Madeira

Question 1

Madeira Location

Answer 1

a subtropical island rising sharply from the Atlantic nearly 625 miles off the coast of Portugal
-west of Morocco

Question 2

Madeira basics

Answer 2

• fortified and maderized wine

- fortified white wine

Question 3

Madeira Climate

Answer 3

• has southern latitude

- leads to an extremely warm to hot climate

Question 4

Maderized

Answer 4

cooked

Question 5

The principal noble white grapes of Madeira today are

Answer 5

Sercial (Esgana Cão),
Verdelho (Gouveio),
Boal (Bual, Malvasia Fina),
Malmsey
-wine must contain a minimum 85% of the stated grape if the wine is a multi-vintage blend
-100% of the stated variety if a vintage is indicated.

Question 6

Tinta Negra in Madeira

Answer 6

• the island’s workhorse
• nearly 85% of its total production.
• Old or new, Madeira wine without a variety on the label is likely the product of Tinta Negra.

Question 7

Main Varietal Styles of Madeira

Answer 7

in order from driest to sweetest, are as follows: Sercial
Verdelho
Boal
Malvasia

Question 8

Madeira-Sercial

Answer 8

• 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.

Question 9

Madeira-Verdelho:

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Madeira-Boal:

Answer 10

• 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.

Question 11

Madeira-Malvasia (Malmsey)

Answer 11

• 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.

Question 12

Madeira process

Answer 12

After fortification , the young wine is then subjected to either the Estufagem or Canteiro process, the two modern heating methods that lend Madeira its distinctive character

Question 13

Estufagem

Answer 13

• 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.
• Once the Estufagem process is completed, the wine enters a period of rest (estágio) for a minimum 90 days before being transferred to cask for aging.
• Estufagem wines may not be released until two years after the harvest.

Question 14

Delicate variation on the Estufagem

Answer 14

• involves placing the wine in armazens de calor, 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.

Question 15

Canteiro

Answer 15

• producers use the Canteiro method for their best wines.
• 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 16

Canteiro aging

Answer 16

• 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.

Question 17

Madeira with a Vintage Date

Answer 17

• Colheita (Harvest)
• Frasqueira
• Vinho da Roda/Vinho da Torno/Vinho da Volta:

Question 18

Madeira with a Vintage Date: Colheita

Answer 18

• 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 19

Madeira with a Vintage Date: Frasqueira

Answer 19

• 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 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 20

Madeira with a Vintage Date: Vinho da Roda/Vinho da Torno/Vinho da Volta

Answer 20

• 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.

Question 21

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends

Answer 21

• Rainwater
• Seleccionado
• Reserve (Reserva)
• Special Reserve (Reserva Especial):
• Extra Reserve
• 20 Years Old, 30 Years Old, Over 40 Years Old
• Solera

Question 22

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Rainwater

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Seleccionado

Answer 23

• 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 24

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Reserve (Reserva)

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Special Reserve (Reserva Especial)

Answer 25

- 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 26

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Extra Reserve

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Solera

Answer 27

- 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.