Verdelho Madeira wine grape
Verdelho is planted at altitudes up to 400m high, this varietal is located on the north of the island in the areas of Ponta Delgada and São Vicente. The grapes have a late maturation, (normally by the end of September) and produces gold coloured medium dry elegant wines which have a tropical and exotic character.
This is a richer wine than Sercial, and is almost medium sweet when young. Verdelho has a deeper golden colour than Sercial. This wine tends to becomes drier and fuller with age.
Verdelho is the overlooked Madeira as the cognoscenti grow more interested in Sercial and the traditionalists focus on Bual and Malmsey.
Verdelho is however producing excellent and interesting table wines and its position with growers is now more improved.
This style of wine exhibits some of the most pleasing tastes, and drinking Verdelho you will find notes of caramel, caramelized orange, crème brulee and dried fruits and figs as well as some hints of wood. The finish is long and stays fresh with the citrus notes remaining to the fore.
Image courtesy of Blandy,s (Madeira Wine Company)
You can read more about Verdelho, its taste and what to eat with this wine here.
My thanks to Blandy’s for these succinct descriptions which I have embellished.