yes. The guide explains the wines as you taste them, and the tour is designed for all levels of wine knowledge and physical fitness.

Do we visit the Laurissilva Forest?

You drive through the UNESCO-listed Laurissilva Forest on the way to the North Coast, but the main stops are the two wineries, the vineyard walk in São Vicente, and the viewpoint.

Can I book this tour if I'm staying outside Funchal?

Hotel pickup is included from Funchal. If you're staying elsewhere on the island, contact the operator to confirm pickup availability.

What is espetada?

Espetada is Madeira's traditional dish: skewered beef grilled over an open flame, typically served with local wine and vegetables.

Are there any dietary restrictions I should mention?

Mention any dietary needs when you book so the operator can arrange an alternative lunch if needed.

How many people are in a typical group?

The tour is described as demi-private, meaning small groups, though the exact number varies by departure.