🍷 Sercial
Also known as: Sercial Madeira, dry Madeira, Madeira Seco
The driest Madeira, made from the Sercial grape.
Sercial is the driest style of Madeira. Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, and Sercial is named after the white grape it is made from. It holds roughly 18–65 grams of sugar per litre, so it tastes almost dry.
Like all Madeira, Sercial is aged with warmth, which is part of its character. Grape spirit is added, so it is stronger than ordinary wine and keeps for a very long time. The taste is fresh and sharply acidic, with notes of nuts and dried fruit.
Sercial sits next to the other Madeira styles, which differ in sweetness; Verdelho, for example, is a little sweeter. It is one of Portugal's best-known wines and is often served chilled as an aperitif before a meal. Madeira is aged for a long time, and good bottles are kept for decades. Sercial is served chilled before a meal, for example with almonds or a light soup.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Sercial → made in → 🗺️ Portuguese wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Madeira
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Madeira, 🍷 Verdelho Madeira
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that all Madeira is sweet?
No. Sercial is the driest style, and Verdelho is only a little sweeter.
How much sugar does Sercial have?
Roughly 18–65 g/l, so it tastes almost dry.
Why does Sercial keep for so long?
It is aged with warmth and fortified with grape spirit, so it is strong and very stable.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes, appellations.
- 🍷 Verdelho Madeira — A medium-dry Madeira made from Verdelho.
Similar
🍷 Bual · 🍷 Terrantez · 🍷 Rainwater Madeira · 🍷 Frasqueira Madeira · 🍷 Verdelho Madeira · 🍷 Malmsey
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.