Editing Madeira wine (section)

== Viticulture ==
===Climate and geography===
[[File:Vinice Madeira Santana.JPG|thumb|left|Vineyard growing among other cultures in the [[tropical climate|tropical influenced]] climate near Santana, Madeira.]]

The island of Madeira has an [[oceanic climate]] with some [[tropical climate|tropical influences]]. With high rainfall and average mean temperature of 66&nbsp;°F (19&nbsp;°C), the threats of [[fungal]] [[grape diseases]] and [[botrytis cinerea|botrytis]] rot are constant [[viticultural]] hazards. To combat these threats, Madeira vineyards are often planted on low [[trellises (vine)|trellises]], known as ''latada'', that raise the [[canopy (grape)|canopy]] of the vine off the ground similar to a style used in the [[Vinho Verde]] region of Portugal. The terrain of the mountainous volcanic island is difficult to cultivate, so vineyards are planted on man-made [[Terrace (agriculture)|terraces]] of red and brown [[basalt]]ic [[bedrock]]. These terraces, known as ''poios'', are very similar to the terraces of the [[Douro]] that make Port wine production possible. The use of mechanical [[harvest (wine)|harvesting]] and vineyard equipment is near impossible, making wine grape growing a costly endeavor on the island.<ref name="Oxford pg 416-419"/> Many vineyards have in the past been ripped up for commercial tourist developments or replanted with such products as bananas for commercial concerns. Some replanting is taking place on the island; however, the tourist trade is generally seen as a more lucrative business than wine-making.<ref name="Sotheby pg 340-341">{{Citation | first=T. |last=Stevenson | title =The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia | publisher = Dorling Kindersley |year = 2005 | isbn= 0-7566-1324-8}}. Pages 340-341.</ref> Most of the grapes, grown by around 2100 grape growers are from vines planted on small plots of land from which the grape growers survive by making an income from a variety of different inter-grown crops.

=== Grape varieties ===
[[File:Malvasia roja.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Malvasia]] (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia) grape variety.]]

Approximately 85% of Madeira is produced with the red grape, [[Tinta Negra Mole|Negra Mole]]. The four major white grape varieties used for Madeira production are (from sweetest to driest) [[Malvasia]], [[Bual]], [[Verdelho]], and [[Sercial]]. These varieties also lend their names to Madeira labelling, as discussed below. Occasionally one sees [[Terrantez]], [[Bastardo grape|Bastardo]] and [[Moscatel]] varieties, although these are now rare on the island because of [[Uncinula necator|oidium]] and [[phylloxera]]. Since 2016, to encourage more growers to plant Terrantez, Madeira's fifth noble grape variety, the government Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute of Madeira (IVBAM) has offered growers free viticultural advice and a €1.30 subsidy per kilogram of Terrantez fruit harvested. As of 2016, Terrantez production stood at {{convert|7500|kg|lb||abbr=on}}. <ref>{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2016 |title=Terrantez: Is Madeira's near-extinct vine on a comeback? |url=https://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/news/wine-news/terrantez-is-madeiras-near-extinct-vine-on-a-comeback |access-date=September 30, 2024 |website=Wine & Spirits Magazine}}</ref> After the phylloxera epidemic, many wines were "mislabelled" as containing one of these noble grape varieties, which were reinterpreted as "wine styles" rather than true varietal names. Regulations enacted in 1986 by the [[European Union]] introduced the rule that 85% of the grapes in the wine must be of the variety on the label; in 2015, Tinta Negra was elevated to a Recommended varietal and may now also be listed on the label, often alongside a style description such as "Medium-Rich". Thus, wines from before the late 19th century (pre-phylloxera) and after the late 20th century conform to this rule, whereas many "varietally labelled" Madeiras from most of the 20th century do not. Modern Madeiras which do not carry a varietal label are generally made from Tinta Negra,<ref name="Sotheby pg 340-341"/> a varietal that, along with the less highly regarded [[Complexa]], is the workhorse variety on the island since phylloxera and is found in various concentrations in many blends and vintage wines. Bastardo, Complexa, and Tinta Negra are red grape varieties.<ref name="Sotheby pg 340-341"/>

Grown exclusively on the neighboring island of [[Porto Santo]], which is also permitted under the appellation law to provide grapes for Madeira wine, are the varieties Listrão ([[Palomino Fino]]) and Caracol. Listrão Madeira was formerly made by a few companies such as Blandy's and [[Artur de Barros e Sousa]], the latter being the last old producer to utilize the variety when they closed their doors in 2013, but [[Madeira Vintners]] founded in that year subsequently restarted production of, and released in 2020, a 5-year-old Listrão Reserve Madeira. Caracol, an obscure grape believed to be unique to Porto Santo and only used for the local production of dry table wine in the past, was turned into fortified Madeira for the first time by Madeira Vintners, becoming the first new grape in over a century to be used for high-quality single-varietal Madeira wine. The company's stocks are still aging as of 2025 and no wine is on the market yet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahmed |first1=Sarah |title=Yes we can: Madeira Vintners – A new approach to Madeira |url=https://blend-allaboutwine.com/en/yes-we-can-madeira-vintners-a-new-approach-to-madeira/ |website=Blend - All About Wine |access-date=29 March 2025}}</ref>

