What grapes are extinct

[Andy Velebil]

I know there are some grape varieties that are almost extinct (Terrantez, etc) but what grapes, if any, are now extinct on the Island?

Any help on this is much appreicated.

[Roy Hersh]

Terrantez still exists in extremely small quantities. Bastardo however is next to impossible to find, except in older bottlings. Moscatel is extinct on the island of Madeira. I hope this helps.

[Andy Velebil]

Thanks Roy, this does help answer a question I had on the Squirre's forum. No one could answer it there, but I knew someone here would have the answer

[Reidar Andersen]

Quote from Alex Liddell page 84:
"several types of Moscatel exist in small quamtities on the island, but are almost exclusively used for the table". ( Read better price than vinification )

Page 186 about Barros et Sousa:" The firm is the only one prepared to take the troubles to vinify varieties like Terrantez, Bastardo and Moscatel in quite minuscule amounts"

Reidar

[Paul Day]

No important grape variety grown in the C18 or C19 is extinct in the sense of the dodo. Liddell (already cited by Reidar) lists a number of vines in his book on p.85 that he believes no longer exist on the island: there is also a question on whether Vidonia was a grape variety or not (Appendix 6).

Government run experimental vineyards preserve some of the rarer types. For example, Artur Barros remembers enjoying Carao de Moca, which now probably only exists in these government vineyards.

There is zero incentive or premium for growers to grow Moscatel and Bastardo and that is the main reason why they are no longer seen.

I don't think that Barros have vinified Moscatel very recently but they do have an example of a vine in their courtyard and currently sell a Reserva Velha. I bought a bottle of this in June that was bottled from cask in 2005. Also when one talks of Madeira, one should be aware that historically a number of important wines, including a significant amount of Moscatel, came from Porto Santo, not Madeira itself: for example, the Leacock 1900 Moscatel is a pure Porto Santo wine.

Barros grow a few Bastardo vines themselves. The Madeira Wine Company last vinifed a pure Bastardo in 1969, but they still receive a (very) few Bastardo grapes each year: Bastardo is a red grape and any grapes up to standard get thrown in with the Tinta Negra Mole.

As for Terrantez, there are three well-tended vineyards on the island (as well as smaller plots and plots that are not well-tended). The IVM owns one of these three significant plantings and vinifies the wine itself, but the resulting wine is not commercialised. If the IVM was in a position to sell its grapes I know that several producers would be more than interested. In a good year, there could be a couple of thousand litres, enough for two or three producers to attempt making a Terrantez. Unfortunately, recent vintages have been generally poor, with rot taking annual declarations as low as a couple of hundred litres.

Finally, Listrao is no longer being made. Barros were the last to produce one but in the last couple of years it hasn't been worthwhile and they appear to have given up the struggle.

[Roy Hersh]

Page 186 about Barros et Sousa:" The firm is the only one prepared to take the troubles to vinify varieties like Terrantez, Bastardo and Moscatel in quite minuscule amounts"

This is an inaccurate statement, although it may have been true at the time it was written. I don't have time to elaborate now, but hopefully will get a chance to come back to this in the not too distant future.