WINES OF MADEIRA | REVIEW
The small and beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira is a well-known tourist destination receiving approximately 1 million visitors a year . For me , it is not only a wonderful place to visit but it is the home of a very special fortified wine .
I tasted my first Madeira wine when I enrolled on a wine course over 20 years ago and I can still vividly remember the experience . It was like no other wine I had ever tasted . What impressed me was the intensity of the aromas of honey and raisins and the rich taste of caramel , honey , nuts and spices . Although sweet , it was not ‘ cloying ’ because of the fresh acidity . I resolved to find out more about this very special wine .
During the past 20 years , I have become a regular visitor to the island and its wineries . Visiting at various times of the year , I have had the privilege of seeing the grapes being harvested , the various stages of wine production and then had the opportunity of tasting wines of varying ages , some dating back to the 1800 ’ s and still amazingly fresh and having wonderful intensity and flavours .
How can a wine last that long ? What is so special about Madeira wines ?
Their unique character is due to the heating and prolonged oxidation during production , especially the aging process , which gives them ‘ special ’ aromas and flavours and incredible longevity . This is very different from most wines , where the winemaker avoids high temperatures and oxidation .
This small island has a very rugged terrain , with very steep slopes and land is a valuable commodity , especially with the increase of tourism over the years . The most recent statistics ( 2010 ) show the total plantings of Vitis vinifera vines , used for the production of fortified Madeira wine and table wines , is just 493.7 hectares with a total annual production of around 4 million litres . From a large number of producers in the past there are just eight today and only one owns vineyards . The rest of the grapes are grown by approximately 1600 registered growers , for many of whom growing vines is not their main occupation .
Five main grape varieties are used . Four white varieties are each used to make one ‘ sweetness ’ style : Sercial ( dry ); Verdelho ( medium dry ); Bual ( medium sweet ) and Malvasia ( sweet ). A red variety , Tinta Negra , from which the majority of wines are made , is used to make all four sweetness styles .
After harvesting , which usually starts in the last week of August or the first week of September , the grapes are fermented using natural yeasts , thus changing the sugars in the grapes into alcohol . During fermentation the wines are fortified by adding grape spirit . This stops the fermentation . The timing is very important and the sweeter the wine required , the earlier the fortification will take place . After fortification , the wines start their aging process . The first stage is carried out in one of two ways .
In the Canteiro process , the wines are aged in wooden casks of various sizes , which are kept in lodges heated by the sun over a period of two years . This process was developed in the 17th century , when it was found that wines exported to the Indies , but returned unsold , had improved in quality despite having been subjected to very high temperatures during their passage through the tropics .
The Estufagem process , dating from the 18th century , which is quicker and more intense , involves heating the wines , usually in stainless steel tanks , between 45 – 50 o C for a period of 3 months . This process is normally used for wines to be sold young and made from Tinta Negra grapes .
I tasted my first Madeira wine over 20 years ago and I can still vividly remember the experience . It was like no other wine I had ever tasted .
| www . madeira-life . net | Summer 2012 | 19