221 Years of Madeira Wine Tasting at Wine Watch

Like the best wine . . . that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.  The Song of Solomon, 7:9

221 Years of Madeira Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, November 19th
7pm

You can not call yourself a wine lover if you have never tried Madeira.  I remember the first time that I tasted a vertical selection of Madeira at the Great Wine Seminar and I was stunned at the wines complexity and the layers of flavors and aromas that continued to rise from the glass for hours.  These Madeiras were from the cellar of Dr. Bob Maliner, the founder of this yearly event that has now been taken over by Bob and Arlette Cataldo in its 24th year. 

Join us as we will taste through two hundred and twenty two years of Madeira celebrating Wine Watch Catering will be preparing a few courses to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting is $275 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Madiera is an island off the coast of Morocco that belongs to Portugal. Historically, it was a popular port of call for ships on the trade routes between Africa, Asia and the Americas. The original Madeira wines were made as a powerful white wine, however to protect them during transport they were fortified - alcohol is added before fermentation is complete, which stops the process and leaves residual sugar in the wine. Sea Captains discovered that long ocean voyages actually improved casks of Madeira. Unlike other wines, heat and oxidation are essential to Madeira and so the wine is virtually indestructible.

During the 18th and 19th century, Madeira was America’s wine of choice and most fashionable drink amongst hi-society. When the Declaration of Independence was signed they toasted with Madeira, when Betsy Ross knitted the first flag she was sipping on a glass of Madeira, and when Ben Franklin was tinkering with his many inventions he indulged in a cup of this wonderful elixir.

Unfortunately though over the past 150 years, it has sank from its preeminence as America’s favorite wine for several reasons. In the 1850s, powdery mildew a fungal disease destroyed most of Madeira’s vineyards. It was not long after a treatment was discovered for powdery mildew when phylloxera struck devastating the remaining vineyards. By the 20th century, Madeira had recovered but at its American market had disappeared due to Prohibition. And lastly, Portugal’s 1974 popular revolution dealt yet another blow by dismantling the remaining large estates.

There are four major types of Madeira - Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malmsey (Malvasia). The difference lies in the grape varieties from which each was originally made, and the respective sweetness levels of the finished wines. Sercial is the driest style, containing up to 1.5 percent residual sugar and known for its hi-acidity. Similar to fino and manzanilla Sherries, Sercial is great served as an aperitif. Verdelho is semi-dry with up to 2.5 percent residual sugar, lending the wine greater richness. Bual is sweeter still at 3.5 percent residual sugar, however it is balanced by sharp, tangy acidity. Malmsey, made from Malvasia grapes, is the richest and darkest-colored style with up to 4 percent residual sweetness. Buals and Malmseys are often compared to tawny Ports; they typically show even more richness and concentration, depending on cask aging.

Tasting Line-up:

1789 Vintage Cama de Lobos Sercial Verdelho

The year this wine was produced George Washington was president of the United States of America.  It is amazing to think that you can still enjoy a wine that was produced this long ago, but we will find out just how true that is on this evening.  This is one of the most prized vineyard sites on the island of Madeira and it should be worth the price of admission just to taste this one wine and celebrate with a wine that was enjoyed by our founding fathers.

1905 D'Oliveira Verdelho

(98 rating) What an intense wine. Fabulous bouquet of rich, sumptuous caramel. There’s some sweetness here, but rapier like acidity is underneath.  Wine Spectator

1954 Blandy's Terrantez

The Terrantez grape is the rarest of all the ones used to make Madeira and at one time was thought to be extinct.  Some of my favorite Madeiras have been Terrantez based wines, this varietal seems to have the most potential to gain in complexity over the centuries.

1906 Jardim Private Reserva Bual Velho 19th Century

Bual is the English name for the Portuguese Boal. Bual is a white variety producing a medium sweet wine. The name was used for a whole group of grapes but today is usually connected with the Bual de Madeira also known as Boal Cachudo. Grown on the north side around São Vicente and on the south side at Campanário and Câmara de Lobos, it took over for Malmsey in many vineyards.

1908 Leacock's Bual

This vintage is listed as Very Good (four Stars) by the world's leading authority on Madeira Michael Broadbent. 

