About Madeira Wine Tours

Who we are

Madeira Wine Tours is written by Madeira Wine Tours editorial, a small group, not a named sommelier. A named Madeira-based author, a sommelier or a wine-lodge professional, is being recruited; until that person is on the page, the site claims no cellar visits it has not made. Every figure on a page is taken from the lodge's own page or an official source and carries the date it was read.

For private tastings, multi-lodge itineraries, and wine-tour planning, reach us via WhatsApp. We route those enquiries to vetted local providers and earn a referral fee, disclosed on a per-referral basis.

Why we exist

Madeira wine has 600 years of history but the digital travel-information layer is thin. Most search results are operator websites (which want your booking) or OTA listings (which want your booking and commission) or AI-generated travel-blog content (which wants your ad impression). The result: by the time you've finished comparing six lodges on TripAdvisor, you still don't know whether you'd actually enjoy a 50-year-old Sercial or a 5-year Bual.

We exist to be the editorial layer between you and the bookable inventory. We pick the right lodge for your taste, your budget, and your time window. We tell you when Blandy's Premium is worth the €25 over the €15 walk-in. We tell you when to skip Funchal and drive to Câmara de Lobos. The content is honest because every price, tour and opening detail is taken from the lodge's own page or an official source and dated on the page.

How we research lodges

Lodges, tastings and tours are compared on what the lodges' own pages state: tasting formats, tour times, prices, opening hours, bottlings on offer and booking terms, read on the date shown on each page. Wine classification and aging rules are taken from IVBAM, the Madeira Wine Institute. Reviews on third-party platforms are read for patterns but not reproduced. Where a fact cannot be checked against a source it is left out rather than guessed. Lodge entries are unpaid, and no lodge can buy a position or a description.

When we list a lodge, the entry reflects what the lodge currently publishes - not last year's press kit. We update each producer at least once a quarter; major rule changes (price increases, new flagship tours) are reflected within 30 days. Lodge pages carry a "Last verified" date so you can see when the entry was last checked against its source.

How we make money

Affiliate commissions from GetYourGuide and Viator when you book a tasting through links on this site. The commission is paid by the platform out of their margin - it never increases the price you pay. Affiliate links are clearly marked and carry the proper rel="sponsored" attribute per Google Webmaster policy.

Operator hand-offs via WhatsApp. When you ask us for a private wine-tour day or a multi-stop itinerary, we route you to a vetted local provider and earn a referral fee. The same disclosure rules apply as for affiliate links.

What we don't do: we don't take paid placement. No lodge can buy a higher position in our directory or a more flattering review. No affiliate platform can buy our recommendation. If you ever spot a piece of content that reads like marketing copy, message us on WhatsApp and tell us - we'll fix it.

Trust + accuracy

Every lodge page shows the date of our last verification. Every regulatory or pricing claim cites a primary source (the lodge's own website, IVBAM the Madeira Wine Institute, or Visit Madeira). When we make an error, we correct it openly - the corrected page gets an updated "Last verified" date.

For corrections, suggestions, or stories the site should cover, message us on WhatsApp; the site has no mailbox. The same number handles tasting or tour planning help.