Other varieties planted on the island, though not legally permitted for Madeira production, include [[Arnsburger]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], and the American hybrids [[Cunningham (grape)|Cunningham]] and [[Black Spanish (grape)|Jacquet]].<ref name="Oxford pg 416-419"/> The latter two grapes, formerly used for Madeira production in the post-phylloxera years, were supposed to have been grubbed up altogether under EU law, although in practice some farmers have kept a few vines to make table wine for their own consumption.

=== Winemaking ===
[[File:Sercial Maderia.jpg|left|thumb|upright|A dry Madeira made from the Sercial grape.]]
The initial [[winemaking]] steps of Madeira start out like most other wines: grapes are harvested, crushed, [[pressed (wine)|pressed]], and then [[fermentation (wine)|fermented]] in either stainless steel or [[oak (wine)|oak]] casks. The grape varieties destined for sweeter wines{{snd}}Bual and Malvasia{{snd}}are often fermented on their skins to [[maceration (wine)|leach]] more [[Phenolic content in wine|phenol]]s from the grapes to balance the sweetness of the wine. Drier wines{{snd}}made from Sercial, Verdelho, and Negra Mole{{snd}}are separated from their skins prior to fermentation. Depending on the level of sweetness desired, fermentation of the wine is halted at some point by the addition of neutral grape spirits.

Younger wines (typically 3 and 5 years old) undergo the ''estufagem'' aging process to produce Madeira's distinctive flavor by artificial heating, whereas the wines destined for long aging are barrel-aged using only the naturally high temperatures of the barrel storage rooms (see ''canteiro process'').

Colourings such as [[caramel colouring]] have been used in the past to give some consistency (see also [[whiskey]]), although this practice is decreasing.<ref name="Oxford pg 416-419"/>

=== The aging process ===
[[File:MadeiraWinery.jpg|right|thumb|Barrels of wine aging in the sun: the unique aging process of Madeira wine in which heat and temperature helped protect the wine for long sea voyages through tropical climates.]] What makes Madeira wine production unique is how the wines are aged in relatively high temperatures, meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage on the [[aging barrel]]s through tropical climates. Three main methods are used to heat the wine during aging. Two of the three methods belong to the ''estufagem'' process (''estufa'' means hothouse or stove in Portuguese), in which artificial heat is used to accelerate the aging process of the wines, whereas the ''canteiro'' process is used for the older and more expensive wines and employs only the natural heat of the barrel warehouses.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://bespokeunit.com/wine/madeira/making/| title = Article in 'Bespoke Unit'| date = 10 March 2021}}</ref>

''Estufagem'' processes:
* ''Armazém de Calor'' (heat-cycled rickhouses): Only used by the Madeira Wine Company, this method involves storing the wine in large wooden casks in a specially designed room outfitted with steam-producing tanks or pipes that heat the room, creating a type of [[sauna]]. This process more gently exposes the wine to heat and can last from six months to over a year.
* ''Cuba de Calor'' (heated tanks): The most common, used for low-cost Madeira, is bulk aging in low stainless steel or concrete tanks surrounded by either heat coils or piping that allow hot water to circulate around the container. The wine is heated to temperatures as high as 130&nbsp;°F (55&nbsp;°C) for a minimum of 90 days as regulated by the Madeira Wine Institute. However, the Madeira is most commonly heated to approximately 115&nbsp;°F (46&nbsp;°C)

Barrel-aging process:
* ''Canteiro'' (loft aging): Used for the highest quality Madeiras, these wines are aged without the use of any artificial heat, being stored by the winery in warm rooms that are heated only by the warm climate of the Madeira island. ''Colheita'' Madeiras are aged for at least five years in this manner, whereas for ''Frasqueira'' ([[vintage]]) Madeira, this heating process can last anywhere from 20 years to over 200 years in exceptional cases such as the 1795 Barbeito Terrantez.<ref name="Oxford pg 416-419"/> The term ''Canteiro'' comes from ''canteiros''{{snd}}the wooden staves that keep the barrels in their places. ''Canteiro'' process is used by all of the top Madeira brands, including Blandy's, Borges, Broadbent, d'Oliveiras and Justino's.

Much of the characteristic flavour of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary [[fermentation (wine)|fermentation]] in as much as it is, in effect, a mild kind of [[pasteurization]]. Furthermore, the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing it to [[Oxidation|oxidize]]. The resulting wine has a colour similar to a [[port wine|tawny port wine]]. Wine tasters sometimes describe a wine that has been exposed to excessive heat during its storage as being cooked or ''[[maderize]]d''.