1907 Pereira D'Oliveira Vintage Malvazia

"Deep, incredibly sweet, lacking refinement"  May 1990 (Two Stars) Michael Broadbent

1920 Cossart Vintage Malmsey

Made from the last Malvasia Candida vines from the Faja dos Padres vineyard.  Tasted on eight occaisions and it is always sheer perfection,  More recently, a Maliner's in 1995 and at Pat Grubb's tasting two years later.  To summarise; medium-deep, rich amber, gold highlights; highly scented, floral, almost strawberry-like fruit or grande champagne cognac; fairly sweet, fleshy yet not of this world, richness countering the customary acidity, perfect balance.  Fabulous Flavor.  Last tasted May 1997 (five stars)  Michael Broadbent

1952 Barbeito Moscatel

Moscatel is the white wine of the Moscatel of Alexandria grape, one of the lower quality varieties of the Muscat/Moscatel family, counted among the castas boas. It is apparently no longer grown in significant quantities, but you can still find it in some old vintages. Pereira D´Oliveira has a few different Moscatel vintages and some vintages of other producers are still around at auctions from time to time.

Menu

Spice rubbed Pork roulade stuffed with apples, pears served with a Madeira and organic honey crisp apple glaze

Orange and clove dust sorbet with Madeira walnut fig syrup

Curried Duck sue vie with rhubarb strawberry compote

Chocolate covered bacon, dark chocolate truffles, fig and nut cake served with epoisse.

Madeira Available for Sale:

The Rare Wine Company Savannah Verdelho
Price: $54.00    Sale $47.52

The RWC historic Series Madeiras are a collaboration between The Rare Wine Company and Vinhos Barbeito. The goal here is to produce wines that evoke the mature vintage Madeiras of days long past. The various wines in the series are made up of a blend of younger varietal wines and older stocks. The Savannah Verdelho is the newest wine in the series. Produced from a blend of 10 year old Verdelho mixed with small quantities of 40-60 year old Tinta Negra Mole by Ricardo Freitas, grandson of the founder Mario Barbeito, this amber gold colored wine is barely sweet with rich walnut/almond aroma and flavor. Toasted barrel character on the finish adds to the complexity of this Madeira.

The Rare Wine Company New York Malmsey
Price: $54.00    Sale $47.52

This Malmsey has the deep color and classic toffee and caramel notes that make Malmsey such a favorite among Madeira lovers. It’s a perfect wine with which to finish a meal, and is fabulous with rich desserts, including chocolate.  Production: 500 cases/yr.

The Rare Wine Company Boston Bual Madeira
Price: $44.75    Sale $39.38
Quantity in Stock:  16

This elegant Bual shows the classic notes of citrus peel and cinnamon. Its moderate sweetness, combined with good acidity, makes it not only a wonderful after-dinner wine, but versatile for dessert pairing.  Production: 400 cases/yr.

The Rare Wine Company Madeira Charleston Sercial
Price: $54.00    Sale $47.52
Quantity in Stock: 16

93 points Wine Enthusiast: "The Historic Series are simply great Madeiras at reasonable prices. The Charleston Sercial is the driest of the collection, offering nutty aromas tinged with honey, caramel and maple syrup. Dried figs, honey and candied citrus flavors mark the palate, which is wonderfully smooth. The long finish features racy yet balanced acidity. Editors' Choice."

Vintage Madeira

1969 D'Oliveira Sercial        
List $162.50     Sale $143
Quantity in Stock: 6

A walnut color of medium darkness and a yellow rim with green glints.  The nose is impressively deep and very aromatic, revealing notes of dried Mirabelle plum, dried cherry and cherry blossom, and almond.  There's a silky entry on the palate, with a great acid structure in the fleshy mid-palate; dried Mirabelle plum and green almond flavors with a slightly bitter note of quinine really fan out on the very long, very dry finish.  Great balance and freshness thanks to the impressive natural acidity.

1968 Oliveira Bual
Price: $189       Sale $166

Broadbent: "Four Stars. Glorious nose, rich yet delicate, touch of vanilla. Flavor to match. Sweet, excellent acidity."

