Madeira Flashcards
15yo Madeira
‘Extra Reserve’ / ‘Reserve Extra’
Average age of 15yrs
‘Noble’ grapes, Calor de Amazen or Canteiro aged
Some ‘Entry’ Madeira’s, matured in Estufa, aren’t fortified when you would expect.
When are they fortified and why?
The cheapest wines warmed in Estufas are fortified after the process is finished to prevent unnecessary evaporation of alcohol during the heating process
How is Tinta Negra usually Vinified
Some colour is briefly extracted from skin
Sweeter styles more skin contact
Ferment interrupted by fortification at a time to meet sweetness reqs
Fortified with 96% neutral grape spirit, after fortification 17~18%, rises to 20% thru maturation (evaporation). Sometimes fortified further before bottling
What is Abofado?
Dryer than Surdo, fermented a little longer, fortified to 20%
Used to sweeten some wines such as Sercial / Verdelho as they have been fermented to almost total dryness
IVBAM
The Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute of Madeira
Formed 2006 from Madeira Wine Institute (1979)
Manages all Madeira PDO wine matters; Grape classification, Viticulture, Vinification, Standards and Testing
H. M. Borges
Madeira Family owned 1877
2017 sales of Madeira Qty € Trend Who buys it
3.2 million litres
€19 million
Trend Volume slight down
Value slight up, more focus varietals and aged
BUT 3yr old still accounts 85% of sales qty
Biggest markets, France 30%, Madeira 16%, Germany 10%, UK 6%
Madeira accounts biggest Value share 20%
Also big Japan and USA
What are possible age designations for Madeira?
3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 years old
50yo added in 2015
When were Estufas first constructed on Madeira?
18th Century
Boal / Bual
White V. Vinifera 2% of prodn Med Sweet 40~60g/l Grown warmer South Similar must weight Verdelho - retains acidity Ripe and full, aromas of raisins
Almost all grapes on Madeira come from small growers but two companies own their own vineyards
Who are they and how much land do they manage?
Henriques and Henriques own 10ha planted to Verdelho in 1995.
The first vineyard to be mechanised
Blandy’s - 8ha over 3 vineyards
Amazens de Calor
Define and describe what it is and what the process is
What wine is it best suited to?
Process exclusive to The Madeira Wine Company
Wine placed in 600l barrels (usually American Oak but can be Tropical wood).
Wine heated indirectly in steam filled rooms (much like a sauna) by hot water pipes for min 3mo but usually 6mo ~ 1yr
Used to make Tinta Negra 5yo Reserve and Varietal 10yo Special Reserve
Sercial
White V. Vinifera 1.5% of prodn
‘Dogstrangler’ due to high acidity
Mostly grown North @ highest altitude 800m - cooler
Hi acid despite last grape to be picked
Lo must weights, made in dryest style <25g/L residual sugar
Citrus peel, Almonds, Spices
What is the biggest Viticultural threat to the grapes on Madeira
Rot; Powdery and Downy Mildew and Botrytis
Where do The Madeira Wine Company get their grapes from?
Where are they Vinified and Matured?
8ha owned by Blandy’s but most grapes come from 500 growers
Wine made at MWC winery at Mercês.
Matured at Mercês or in Blandy’s wine Lodge
The Madeira Wine Company (top line)
Originally The Madeira Wine Association (1913)
Renamed The Madeira Wine Company 1981
Developed the Amazen de Calor Estufa system
All British Madeira Cos
Blandy’s (1811), Leacock (1741) joined 1925
Cossart Gordon (1745), (Rutherford and) Miles (1814) joined 1953.
Symington Family Estates bought controlling interest 1988 and invested significantly to improve winemaking and Marketing.
2011 (Blandy’s Bicentennial) Symington F E sold controlling interest to Blandy’s.
Symington F E retain a minority share but distribute MWC wines through their extensive World Wide distribution network
Canteiro
Define and describe what it is and what the process is
What wine is it best suited to?
The traditional maderisation of Madeira wines.
The wine is matured in barrels in lodges which have South facing glass windows and tin roofs to maximise heat.
The temperature can reach 43c. In the top of the lodge and 19c at floor level.
Young wines will start at the top (hottest) of the Lodge and, over a period of years, descends to cooler (lower) levels.
