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Fortified Wine > Madeira > Flashcards

Madeira Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the climate of Madeira?

A

Subtropical

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2
Q

How far is Madeira off the coast of Portugal?

A

625 miles.

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3
Q

What is Torna Viagem?

A

“Round Trip” lengthy ocean voyages through the tropics, where wines would be subjected to repeated heating and cooling.

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4
Q

Where must Madeira DOP wines be produced?

A

Madeira itself, or on the neighboring Porto Santo (the only other inhabited island in the Madeira archipelago.)

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5
Q

What is poios?

A

Terraces in Madeira sustained by walls of basalt stone.

They ring the island’s perimeter like steps on the nearly vertical mountainside, and support viticulture on the vertiginous incline.

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6
Q

What else besides vines is grown on the island of Madeira?

A

Bananas, sugarcane, and even passion fruit.

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7
Q

What type of soil is found in Madeira?

A

Fertile volcanic soils.
Saibro (decomposed red tufa)
Cascalho (stony soil)
Pedra molle (an arenaceous soil, of decomposed yellow tufa),
Massapes (clay resulting from the decomposition of dark tufa)

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8
Q

How are most the vines trained in Madeira?

A

Pergola system.

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9
Q

What are latadas?

A

Low (traditionally 3 meter) trellises that vines suspend from to combat the dangers of fungal disease in the damp subtropical environment of Madeira. Equivalent to Vinho Verde’s ramada.

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10
Q

What are levadas?

A

Canals that make agriculture possible in Madeira.

-Madeira rises to a high altitude, and the perpetual cloud cover over its mountainous interior results in abundant rainfall on the higher peaks which drain down through the levadas.

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11
Q

Two reasons why mechanical harvesting is essentially impossible in Madeira’s vineyards.

A
  • the obstacle of terraces

- Small size of vineyard holdings.

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12
Q

What is the average size of a grower’s estate in Madeira?

A

.3 hectares, often separated among several plots.

-this is the reason behind production being concentrated in the hands of serveral large companies.

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13
Q

What organization oversees production of wine in Madeira?

A

The Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute of Madeira (IVBAM; Instituto do Vinho, do Bordado e do Artesananto da Madeira) regulates harvesting and production methods of Madeira wines.

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14
Q

What are the three types of companies involved in the Madeira wine trade?

A

Producer (8 productions companies; only 6 export)

Shipper-selects wines from producers and bottles under shipper’s brand (i.e. Broadbent selections)

Partidistas (Store wine and sell it at maturity to other traders for a profit) (similar to Almacenistas of Sherry trade.)

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15
Q

Where are most production companies based in Madeira?

A

Funchal (Madeira capital)

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16
Q

Who is the largest production company in Madeira?

A

Justino Henriques, responsible for half of the island’s exports.

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17
Q

What is the second largest production company in Madeira?

A

Madeira Wine Company (produces brands such as Blandy’s and Cossart Gordon)

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18
Q

What is the largest independent producer in Madeira?

A

Henriques and Henriques is the largest independent producer, as well as the only company that owns a significant amount of vineyards

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19
Q

Where are Madeira shipping companies usually based?

A

London

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20
Q

Name seven production companies in Madeira?

A
  • H.M. Borges (founded 1877)
  • Henriques and Henriques (founded 1850; largest independent producer and only complnay that relies on estate vineyards rather than purchased fruit)
  • Madeira Wine Company (originally formed in 1913 as the Madeira Wine Association, the MWC formally changed its title in 1981; family run businesses include Blandy, Leacock, Miles, Cossart Gordon.)
  • Pereira D’Oliveira (founded 1850 as a partidista)
  • Vinhos Barbeito (founded 1946)
  • Vinhos Justino Henriques (founded 1870)
  • Faria and Filhos (founded 1949)
21
Q

What are the noble white grapes of Madiera?

A

Sercial (Esgana Cão= “dog strangler” due to its high acidity)

Verdelho (Gouveio)

Boal (Bual, Malvasia Fina)

Malmsey (originally Malvasia Candida, now more commonly Malvasia Branca de São Jorge).

