Verdelho Grape in Madeira
The indigenous Portuguese grape, Verdelho, is the most widely cultivated grape variety in Madeira. Verdelho is known to have been planted in the 17th century and was probably brought from northern continental Portugal during the early days of settlement on the island. Like Sercial, it is a vibrant grape variety and is also grown in the Azores archipelago.
Vineyard Origins and Training Methods
Frasqueira Verdelho was produced solely from this white grape at the end of the last century from vineyards located on the west coast (Calheta) and north coast of Madeira (São Vicente and Porto Moniz). The vineyards are trained in espalier and trellis modes, traditionally constructed with wire horizontal structures laid over trellis posts with height varying between 1–1.5m. The way these vineyards are managed is testament to the heroic viticulture effort carried out on the island over centuries.
Traditional Vinification Process
Manually harvested with qualitative selection at the end of September 1998 and vinified in strict accordance with traditional Madeira winemaking methods. After crushing and pressing using a continuous press, the must obtained was fermented in small stainless still tanks. Indigenous yeasts encouraged the alcoholic fermentation, which was stopped by adding neutral grape spirit (96%vol. min.) after 5–6 days in order to maintain the desired level of sweetness.
Aging in Traditional Canteiro System
Bottled on 16 March 2023, Justino’s Madeira Verdelho Frasqueira 1998 was aged for 23 years in seasoned American old oak casks of 650l (with more than 80 years of use) in the traditional Canteiro system. Aged in a cellar at moderate temperatures gently heated by Madeira’s warm climate for 6 years, the wine was then moved to the warmest top floor of the warehouse where it remained until bottling.
Special Edition Bottling
This bottling is a special edition of 500 bottles 750ml.
