Madeira Flashcards
What islands may produced Madeira DOP wine?
Madeira
Porto Santo
What are poios?
Basalt terraces on the island of Madeira.
Madeira has a system of canals that route rainwater down from the peak through the vineyards. What are these canals called?
Levadas
What are the noble grapes of Madeira?
Sercial
Verdelho
Boal
Malmsey
What is the workhorse grape of Madeira? What is its parentage?
Tinta Negra = Pinot Noir x Grenache
If a varietal is indicated for a multi-vintage wine, what % is required?
85.00%
If a varietal is indicated for a vintage wine, what % is required?
100.00%
What is the synonym for Sercial?
Esgana Cão
What is the synonym for Verdelho?
Gouveio
What are the synonyms for Boal?
Bual, Malvasia Fina
What are the clones of Malmsey?
Malvasia Candida
Malvasia Branca de São Jorge
What two noble grapes were never replanted post-phylloxera?
Bastardo and Terrantez
Which varieties of Madeira are separated from their skins pre-fermentation?
Verdelho and Sercial
Which varieties on Madeira are harvested first?
Boal and Malmsey
What is Estufagem?
The process of aging Madeira via the estufa (mostly used for lower quality Madeira).
What is the temperature in the estufa?
113-122ºF
How long do wines made via estufagem age?
The heating process takes 3 months, and then the wines are rested for >90 days, and then transferred to cask. They are released no less than 2 years after harvest.
What is the variant on the estufagem process, mostly used by the Madeira Wine Company?
Aging the wine in hot rooms at lower temperatures over a longer period of time (up to 1 year).
What is Canteiro?
Aging the Madeira in the lodge attics, a longer, slower, gentler process than estufagem.
What is the minimum aging for Canteiro?
3 years, including 2 in wood, but many wines age for up to 20 years or more.
What constitutes Rainwater Madeira?
Usually 100% Tinta Negra, medium dry, and lighter in style. The youngest wine is >3 years old.
What constitutes Seleccionado Madeira?
3-5 years old dominated by Tinta Negra, heated in the estufagem and aged in tank. May be labeled Finest, Choice, or Select
How long does Reserve Madeira age?
5-10 years
How long does Special Reserve Madeira age?
10-15 years.
How long does Extra Reserva Madeira age?
15-20 years.
What other aging designations may you see in Madeira?
20 years, 30 years, 40 years.
What is Solera Madeira?
A mix of fractional blending and canteiro. Not legal for export, but available on the island. Max 10% may be drawn off the solera in any given year.
Which aging designations of Madeira are typically aged via Canteiro and varietally labeled?
Reserve
Special Reserve
Extra Reserve
20, 30, and 40 year wines
What is Colheita Madeira?
Single Vintage Madeira
aged 5 years before bottling
What % of the vintage is required for vintage Madeira?
85.00%
What is Frasqueira Madeira?
Single Vintage Madeira
aged min 20 years in cask
May be aged for additional time in glass demi-johns after the Canteiro process.
Largest shipper of Madeira?
Vinhos Justino Henriques, responsible for 50% of exports
Second largest shipper of Madeira?
Madeira Wine Company
Brands of the Madeira Wine Company?
Blandy’s
Cossart Gordon
Leacock’s
Miles
Winelodge
Largest independent producer of Madeira?
Henriques & Henriques
What is Broadbent?
A Madeira trader that selects wines produced by Justino’s (think independent bottler)
Who are the 7 exporting producers of Madeira?
- Henriques & Henriques (1850)
- Pereira d’Oliveira (1850, partidista)
- Vinhos Justino Henriques (1870)
- HM Borges (1877)
- Madeira Wine Company (founded in 1913 as the Madeira Wine Association - title changed in 1981)
- Vinhos Barbeito (1946)
- Faria & Filhos (1949)
Who produces the wines for the Rare Wine Company?
Barbeito
Principal soils of Madeira?
Volcanic:
- Saibro (red tufa)
- Cascalho (stony soil)
- Pedra molle (sandy soil of decomposed yellow tufa)
- Massapes (clay of decomposed dark tufa)
Principal soils of Porto Santo?
volcanic, limestone