1954 Barbeito Malvesia Madeira
Price: $292.00  Sale $257
Quantity in Stock: 6

(93 Points) Though not forthcoming in aroma, displaying butterscotch and hints of herbs, this has a seamless integration of components on the palate, balanced and harmonious, with vibrant acidity weaving throughout. Long finish, adding just a hint of dryness at the end. Gentle, with inner strength. Drink now. -BS Wine Spectator Issue: Apr 30, 1999

1937 D'Oliveira Sercial Madeira
Price: $322.50  Sale $282.80
Quantity in Stock: 1

(93 Points) Full of verve, this Madeira is deep amber in color, with a fresh, complex bouquet evoking cocoa, caramel and a hint of iodine. The lovely butterscotch flavor marries well with the lively structure and is followed by a dry, nutty finish. Drink now. -BS Wine Spectator Issue: Jan 31, 2000

1922 D'Oliveira Bual Madeira
Price: $531.00  Sale $467
Quantity in Stock: 1

The company of Pereira D’Oliveira (Vinhos), Lda. was founded in 1850 by Joao Pereira d’Oliveira. He started as a partidista who produced wines to later sell them to other shippers. For example part of the famous 1908 Bual was sold to the MWC and so today this wine is offered under the Cossart Gordon label as well. Since 1974 Pereira D'Oliveira have started to market their wines themselves. Associated are Joao Joaquim Camacho and Augusto Cunha; from both companies very few bottles made it into the 21st century.

Pereira D’Oliveira (Vinhos), Lda. today is a small size family company that is still run by the descendents of the founders family. The current annual production of wine is 1.500 hectolitres; the winemaking is done in Sao Martinho. The company owns some vineyards but most of the grapes are bought from selected farmers. Part of the ageing wine is also stored in the Rua dos Ferreiros where the company has its lodge with sales room and office.  - Madeira Wine Guide

1880 D'Oliveira Terrantez Madeira
Price: $1500.00            Sale $1320
Quantity in Stock: 1

The company of Pereira D’Oliveira (Vinhos), Lda. was founded in 1850 by Joao Pereira d’Oliveira. He started as a partidista who produced wines to later sell them to other shippers. For example part of the famous 1908 Bual was sold to the MWC and so today this wine is offered under the Cossart Gordon label as well. Since 1974 Pereira D'Oliveira have started to market their wines themselves. Associated are Joao Joaquim Camacho and Augusto Cunha; from both companies very few bottles made it into the 21st century.

Pereira D’Oliveira (Vinhos), Lda. today is a small size family company that is still run by the descendents of the founders family. The current annual production of wine is 1.500 hectolitres; the winemaking is done in Sao Martinho. The company owns some vineyards but most of the grapes are bought from selected farmers. Part of the ageing wine is also stored in the Rua dos Ferreiros where the company has its lodge with sales room and office. -  Madeira Wine Guide

1875 Barbeito Malvasia Madeira
Price: $850       Sale $748
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94 Points) Fascinating bouquet, similar to a mature red wine, with plummy, woodsy and molasses notes. Lovely concentration and richness, like drinking velvet. This has great balance, freshness and subtle length. Drink now. -BS Wine Spectator Issue: Jan 31, 2000

1795 Barbeito Terrantez Madeira
Price: $4500     Sale $3960
Quantity in Stock: 1

"The 1795 Terrantez by Barbeito is one of the most famous Madeira wines, if not the most famous one. Not only was it available at auctions or from specialized dealers over decades, it is also still in rather good shape for a wine that is more then 200 years old. As Alex Liddell explains in his book "Madeira", this wine originally belonged to the Hinton family. Oscar Acciaioly bought the wine from the Hintons. Later the wine was divided between his descendants. Mario Barbeito bought part of the remaining wine and returned it from demijohns to wood. Unfortunately Barbeito themselves do no longer sell this wine. They had only been releasing a very small number of bottles per year anyway, but now the reserves are all empty. The remaining wine was botteled in july 2006 and yielded 23 bottles that were given a backlabel with an individual number on it. Of course this last edition bottling was sold out in no time. You must be very lucky to still get the 1795. The wine used to be available on the internet. When I looked for the number of bottles remaining in the beginning of 2002 I found about 50 bottles that were still for sale. In the beginning of 2003 this number went down to 18 bottles still available. In the beginning of 2004 there were only 7 bottles left. And in the beginning of 2007 I found a total of 5 bottles, coming to zero at the end of 2007. There is reason to believe that at least some of the shops that offered this wine did in fact "share" the same single bottle, so the number of bottles that used to be available might have been over-estimated. Part of the reason that this Terrantez was still available over such a long period of time may have been the rather high price that exceeded USD 3000,- or Euros 2500,- in 2007. I guess that from 2008 on, your only chance to get this wine is at auction. There is also a considerable amount of the 1795 T hidden in private collections. I know collectors who own a two-digit number of the Barbeito's 1795 Terrantez. Also a lot of people collecting Madeira wines have at least one or two bottles of this reference wine. The overall amount of bottles in existence is obviously shrinking (like all old Madeira wines), since it is one of the reference wines and is opened at tastings from time to time."  www.madeirawineguide.com

