Portugal - Terras Madeirenses

Question 1

Name the 2 DOPs of the Terras Madeireneses IGP

Answer 1

Madeira DOP

Madeirense DOP

Question 2

What does Torna Viagem mean?

Answer 2

Literally means round trip and refers to the character gained by Madeira wines on lengthy ocean voyages throught the tropics

Question 3

On which 2 islands may Madeira be produced?

Answer 3

Madeira and Porto Santo

Question 4

What vine training system is common on Madeira?

Answer 4

Most of the vineyards are trained in a pergola system, with vines suspended on low trellises known as latadas, in order to combat the dangers of fungal disease in the damp subtropical environment

Question 5

What is the IVBAM?

Answer 5

The Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute of Madeira (IVBAM) regulates harvesting and production methods of Madeira wines.

Question 6

What is the capital of Madeira?

Answer 6

Funchal

Question 7

What is the name of the largest production company in Madeira?

Answer 7

Vinhos Justino Henriques

Question 8

Who is the largest independent producer of Madeira?

Answer 8

Henriques and Henriques

Question 9

Explain the role of a shipping company in Madeira

Answer 9

Shipping companies trade wine, rather than make it, and are usually based in London. A shipper will select wines from a producer, who will then bottle the wine under the shipper’s brand.

Question 10

What is the name for a company that store wine and sell it at maturity to other traders for a profit in Madeira?

Answer 10

Partidista

Question 11

What is a Partidista in Madeira?

Answer 11

The name for a company that store wine and sell it at maturity to other traders for a profit in Madeira

Question 12

Name the principle noble white grapes of Madeira

Answer 12

Sercial (Esgana Cão)
Verdelho (Gouveio)
Boal (Bual, Malvasia Fina)
Malmsey (originally Malvasia Candida, now more commonly Malvasia Branca de São Jorge)

Question 13

Which grape variety accounts for nearly 85% of production in Madeira?

Answer 13

Tinta Negra

Question 14

Name the varietal wines of Madeira in order from sweetest to driest

Answer 14

Malvasia
Boal
Verdelho
Sercial

Question 15

What is used to fortify Madeira wines?

Answer 15

95% abv spirit imported from France

Question 16

Does the spirit used to fortify Port or Madeira have a higher abv?

Answer 16

Madeira 95% abv as opposed to 77% for Port)

Question 17

Name the 2 modern heating methods employed in Madeira?

Answer 17

Estufagem and Canteiro

Question 18

Describe the Estufagem process in Madeira

Answer 18

• Wines are transferred to the estufa, a stainless steel vat that warms the wine by circulating hot water through serpentine coils inside the tank.
• 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.

Question 19

How many years after harvest must Estufagem wines wait before being released?

Answer 19

2 years

Question 20

What is estagio in the Madeira wine making process?

Answer 20

A period of rest of a min 90 days between the end of the estufagem process and the wines entering cask for ageing

Question 21

Describe the Canteiro method for ageing wines in Madeira

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What is the minimum age that Canteiro wines can be bottled at?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Describe the term rainwater as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 23

A popular style in the US, Rainwater Madeira is usually 100% Tinta Negra. The wine is medium dry, and light in style.

Question 24

Describe the term seleccionado as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Describe the term Reserve (Reserva) as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Describe the term Special Reserve (Reserva Especial) as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

Describe the term Extra Reserve as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Describe the term Solera as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 28

Madeira wines produced by fractional blending and the Canteiro method. 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.

Question 29

Describe the term Colheita (Harvest) as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

Describe the term Frasqueira as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Describe the term Vinho da Roda/Vinho da Torno/Vinho da Volta as it applies to a Madeira wine label

Answer 31

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.