22
Q

What is the workhorse grape of Madeira? How much does this grape account for in Madeira production?

A

Tinta Negra (formerly Tinta Negra Mole). This grape accounts for nearly 85% of its total production.

23
Q

What % is required in a bottle of Madeira if a stated grape is on the bottle?

A

85% of the stated grape.

-100% if vintage is indicated

24
Q

When did phylloxera hit in Madeira?

A

1872

25
Q

What grape is used in Madeira that produces compelling wines at a level of sweetness comparable to Verdelho?

A

The rare Terrantez, unrelated to Argentina’s Torrontés, also produces compelling Madeira wines at a level of sweetness comparable to Verdelho.

26
Q

What is the difference in harvest time for Sercial and Verdelho to Boal and Malmsey?

A

Sercial and Verdelho are actually harvested last, and are separated from their skins prior to fermentation, whereas Boal and Malmsey are picked first, and may undergo a shorter fermentation on the skins.

26
Q

What are the four varietals of Madeira from sweetest to driest?

A

Malvasia
Boal
Verdelho
Sercial

27
Q

What is the length of fermentation for Malvasia in Madeira?

A

Malvasia may only ferment for a few hours prior to fortification, so that most of the sugar remains.

28
Q

What are the two modern techniques used to heat Madeira?

A

Estufagem= aged by heated tanks 3 mon
Canteiro = aged in attics min 3 yrs
**check facts on aging

30
Q

Describe the Estufagem process

What temperature is the wine heated to? For how long?

What is the more delicate process called?

A

Most wines are transferred to the estufa, a stainless steel vat that warms the wine by circulating hot water through serpentine coils inside the tank. In this method, the wine is heated to a temperature of 45-50° C (113-122°F) and held there for at least three months; during this period sugars in the wine will slowly caramelize and give the estufa wine its distinctive character. Estufagem wines may not be released until two years after the harvest.

A more delicate variation on the Estufagem process involves placing the wine in armazens de calor, rooms warmed by nearby tanks or steam pipes rather than the direct heat of the estufa.

31
Q

What is armazens de calor?

What producer chiefly utilizes this process?

A

Rooms warmed by nearby tanks or steam pipes rather than the direct heat of the estufa. This variant technique, chiefly utilized by the Madeira Wine Company, utilizes lower temperatures over a longer period of time—sometimes up to one year.

32
Q

Describe the Canteiro process?

A

The Canteiro method is used for producer’s best wines. In this process, the wines are cask-aged for a period of at least two years in lodge attics. In this manner, the wine is exposed to the gentler, natural warmth of the sun as it undergoes a much slower process of maturation, preventing the burnt caramelization of sugars and resulting bitter flavors associated with rapid heating. Although Canteiro wines may be bottled at a minimum three years of age, the best Vinhos de Canteiro will remain in cask for 20 years or more, developing into the rarest and most treasured wines of the island: Frasqueiras.

33
Q

What is estágio?

A

Estágio is a period of rest, after the estufagem process is complete. This is for a minimum of 90 days before being transferred to cask for aging

34
Q

Describe Sercial

A

The driest varietal Madeira, Sercial displays searing acidity and, over time, its youthful citrus notes evolve into a more complex almond bouquet. Sercial is a suitable aperitif, and often a good accompaniment to light soups and consommés. While considered dry these wines may still contain around 40-45 grams per liter of residual sugar.

35
Q

Describe Verdelho

A

Verdelho produces a medium dry wine of high acid, with a smokey, honeyed character. The wines are slightly fuller in body than Sercial.

36
Q

Describe Boal

A

Boal produces a medium sweet, rich style of wine, in which the acidity is still powerful enough to dominate the finish. Highly aromatic, the wines tend to display classic chocolate, roasted nut, and coffee notes. With age, Boal tends to be the darkest Madeira wine in color.