A little info about Madeira:

Today, D’Oliveira and Barbeito represent the finest source for old Madeiras in the world. D’Oliveira dates back to 1820 and since then, it has been owned by the same family. Overtime, the family increased their vineyard holdings through a series of marriages with other wine-producing families. The D’Oliveiras have held onto many of its most famous vintages and in doing so, they have created a unique and irreplaceable stock of old wines. Remarkably, all of these wines were produced by the D’Oliveiras and their ancestors, not purchased from other shippers or growers. There is a definite house style - they have very powerful aromatics, great lushness and viscosity, incredible structure, and a tangy character that is essential to the finest wines of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Barbeito was founded just 53 years ago in 1946, however it has the most impressive stock of very old wines in the world. The incredible range of old vintages today is due to the foresight of the company’s owner Mario Barbeito de Vasconcelos. In the 1940s and 1950s, he bought up large quantities of privately owned wine, some of it dating back to the 18th century. These old wines became the foundation for one of the world’s most unique wine libraries. At the time Barbeito acquired these wines, they were virtually all still in cask, a traditional practice in Madeira, where 50 to 100 years or more in wood is mandatory for the very greatest wines. The long, slow oxidative process in cask adds to the wines complexity. And though very costly to the owner, the evaporation in barrel concentrates the flavor and extract. Both D’Oliveira and Barbeito believe that Madeiras age best in cask. They keep all of their vintages in wood, and only bottle enough to meet short-term demand.

A brief description of the different types of Madeira

Sercial
The English name Sercial is used for the Portuguese Cerceal, but the grape used on the island of Madeira is not to be confused with the Cerceal do Dao. Sercial was not grown very much after Phylloxera, but the number of vineyards with Sercial is growing again. They are the vineyards with the highest altitude, situated in Seixal and Ribeira da Janela on the northern coast of the island. Some people say that because of the high level of acidity Sercial is the same grape as the German Riesling, but this is certainly wrong from an ampelographic point of view.

The grapes are very compact, about 18cm long, weighing 170grams. This variety ripens late, producing a wine with volatile fruit and good, sometimes burning acidity. The medium-size leaves have a hairy undersurface and are made of three main parts in the middle with one smaller part to each side.

The high level of acidity makes Sercial almost undrinkable in its youth. In the 16th century, this wine was called "Esgana Cão" - dog-strangler. To obtain a maximum aroma as a counterpart, Sercial is harvested as the last of the grapes, often as late as the beginning of October. Sercial has to mature for a long time, before it is drinkable. The minimum of twenty years in cask for vintages will just be enough to soften the piercing acidity. Once this wine has found its balance, it makes a perfect aperitif but it can also hold its own very well. On the island, Sercial is often served with soup, nuts, crackers or other snacks. The cocktail "Madeira on the Rocks" is made of 2/3 dry Madeira of a lesser quality and 1/3 Campari. Sercial also goes well after Champagne.

A vintage Sercial wine usually has a color of a golden tawny, similar to old German Riesling wines. The nose might display some high volatile acidity. Young Sercials often have a range of fruit aromas with a focus on orange and lemon, but as the wine matures this can shift to a more nutty and turpentine like taste, again similar to old Rieslings. A high level of acidity will be present in most Sercials, which will make this wine a good before-dinner drink. Also I prefer it after a meal to cleanse the palate.

Verdelho
Verdelho is also a white grape, the taste being medium dry, tasting between Sercial and Bual. Just like the other Castas Nobres it was very little grown until 1980, when it began being planted again. Verdelho, also known as Gouveio in Portugal, gives a medium dry wine. The grape is also cultivated in Australia. There also is a red variety of Verdelho, the Verdelho Tinto. Verdelho is grown on the south side of the island from Funchal west to Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. On the north side it is grown in the more sheltering pergola style in Ribeira de Janela and São Vicente.

The grapes are larger than Sercial, about 20cm long. They are good table grapes and give a mild wine with slightly nutty flavor, becoming drier as it matures. The vine is very strong and relatively high and difficult to cultivate. The leaves are of medium size with small hairs on both surfaces.

