Terrantez (also known as ''Cascal''

Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung G ...

(VIVC)
Terrantez
'' Accessed: August 16th, 2012) is a white

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer and were unfam ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Vit ...

that was once widely used on the island of

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

to make the

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, keto ...

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Comma ...

for which the island is known. Today, the variety is nearly extinct on the island.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 184 Oxford University Press 1996 There are still some limited plantings in the

Minho Province Minho () was a former province in Portugal, established in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23 municipalities, with its capital in the city of Braga. Today, the area would include the districts of Braga and Viana do Castelo. Minho has ...

where, as ''Cascal'', is a permitted blending variety with Alvarinho and other grapes in the Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) wine

Vinho Verde Vinho Verde () (literally 'green wine') refers to Portuguese wine that originated in the historic Minho province in the far north of the country. The modern-day 'Vinho Verde' region, originally designated in 1908, includes the old Minho prov ...

. As ''Terrantez'' the grape is permitted in several of the '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) regions of the

Azores ) , motto= ( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem=( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

including Biscoitos IPR on

Terceira Island Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...

Graciosa IPR Graciosa is a Portuguese wine region centered on the island of Graciosa in the Azores. The region has the second tier '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) classification and may some day be promoted to '' Denominação de Origem Con ...

on the white island of

Graciosa Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese) is referred to as the ''White Island'', the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of , a length of and a width ...

and

Pico IPR The Pico IPR is a Portuguese wine region located on the island of Pico in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The region is designated a second-tier '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) classification, and potentially may be ...

Pico Island Pico Island (''Ilha do Pico,'' ) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mi ...

.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 330-333 Dorling Kindersley 2005

Regions

Terrantez is a low yielding vine that is most widely associated with the wines of Madeira though its use in the wine and presence on the island has been slowly fading. Some plantings of the variety can still be found in the Azores, the Portuguese island chain located northwest of Madeira in the Northern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. There is also some plantings of in the Minho province on the Portuguese mainland though

ampelographer Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...

Paul Truel Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

has speculated that the mainland variety (known most often as ''Cascal'') may actually be a different variety, though this has not been conclusively determined.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 266 Harcourt Books 2001

Wine styles

Terrantez has the potential to make rich full-bodied wines with highly perfumed bouquet. According to wine expert

Oz Clarke Robert Owen Clarke (born 1949), known as Oz Clarke, is a British wine writer, actor, television presenter and broadcaster. Early life Clarke's parents were a chest physician and a nursing sister. He is of Irish descent and was brought up Roman ...

, in older bottles of Madeira Terrantez has shown an ability to age well in developing wines with long finishes and layers of complexity.

Synonyms and other varieties

In addition to Cascal, Terrantez has been known under a variety of a

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are ...

including: Morrao, Murrao, Pe de Perdiz, Pe de Perdrix, Pied de Perdix and Terrantes. Several other white Portuguese grape varieties share synonyms with Terrantez and may be related though there is not yet any conclusive evidence. These include Folgasao which has the synonyms of ''Terrantez da Madeira'' and ''Terrantez de Madere'' and

Donzelinho Branco Donzelinho branco is a white Portuguese wine grape variety that is classified as one of the List of Port wine grapes, "Very Good" varieties authorized to be used in Port wine production. While rarely seen as a varietal wine, Donzelinho branco is a ...

which has the synonym of ''Terrantez'' and ''Terrantes''. The Portuguese red grape

Alicante Bouschet Alicante Bouschet or Alicante Henri Bouschet is a wine grape variety that has been widely cultivated since 1866. It is a cross of Petit Bouschet (itself a cross of the very old variety Teinturier du Cher and Aramon) and Grenache.French/

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines ...

grape

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

is also known as ''Pied de Perdix''.

(VIVC)
Malbec
' Accessed: August 16th, 2012

References

{{authority control White wine grape varieties