The minimum ageing for Canteiro wines is 3 yrs but can be aged for 20yrs or more in Oak vessels ranging from Oak casks to 30k litre vats
3yo Madeira
‘Finest’ / ‘Corrente’ / ‘Seleccionado’
Estufa wines, most Tinta Negra / Complexa blends
The most sold style, generally for cooking
How are Sercial and Verdelho usually Vinified?
Little / no skin contact
Fermented to dry, 1~2% Baumé
Possibly sweetened with:
Surdo = Sweet Mistella: Grape Must or Must stopped very early in ferment then fortified to 20% abv
Abofada = Dryer than Surdo, fermented a little longer, fortified to 20%
Fortified with 96% neutral grape spirit, after fortification 17~18%, rises to 20% thru maturation (evaporation). Sometimes fortified further before bottling
All Madeiras are tested before being put on the market
Who tests?
What do they test?
Tested by IVBAM for Taste and Chemical composition
Maturation in wood, what type of wood is usually used?
Usually American Oak but sometimes Tropical woods
Complexa
Another black V. Vinifera grape, often vilified with Tinta Negra
Define Maderisation
The process of heating and of mild Oxidation over a long period during which the Maillard Reaction (caramelisation and darkening of sugars) takes place.
How do they manage to grow grapes on Madeira?
Grapes grown on North and South sides of island
Grown between sea-level ~ 800m
South side flatter and dryer, almost Mediterranean climate
North side cooler with more grapes grown at altitude
Rainwater Madeira
Min 3yo / Max 5yo
Tinta Negra
Medium dry, light and less oxidised
Main market USA
What is the soil like on Madeira?
Fertile Volcanic soil - Acidic
Rich in Iron and Phosphorous but virtually no Potassium
- Soil contributes to grape’s acidity
Some soil too fertile for grapes
Bastardo
Black V. Vinifera (A minor Port Grape)
Very rare but some re-planting
How are Boal / Malvasia usually Vinified?
Fermented on skins for flavour and colour extraction
Fortified @ about 7% abv. Earlier fortification = Sweeter
Fortified with 96% neutral grape spirit, after fortification 17~18%, rises to 20% thru maturation (evaporation). Sometimes fortified further before bottling
Malvasia / Malmsey
White V. Vinifera
3% of prodn
Sweet >60g/l
Grown warmer South
Highest must weights but still retains acidity
Intense, aromatic, nuts, caramel, coffee. Darkest colour
History of Madeira wine?
16th and 17th Century Madeira (Funchal) Port of call for ships going to Americas, Africa, Asia and India.
Spirit alcohol added to wine to survive the voyage
18th Century USA Madeira accounted for 75% of wine imports
Declaration of Independence 1776 toasted with Madeira
Discovered months in a ship improved the wine = Maderisation
Developed:
Vintage da Roda - Round trip wine Then
Vintage de Canteiro - Matured on island in winemakers lofts
Terrantez
White V.Vinifera
Very rare <2ha
Low productivity
Considered the very finest grape on Madeira
Where are the three biggest concentrations of vine plantings on Madeira?
1 x South
2 x North
South - Câmara de Lobos
North - Sao Vincent
North - Santana
10yo Madeira
‘Special Reserve’ / ‘Old Reserve’ / ‘Reserve Velha’
Average age 10yrs
Usually made from ‘Noble’ varieties
Wines Cask aged in Amazen de Calor or Canteiro
Verdelho
White V. Vinifera 1.5% of prodn Med Dry 17~40g/l Mostly grown North @ some altitude 400m Crisp acidity, slightly sweeter than Sercial, slightly smokey
Summarise Viticulture on Madeira
V’yard area, growers
How vineyard laid out
Training?
Total V’yards 490ha, >1,000 growers = av 0.45ha each
Many grapes grown on narrow terraces - ‘Poios’
Mech not possible
Traditional training - Pergolas 1.5~2m high = Latada - to benefit from sea breezes to minimise rot
New plantings - Cordon + VSP = Espallier - to optimise sun exposure
Dryer in South, Irrigation channels - Levadas bring water down from the hills.
Frasqueira Madeira
‘Vintage Madeira but cannot call ‘Vintage’ as Port has the trademark
Only produced in exceptional years
Grapes from a single year.