Verdelho is the main ingredient of a medium dry light wine called "Rainwater" which is very popular in the United States. The cheaper qualities are made from Tinta Negra Mole. The legend around the name tells that the contents of a shipment to Savannah, Georgia, were diluted when a heavy rain hit the casks still standing on the beach. The recipient of the shipment liked the lighter taste and ordered more. Verdelho is also used to make the Atlantis White, one of the two official table wines made on the island.

The color of Verdelho is about the same of Sercial, sometimes a little darker. It does not have the piercing acidity of Sercial but displays a more rounded taste. The nose has dried fruits and honey that are also evident on the palate and sometimes there are also a little coffee and chocolate.

Bual
Bual is the English name for the Portuguese Boal. Bual is a white variety producing a medium sweet wine. The name was used for a whole group of grapes but today is usually connected with the Bual de Madeira also known as Boal Cachudo. Grown on the north side around São Vicente and on the south side at Campanário and Câmara de Lobos, it took over for Malmsey in many vineyards.

The grapes are large, heavy and are good table grapes because of their sweet aroma. The medium sized vine has three-part leaves like the Sercial.

Bual is a good start for those having their first experience with Madeira wine. It is medium sweet but not to sticky, very aromatic with some acidity balancing the sweetness. Do not let yourself be fooled by the color which tends to be the darkest of all Madeira wines. The nose has richness and aromas of barley sugar and the palate often has some additional caramel and coffee aromas as well as dried fruits like orange peel or apricot.

Malmsey
Malmsey is the most famous Madeira wine for sure. The English name Malmsey is used for the white Malvasia grape which has its roots in the Greek islands. Malvasia, or more precise, Malvasia Candida spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and went down in numbers in the Baroque period. However, around the world sweet and fortified wines are still made from all sorts of different members of the Malvasia family, like the white Malvasia Bianchi di Chianti, Malvasia Toscana, Malvasia Istriana, Malvasia delle Lipari, Malvasia Sarda, Malvasia di Schierano, Malvasia Candida, Malvasia Rei, Malvasia Bianca and the greek Malvazia as well as from the red Malvasia Nera and Malvasia di Carsorzo.

The large grapes with small elliptic berries weigh up to 400 grams and are grown on high and solid vines. The grapes are liked for their sweet aroma as table grapes. The variety ripens fast but can stay on the vine for a long time as they do not easily rot. The vineyards are the lowest in altitude, about 250 m above sea level. The grapes are grown in São Jorge and Santana on the north coast and in Câmara de Lobos and Estreito de Câmara de Lobos on the south coast. The leaves are made of five parts equal in size.

There are many stories around Malmsey which was exported as early as the 15th century. On the European continent the widely grown Malvasia of the Middle Ages had already found many friends like Martin Luther and minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein. In times when sugar was not known, this golden and sweet liquid sun fascinated the people. When later the more robust Madeira Malmsey entered the market, it was a complete success. It combined sweetness and aroma with good keeping and easy handling like no other wine.

In 1478 the Duke of Clarence preferred death by drowning himself in a cask of Malmsey to the death by sword. In the works of William Shakespeare's you can find many hints to Malmsey. In "Henry IV" Poins accuses the Prince of Wales to have sold his soul for a glass of Malmsey and a chicken leg. One of John Falstaff’s drinking friends is named after his Malmsey-reddened nose. Even Napoleon, stopping over on the island on his way into exile on St. Helena in 1815, took some Malmsey to brighten his days. Before, on his military operations, he had also carried some Malmsey with him. In the 19th century Malmsey really came en vogue. There was the "Morning Malmsey" to begin the day and many other rituals revolving around the golden wine. Even today, long after Oidium and Phylloxera, a good Malmsey crowns a perfect meal like no other wine. It also makes a good vino da meditazione. The combination with coffee, cookies or nuts is classical, as is the taste together with a very good bitter chocolate. But also on its own, Malmsey itself is an excellent desert. António Batalha Reis said: An elixir to be drunken by the gods, no drink for mere mortals! Even Goethe used to sip on his Malmsey, sitting in the cellar of the famous -Elephant" hotel in Weimar.

An old Malmsey vintage will just be a little lighter in color than Bual. The nose is all toffee, vanilla and sometimes even beef bouillon. The palate has toffee and vanilla as well, added by marmalade sweetness and -some say- a distinctive taste of cough syrup.

