Terrantez

Terrantez (also known as Cascal[1]) is a now-rare white Portuguese wine grape variety that was once widely used on the island of Madeira to make the sweet fortified wine for which the island is known. By the 1990s, the variety was nearly extinct on Madeira, due to a combination of low yields and the mid-19th century oidium (powdery mildew) and phylloxera epidemics that devastated the island's vineyards.[2] The variety has experienced a slow revival in recent years,[3] but as of 2021, plantings on Madeira remain limited to 5.64 hectares (13.9 acres).[4] The Madeiran government has led replanting efforts from 2016 in the form of free viticultural advice and subsidies to growers.[5] There are still some limited plantings in the Minho Province where, as Cascal, is a permitted blending variety with Alvarinho and other grapes in the Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) wine Vinho Verde. As Terrantez the grape is permitted in several of theIndicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR) regions of the Azores including Biscoitos IPR on Terceira Island, Graciosa IPR on the island of Graciosa and Pico IPR on Pico Island.[6]

  1. ^ Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Terrantez (Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine) Accessed: August 16, 2012.
  2. ^ J. Robinson (1996). Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198600984. p. 184.
  3. ^ "Hurdling Over Time: 19th-Century Madeira (Feb 2019) | Vinous - Explore All Things Wine". v1.vinous.com. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  4. ^ Hersh, Roy (2022-12-01). "Roy's Madeira Musings". For The Love Of Port. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  5. ^ "Terrantez: Is Madeira's near-extinct vine on a comeback?". Wine & Spirits Magazine. February 15, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. ^ T. Stevenson (2005). The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8. pp. 330–333.