Aged min 19yrs in Canteiro then min +1yr in bottle
What is ‘Solera’ Madeira?
Wine from single year only
Aged in Canteiro for min 5yrs then
Not more than 10% of wine bottled in any one year
Topped up with wine of a similar quality
Max additions 10 after which all the wine must be bottled
The bottles will show the Vintage of the ORIGINAL wine
Harvest on Madeira
From when to when?
Which grape normally picked first / last?
How are they picked?
Av vineyard plot size and production weight?
What do producers do to get good grapes?
From 3rd week August (lower altitude) ~ Mid Oct (higher altitude)
Verdelho usually picked first, Sercial picked last
Almost all are picked by hand
Av Plot size 0.3ha = 1,500kg grapes
Many producers have incentive schemes in place to best, fully mature grapes
For a Madeira wine to be Varietally labelled the wine must be made from a minimum ?% to that grape?
85%
5 key steps along Madeira timeline
1776 used to toast American Declaration of Independence
1851 Powdery Mildew but soon discovered Sulphur sprays would treat
1870s Phylloxera
1880’s Ungrafted American rootstocks planted
1906 IVBAM established, American vines outlawed.
Grafted vines listed and approved.
Many American vines dug up and replaced with Tinta Negra
Madeira wine is relatively low cost to buy, give 5 reasons why it should cost more
- Such small scale production from so many producers
- Hard labour, steep slopes, no mechanisation, hand picking
- Permanent rot control = time consuming
- Young workers leaving the land
- Long maturation times, min 2yrs. Av 3% yr evaporation
Tinta Negra / Negramoll
Black V. Vinifera
Crossing Pinot Noir x Grenache
85% of prodn
After Phylloxera most vineyards re-planted with Tinta Negra
Easy to grow, thin skinned, largely lower cost volume wines
Can be made Dry —> Sweet
In the simplest terms where is Madeira and what is the climate like.
Mountainous Sub tropical volcanic island in Atlantic Ocean 1,000km SW of Portugal and 600km due east of Africa, on same latitude as Marrakech.
Warm throughout the year, 25c Summer / 18c Winter, warm nights only 4~5c lower than daytime temps.
Heavy rain Oct~Apr, most rain falls North of Island up to 1,250mm (650mm South)
6~10hrs sunshine per day.
Justino’s
Founded 1870 by Justino Henriques
Biggest wine company in Madeira, Madeira family owned
Hold biggest stocks of Madeira on the Island
Market leader for prodn, approx 49% share
1994 - Moved out of Funchal into modern premises
What are Bulk wines, de-natured with Salt and Pepper called?
Granel
What is fermented Madeira wine called after it is fortified but before maturation starts?
Vino Claro
Barbeito
Madeira Family owned
The youngest Wine company on Madeira being founded in 1946
5yo Madeira
‘Reserve’ / ‘Reserva’
Average age of 5yrs
Mostly made from Tinta Negra and Complexa grapes
Usually a blend of Estufa and cask aged wines
Henrique and Henrique
H and H Founded 1850 Only other (than Blandy’s) to own Vineyards, 10 ha planted to Verdelho in 1995, The first vineyard to be mechanised
What are the two types of Estufa?
Cubas de Calor
Amazens de Calor
What is Surdo?
Sweet Mistella: Fortified to 20% abv early in ferment or no ferment
Sometimes used to sweeten some styles Sercial / Verdelho as they have been fermented to almost total dryness
Cubas de Calor
Define and describe what it is and what the process is
What wine is it best suited to?
Wine heated directly, in large S. Steel or cement tanks, either by a heating jacket outside or heating element inside the tank.
Wine heated to between 40~55c for min 3 months then allowed to cool at a max decrease of 5c per day.
Once temp has normalised ‘Estagio’ (resting period) for a min 90 days
Wine must be min 2yr old before release. Most 3yo wines aged same way
Process suited to low end Tinta Negra wines
How are grapes processed before Vinification?
How do processes differ by grape type?
All grapes de-stemmed
Dry - Sercial / Verdelho / Dry Tinta Negra - Crush > Press > Ferment
Sweet - Boal / Malmsey / Sweet Tinta Negra - Crush > Ferment > Press
Vinification
What is Min Potential alc / Must weight?
9% Potential alc
145g/l sugar
