4.1: Madeira - The Growing Environment and Grape Growing Flashcards
What is the climate?
- warm summers (averages around 20-22°C)
- mild winters (averages around 16-17°C)
- range of microclimates
- majority of rain falls in the autumn and winter
What can become a climate problem? Where?
lack of winter dormancy can be a problem in the warmest sites
Why is there a range of microclimates?
mountainous island
What impact do the mountains have on the climate?
- temperatures cooler with altitude
- mountains cause moist air in the humid winds arriving from the north-west to cool and condense into rainclouds
- north and centre of the island are considerably cooler and wetter than the south
Up to how tall are the mountains?
1,800m
How much rainfall do they get in the center of the island?
can exceed 3,000 mm per year
Approximately how many hectares is Madeira total? How many hectares are planted with vines?
- total: 74,000 ha
- vineyard: 500 ha
Where are the vineyards typically found?
- up to altitudes of around 800 m
- tend to be located relatively near the coast with forests covering the mountainous centre of the island
Describe the soils.
- volcanic origin
- high in nutrients
Describe the vigour of the vines. Why?
- vigorous vines
- soil is high in nutrients
- plentiful rain
What dramatically changed the make-up of grape varieties on the island?
powdery mildew and phylloxera that devastated Madeira’s vineyards in the late 19th century
What was planted after phylloxera? What did that lead to?
- producers began to plant American and hybrid vines that were more resistant to pests and disease (to produce large, reliable crops)
- these vines could not produce wines of the same quality as vinifera varieties
- with help from EU schemes, a significant proportion of these vineyards has been replanted (still exist but not used for Madeira)
Traditionally, how were the grapes permitted for the production of Madeira categorized? Which were in the top category?
- ‘noble’, ‘good’ and ‘authorized’
- noble: Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malvasia
Today, how are the grapes permitted for the production of Madeira categorized?
- ‘recommended’ and ‘authorised’
What types of varieties might fall under the ‘authorised’ category?
varieties that were introduced after phylloxera but have not shown the same potential for quality as the recommended varieties
What are the 6 main grape varieties?
- Tinta Negra
- Sercial
- Verdelho
- Boal
- Malvasia
- Terrantez
What is the most planted black grape on the island?
Tinta Negra
Describe the growing characteristics of Tinta Negra.
- high yielding
- easy to grow
How are Tinta Negra wines typically labelled?
- a level of sweetness rather than a grape variety appears on the label
- since 2015, producers can use grape variety though
What sweetness levels is produced with Tinta Negra grapes?
all
Describe the characteristics of Sercial.
- high acidity
- used in the driest styles of Madeira
Describe the growing characteristics of Sercial.
- late ripening
- especially in cool sites can be the latest variety to be picked
- resistant to powdery mildew
- susceptible to botrytis bunch rot
- can experience poor fruit set
- plantings are small
What is the second most planted vinifera variety?
Verdelho
Describe the characteristics (including growing characteristics) of Verdelho.
- high acidity (slightly lower than Sercial)
- susceptible to botrytis bunch rot, coulure, and downy and powdery mildews
What is Boal?
an umbrella term for a number of grape varieties
What Boal variety grows on Madeira? What wines is it typically used for?
- Boal Cachudo (aka Malvasia Fina, as found in White Port)
- semi-sweet wines
Where does Boal Cachudo grow best?
warm, low altitude sites in the south of the island
Describe the growing characteristics of Boal Cachudo.
- susceptible to drought
- needs adequate irrigation to thrive
What is Malvasia?
umbrella term for a number of grape varieties
What Malvasia is historically the most important? Why?
- Malvasia Cândida
- still highly prized for its quality
Describe the growing characteristics of Malvasia Cândida.
- very susceptible to powdery mildew, can limit yields
- small plantings
What Malvasia variety more commonly grows on Madeira?
Malvasia de São Jorge
Describe the growing characteristics of Malvasia de São Jorge.
- relatively high yields
- susceptible to botrytis bunch rot
Describe the growing characteristics of Terrantez.
- susceptible to powdery mildew + botrytis bunch rot
- very limited plantings
When is Terrantez typically picked? Why?
- soon after it reaches 9% abv potential alcohol
- prone to powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot
What is needed in the vineyard to make the mountainous island suitable for grape growing?
many vineyards are terraced to make planting on steep slopes viable
What are the 2 ways vines are typically trellised? What is the local name for each method?
- pergola system (here called latadas)
- cordon-trained, VSP-trellised vines (here called espaldeira)
What is latadas? Why is it good for Madeira?
- type of trellis allows air circulation above and beneath the vine
- helps reduce incidence of fungal disease in the humid climate
- permits other crops to be grown on the land underneath
- effective use of a small landholding
What are the main diseases? Is this a big problem for the island?
yes, disease pressure is high (warm, humid climate)
- downy mildew
- botrytis bunch rot
- Phomopsis
What techniques are used to combat diseases?
- canopy management techniques such as shoot positioning and leaf removal may help
- fungicide sprays are usually necessary
Is irrigation permitted?
- yes
- widely practised
Describe the irrigation system.
rainwater is carried from the centre of the island to vineyard areas by levadas, small irrigation channels
What part of the island required more irrigation?
- south of the island
- lower rainfall
Who declares the official harvest date?
decided by IVBAM in consultation with producers and growers
When is the typically harvest date?
end of August or the start of September
How is most harvesting done?
done by hand (topography not suitable for machinery)
What must the minimum potential alcohol at harvest be? In general, at what potential alcohol level are grapes harvested?
- min: 9% abv
- in practice: up to 11%
What varieties can be sold for higher prices?
- traditional varieties of Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malvasia and Terrantez
- (not Tinta Negra)
What is the maximum permitted yield? In practice?
- varies according to the vintage conditions
- high yields of 150 hL/ha are not unusual
