🍇 Verdelho

Verdelho is a white wine grape from Portugal, best known for Madeira. A Madeira labelled Verdelho is medium dry, at 17–22 % vol. The VIVC catalogue lists the variety under the main name Gouveio and names Verdelho de Madeira and the Spanish Godello among its synonyms. It is one of the main grapes of the island of Madeira.

Its origin was worked out with DNA markers: the parents are Castellana Blanca and Savagnin, that is, Traminer. Verdelho has become a parent itself: crossing it with Caínho da Terra gave Donzelinho Branco and Donzelinho Tinto.

The technical file of the Madeira appellation sorts varietal wines by sweetness: Sercial is dry, Verdelho medium dry, Boal medium sweet and Malvasia sweet. Verdelho Madeira has 1–2.5 ° Baumé. The file describes it as full-bodied, with balanced acidity and aromas of dried fruit, wood and spice. Madeira's vineyards stand on terraces called poios, on soils of basaltic origin.

Under different names the grape also grows in mainland Portugal, 970 ha (2010), and in Spain, 1,153 ha (2008), where it is called Godello. In Australia VIVC recorded 198 ha (1991). So one grape is known in different countries under three names: Verdelho, Gouveio and Godello.

Why it matters to you. The word Verdelho on a bottle of Madeira hints at the style: a medium-dry wine. If the grape is named on a label of EU wine, it makes up at least 85 % of it. Dry white wines from Verdelho are served at 4–10 °C.