37
Q

Describe Malvasia (Malmsey)

A

The Malvasia wines represent the sweetest and softest style of Madeira. On the nose, Malmsey evokes toffee, vanilla, and marmalade aromas. The wine can frame a cheese course or dessert flavors of nut, caramel, and dried fruits equally well.

38
Q

What is Rainwater Madeira?

A

A popular style in the US, Rainwater Madeira is usually 100% Tinta Negra, and the youngest wine in the blend is a minimum three years old. The wine is medium dry, and light in style.

39
Q

What does “Seleccionado” mean on a bottle of Madiera?

A

Such bottles are often labeled “Finest,” “Choice,” or “Select,” and include a blended wine that is at least 3 years old (but below five years of age). These wines are dominated by the Tinta Negra grape, heated in Estufagem and aged in tank rather than cask.

40
Q

What does “Reserve” mean on a bottle of Madiera?

A

Madeira that is 5 years of age or oder (but below 10 years of age) may use this designation.

41
Q

What does “Special Reserve” mean on a bottle of Madiera?

A

Madeira that is 10 years of age or older (but below 15 years of age) may use this designation. Wines of this category (and all older designations) are often made of a single noble variety, heated by the Canteiro method.

42
Q

What does “Extra Reserve” mean on a bottle of Madiera?

A

Madeira that is 15 years of age or older (but below 20 years of age) may use this designation.

43
Q

What does “Solera” mean for Madiera?

A

Madeira wines produced by fractional blending and the Canteiro method. The EU does not permit its production, but the wines are still available on the island. A maximum 10% of a solera’s stock may be drawn off each year, and only 10 total additions may be made to each solera. Solera wines will be bottled with the starting date of the solera, but wines added to the solera may actually be older than the original wine—a solera on Madeira often served to extend the lifespan of a particular vintage, when there was little or no wine to sell in the following year. To accomplish this, producers refreshed soleras with stocks of older, rather than younger, wines.

44
Q

What are the vintage dated madeiras?

A
  • -Colheita
  • -Frasqueira
  • -Vinho do Roda/Vinho da Torno/ Vinho da Volta
45
Q

What is Colheita?

A

“Harvest” Colheita Madeira is produced from a single vintage (85% minimum required) and is aged for a minimum 5 years prior to bottling. It may be a blend or a single varietal wine. Colheita offers the consumer a “vintage” Madeira without the extended cask aging, complexity, or cost of a true Vintage Madeira, or Frasqueira. The word “harvest” is sometimes used in place of Colheita but producers are not allowed to use the word “vintage” on labels.

46
Q

What is Frasqueira?

A

Vintage Madeira aged for a minimum 20 years in cask. Frasqueira, like Colheita, may be produced from a single variety or a blend. Since only a minimum 85% of the vintage is required, these wines are topped up with younger wines throughout the aging process. Vintage wines are produced by the Canteiro method and may be aged for additional time—sometimes decades—in glass demijohns after the period of cask aging. Frasqueira is the epitome of Madeira, and one of the world’s legendary and long-lived wines.

47
Q

What is Vinho da Roda/Vinho da Torno/Vinho da Volta?

A

An exceptional rarity, wines so labeled underwent an ocean journey across the equator. Shortridge Lawton, now a brand of the Madeira Wine Company, produced wines in this traditional style as late as the early 1900s.

48
Q 
Minimum aging requirements for:
Madeira
Vinho de Canteiro
Vinho de Estufagem
Colheita
Frasqueira
Solera
A

Minimum Aging Requirements: Madeira may not be sold until October 31 of the second year after the harvest.
Vinho de Canteiro: 2 years in wood, and may not be bottled for 36 months after the final fortification
Vinho de Estufagem: May be bottled after 12 months from the conclusion of the estufagem process
Colheita: May be bottled from Oct. 31 of the fifth year following the harvest
Frasqueira: 20 years in wood
Solera: Min. 5 years in the solera (only 10% may be drawn off each year

Fortified Wine (5 decks)

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