Environment
Westclids
- Warm mediterranean with plentiful rainfall
- Cooler and wetter in the middle
- Mountanous island with 450 ha planted near the coast
- Soils are volcanic and high in nutrients paired with plentiful rainfall means high vigour
- Rain in the center is 3000mm but is 600mm where vines are grown
Vineyard Managment
TMHMP
- Terraced vineyard for steep slopes w pergola for air circulation + maximizing space.
- Other system is Cordon VSP (espaldeir)
- Warm humid=disease pressure: Downy/Powdery, Grey rot, Phomopsis – use canaopy management(leaf picking/positioning) and fungicides
- Irrigation widely practiced (levadas)
- Harvest in late august/early september
- Harvest by hand High yields of 150hl/ha
Winery/winemaking
AAYFFMPMBP
- IVBAM checks weight, health, and potential alc
- Crushed/Destemmed
- Possible skin contact
- Stainless steel fermentation w/ambient yeasts
- fermentation 2 days for sweet and up to 1 week for dry
- Fortified with 96% neutral grape spirit approved by IVBAM
- Fined using bentonite/gelatine, filtered using DE
- Batches are tasted and analysed for style/quality
Maturation: Estufagem or Canteiro IVBAM seals both
- Estufagem For lesser styles and quality
- Stainless steel tanks heated to 113-122 degrees via water jacket or heating coils for 3 months
- Tanks not filled up for some oxidation
- Tank cools, wine filtered, and rests for 6-12 months
- May not be sold until OCT 31, second year after harvest
- Usually 3-5 year old wine made from tinta-negra
Canteiro
- Longer/more expensive
- Wine matured in old oak casts (400-700L) in warm environments heated by sun (77-104 degrees)
- Casks not filled to allow oxidation
- Depending on design and location, warehouses can acheive differing temperate zones but closer to the roof is hottest and where younger wines start
- Warm conditions begin evaporation (alc increases to 19-10, sugars, acidity, and aromas concentrate and VA increases
- Rarely racked but barrels need topping up
- Not sold until 3 years after harvest on January 1st (IVBAM)
Madeira Extended aging/ Blending
Extended aging:
* Additional maturation is carried out in larger casts, stainless steel, or demijohns to limit evaporation
* Costly to finance so producers can apply for EU Subsidies through IVBAM and stricly controlled
* 5 year increments
Blending:
* Most madeira is nonvintage
* blending different vintages and vineyards to produce consitent style
* Blending components include casks in different areas of the warehouse, blending estufagem and canteiro.
* After blending final adjustments are made: removing color through carbon fining or adding RCGM for sweetness, adding drier styles of wine to reduce sweetness
Styles of maderia
Labels can be based on grape variety, level of sweetness, length of aging, or if its single or multi-vintage
For wines labeled by sweetness level, there can be overlap
Varietal Label
- Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malmsey, Terrantez, Tinta negra
Standard Blends
- 3-5 year old wines that dont qualify for age indiction are categorized as corrente by IVBAM and are usually estufagem raised tinta negra
Madeira with indication of age
- Non-vintage wines labeled 5,10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and is an indication of style rather than minimum average age. Quality tends to increase with age
5 year old with be tinta negra with estufagem
10 year or older are typically one of the white varieties aged with canteiro
Rainwater
- Must be medium dry, and are light bodied with the last amount of concentration, alcohol. Usually 18% with max indication of 10 years
Frasqeueria
- Also known as garrafeira and peak of producers range. It is vintage madeira aged in wood for minimum 20 years and must be a single variety labeled with the harvest date, bottling date, and grape variety.
Notable for concentration and complexity of tertiary flavors with sweetness balanced by high acidity
Colheita
- single Vintage madeira aged in wood for minimum 5 years but can be a single variety or a blend. Variety does not appear on label but harvest date and bottling date does
Wine Law and Business
Structure of Industry
* Madeira land is highly fragmented with 1600 growers owning on average .3 ha
* Winemaking and maturation is highly consolidated with 8 main producers. Only 2 of them rent or own vineyards (justino’s and MWC)
* Producers buy grapes from 100s of growers and use agents who provide consultation to the growers
IVBAM
* Monitors maderia wine stocks and provides quality control
* Present at grape reception for sealing/unsealing vessels
* Taste and analyse profile of age-indicated and vintage wines
* Visit growers to provoide support
* Set production and labelling regualtions
Madeira sales:
- Remained stable past few decades
- 5–10 year old varietal labeled categories are highest proportion
- Colheita and Frasquera are increasing sales
- France is largest overall market followed by maderia itself