Terrantez
This white, medium dry, sometimes rather sweet variety is hardly grown anymore. You can sometimes still find it in old vintages or soleras. Unfortunately the total harvest of Terrantez does not even fill a complete cask of wine, usually containing a little above 500 liters. Efforts are underway to replant this grape, but since it is difficult to work with and yields rather low quantities, the growers are not very enthusiastic about replanting it. The Terrantez vintage wines mainly come in two different styles. One style is on the rich and rather sweet side, as used by the Madeira Wine Company. The other style is very dry, still rich though, a little like a rich Sercial, but without the strong lemon flavor. A characteristic of Terrantez is a certain bitterness at the end of the finish that reminds me of burnt coffee and ashes. A Portuguese proverb says "As uvas de Terrantez, não as comas nem as dês, para vinho Deus as fez." meaning: The grapes of Terrantez are not for eating, nor to give them away, but for wine god created them.

The Terrantez grape is my favorite variety for Madeira wine, because with this particular grape, Madeira wine seems to be at its best. Examples like the Acciaioly 1802 or the Blandy 1846 show the enormous potential of the grape, the caleidoscope of aromas and the ability to gain in complexity over the centuries.

Bastardo
This variety is still widely grown in Portugal and is identically with the French Trousseau. It is also a grape in the Douro valley used for Port. It is the only red grape among the Castas Nobres and nowadays you can only find it in old vintages and soleras. To my knowledge only miniscule amounts are grown these days. But some glorious old vintages do exist and of course there is the vintage of 1927 which produced excellent Bastardo wines. Even though Bastardo is a sweet grape, the style of the vintage wines is often on the dry side. It also has some bitterness at the end of the finish.

Moscatel
Moscatel is the white wine of the Moscatel of Alexandria grape, one of the lower quality varieties of the Muscat/Moscatel family, counted among the castas boas. It is apparently no longer grown in significant quantities, but you can still find it in some old vintages. Pereira D´Oliveira has a few different Moscatel vintages and some vintages of other producers are still around at auctions from time to time.

Listrão
Listrão is one of the authorized varieties for Madeira wine and is cultivated in small quantities on the neighboring island of Porto Santo. Barros e Sousa makes a five year old fruity wine of Listrão.

Old Wine
This does not name a grape variety but a vintage that does not consist of one single grape variety as the rules of the IVM say. This happens, when a year was good enough to declare it as a vintage but the yields of the different varieties were not enough to put them in cask and mature them at an affordable cost. In this case, as an example Bual and Malmsey will be matured together as "Old Wine" since the regulations don't know a Bual-Malmsey vintage. Sometimes Tinta might be added as well. Blends of different grape varieties are not uncommon anymore. The Alvada wine of the Madeira Wine Company is a blend of Malmsey and Boal. The Barbeito company has also made some wonderful blended wines from different grape varieties.

Tinta Negra Mole
Tinta is a red grape and is very versatile. Often called the working horse amongst the different varieties, it is one of the reasons for the decline of Madeira wine in the 19th and 20th century. It is counted among the Castas Boas, the good varieties. Tinta or TNM is grown around Funchal, São Vicente and Câmara de Lobos and is the most widely grown grape on the island. About 3/4 of the total production is Tinta. Depending on the height of the vineyard and the processing of the wine it can imitate the other varieties to a great degree. This makes Tinta so tempting for many producers, but the class of the other traditional varieties is said to be not fully reached by Tinta. The grape is a cross of Pinot Noir and Grenache. Some vineyards with Tinta are cleared today and replanted with other traditional vines, but it is still widely used, especially for the three year old blends.

However Tinta is not of low quality, as many good three, five and even some ten year old blends show. According to many wine professionals it simply does not quite reach the excellent quality of the other grapes. My personal belief is that it has great potential as long as it is well cared for. Some of the modern colheitas and harvest wines are made entirely of Tinta grapes and they show the great abilities of this grape very well. Also it has been added to vintage Madeira wines throughout the 19th and 20th century in small amounts up to 5 percent, since the wine made from TNM offered a certain neutrality that made it easy to add, without changing the original wines nose and palate. Since it is easy to grow, more wine of the medium qualities like older blends and the non-frasqueira vintage wines will be made from Tinta. I think we are going to be very surprised in the future about how good Tinta can really be.

The vine is robust with durable wood, medium size leaves and small black berries. The must is red at first but the estufagem procedure clears the color so that it acquires a green-white shine. Besides being used for blends, selected Tinta grapes from Campanário are also used for the Atlantis Rosé.