Madeira Flashcards

1
Q

Madeira Location

A

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

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2
Q

Madeira basics

A
  • fortified and maderized wine

- fortified white wine

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3
Q

Madeira Climate

A
  • has southern latitude

- leads to an extremely warm to hot climate

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4
Q

Maderized

A

cooked

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5
Q

The principal noble white grapes of Madeira today are

A

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.

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6
Q

Tinta Negra in Madeira

A
  • 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.
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7
Q

Main Varietal Styles of Madeira

A

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

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8
Q

Madeira-Sercial

A
  • 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.
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9
Q

Madeira-Verdelho:

A
  • Verdelho produces a medium dry wine of high acid, with a smoky, honeyed character.
  • The wines are slightly fuller in body than Sercial.
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10
Q

Madeira-Boal:

A
  • 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.
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11
Q

Madeira-Malvasia (Malmsey)

A
  • 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.
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12
Q

Madeira process

A

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

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13
Q

Estufagem

A
  • 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.
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14
Q

Delicate variation on the Estufagem

A
  • 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.
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15
Q

Canteiro

A
  • 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.
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16
Q

Canteiro aging

A
  • 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.
17
Q

Madeira with a Vintage Date

A
  • Colheita (Harvest)
  • Frasqueira
  • Vinho da Roda/Vinho da Torno/Vinho da Volta:
18
Q

Madeira with a Vintage Date: Colheita

A
  • 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.
19
Q

Madeira with a Vintage Date: Frasqueira

A
  • 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.
20
Q

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

A
  • 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.
21
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends

A
  • Rainwater
  • Seleccionado
  • Reserve (Reserva)
  • Special Reserve (Reserva Especial):
  • Extra Reserve
  • 20 Years Old, 30 Years Old, Over 40 Years Old
  • Solera
22
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Rainwater

A
  • 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.
23
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Seleccionado

A
  • 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.
24
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Reserve (Reserva)

A

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

25
Q

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

A
  • 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.
26
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Extra Reserve

A

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

27
Q

Madeira Multi-Vintage Blends: Solera

A
  • 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.