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The Complete Caledonian Imbiber

The Complete Caledonian Imbiber: Episode 4: Bend Weel Tae The Madeira

Factual: Food & Drink

Bottled Poetry

Episode 4

Episode 4: Bend Weel Tae The Madeira

Bend Weel Tae The Madeira

BBC Radio Scotland - The Complete Caledonian Imbiber, Bend Weel Tae The Madeira

Billy Kay tells the story of the Scottish contribution to sherry and Madeira wine.

Billy Kay travels to Spain and Portugal to tell the story of the Scottish contribution to sherry and Madeira wine.

In 1994, Billy Kay made a 4 part series called The Complete Caledonian Imbiber, which celebrated the Scots drouth for the great wines of Europe. Here Billy travels to Spain and Portugal to tell the story of the Scottish contribution to Sherry and Madeira wine 

Here is a flavour from Billy's book The Scottish World:

"Jerez, Cadiz and Malaga had supplied the Scots with wine since medieval times, so it is not suprising that a number of families put down roots in Southern Spain and traded in the local wine with the homeland. There was never an extensive Scots community in Jerez, as there was in Oporto, but a few kenspeckle figures left their mark. The Sandemans branched there from Oporto, and became equally famous for their sherry as their port. By the time the Sandemans arrived though, an Ayrshireman, Sir James Duff was already established in the trade, sending wines home to Oliphants of Ayr as early as 1767. He brought his nephew William Gordon into the firm and the name Duff Gordon is still to be found on some wonderful bottles, though the owners of the brand today, Osborne, only use the historic Duff Gordon name in certain markets.

One of the wines shipped by James Duff to Ayrshire was Malaga, sometimes called Mountain, and hailing from the hilly region inland from that coastal resort. It was obviously extremely popular for it entered the folk tradition of the area. When Robert Burns was devoting his time to Scots songs, he wrote a letter to Mrs Dunlop in 1788 which contained the following lines of one he had just collected. .

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never thought upon
Let's hae a waught o' Malaga
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne my dear
For auld lang syne
Let's hae a waught o Malaga
For auld lang syne.

BBC Radio Scotland

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