Madeira Flashcards

Question

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

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

Malvasia Boal Verdelho Sercial

Answer 4

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

Answer 5

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

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

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.

Answer 9

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

Answer 10

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.

Answer 11

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

Answer 12

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.

Answer 13

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.

Answer 14

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.

Answer 15

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.

Answer 16

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

Answer 17

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.

Answer 18

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

Answer 19

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.

Answer 20

- -Colheita - -Frasqueira - -Vinho do Roda/Vinho da Torno/ Vinho da Volta

Answer 21

"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.

Answer 22

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.

Answer 23

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.

Answer 24

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