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
