Detailed grapes

Question 1

What different qualities do sherry grapes bring to the wine?

Answer 1

Palomino is neutral, limiting primary aromas. It loses acidity when nearing ripeness

Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) is under 1% of production and is used to produce sweet fortified wines with aromas of grape and blossom

Pedro Ximénez - neutral variety, with favours coming from drying process.

Question 2

What are the growing considerations of sherry grapes?

Answer 2

Palomino is high yield, suited to dry, sunny weather

Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) is grown on sandy soils, and adapted to heat and drought.

Pedro Ximenez is small, thin skinned, adapted for drying.

Question 3

What are the attributes of Touriga Franca?

Answer 3

Touriga Franca:

most widely grown variety

• late-ripening, suitable for warmest, low altitude, south facing, sites
• tight bunches of thick skinned grapes - resistance to fungal disease
• vigourous - needs summer pruning

contributes:
colour
tannin
acidity
juicy red and black fruit

Question 4

What are the attributes of Tinta Roriz?

Answer 4

Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)

• early ripening, needs cool sites
• brings body and colour, if yields are controlled

Question 5

What are the attributes of Tinta Barroca?

Answer 5

Tinta Barroca:
- early ripening - needs cooler sites in Baixo Corgo, or Cima Corgo

• brings earthy character
• can lack acidity and colour may fade
• can be high yield

Question 6

What are the attributes of Touriga Nacional

Answer 6

Touriga Nacional:
- mid-ripening, thick skinned

• brings acidity, tannins, concentrated black fruit and floral aromas
• ageing potential
• suffers coulure, and excessive vegetative vigour. Needs summer pruning

Question 7

What are the attributes of Tinta Amarela?

Answer 7

Tinta Amarela:
Full bodied, concentrated black fruits, spicy

Capable of ageing

Question 8

What are the attributes of Tinto Cão?

Answer 8

Tinto Cão:
late ripening, heat tolerant

Concentrated wine, high acidity, ageing capacity

Question 9

What are the attributes of Sousão?

Answer 9

Sousão:

Colour intensity, acidity

Question 10

What are the attributes of white port varieties?

Answer 10

Malvasia Fina - Boal in Madeira:
Medium acid, full body, honeyed

Moscatel Galego Branco (Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains):
aromatic, used for unaged wines

Question 11

What Port varieties are more suitable for ageing?

Answer 11

Touriga Nacional
Tinta Amarela
Tinto Cão

Question 12

What Port varieties contribute acidity?

Answer 12

Touriga Franca
Touriga Nacional
Tinto Cão
Sousão

Question 13

What Port varieties contribute substantial colour?

Answer 13

Touriga Franca
Tinta Roriz
Touriga Nacional
Sousão

Question 14

What are the main attributes of Sercial?

Answer 14

Sercial:

• high acidity
• typically lowest sugar
• lightest colour and body

citrus peel and nuts

Late ripening

Disease:
botrytis bunch rot

Question 15

What are the main attributes of Verdelho?

Answer 15

Verdelho:

• high acidity
• medium sugar
• darker in colour than Sercial

candied fruit

Disease:
Botrytis bunch rot
coulure
downy/ powdery mildews

Question 16

What are the main attributes of Boal?

Answer 16

Boal:

• medium sweetness
• fuller and sweeter than Verdelho,
• darker in colour

Also called Malvasia Fina

Disease:
- drought suceptible

Question 17

What are the main attributes of Malvasia?

Answer 17

Malvasia:
full bodied, brown in colour

Raisin and caramel aromas

Covers more than one variety - susceptible to powdery mildew, or botrytis bunch rot

Question 18

What are the main attributes of Terrantez?

Answer 18

Terrantez
medium dry to medium sweet, high sugar levels

aromas of citrus, caramel, floral

Disease:
powdery mildew
botrytis bunch rot

Question 19

Order Madeira styles in appearance, or colour?

Answer 19

Lightest:

Sercial
Verdelho
Boal
Malvasia

Darkest

Question 20

Order Madeira styles by sweetness:

Answer 20

Driest:

Sercial
Verdelho
Terrantez
Boal
Malvasia

Sweetest

Question 21

What are the flavour attributes of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains?

Answer 21

Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains:

- aroma intensity - floral, grapey

Question 22

What are the flavour attributes of Muscat of Alexandria?

Answer 22

Muscat of Alexandria:

- floral, grapey aromas

Question 23

What are the flavour attributes of Grenache?

Answer 23

Grenache:

- Blackberries, raspberries, plums, cherries

Question 24

What does Muscat à Petit Grains Rouge contribute to a wine?

Answer 24

Muscat à Petit Grains Rouge (Rutherglen Brown Muscat):

- grapey, floral aromas