Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Sercial

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Color of berry skin
  
Blanc

Notable regions
  
Madeira

Sweetness of resulting wine
  
Dry

Scientific name
  
Vitis vinifera 'Sercial'

Species
  
Vitis vinifera

Origin
  
Portugal

Wine color
  
White wine

Rank
  
Cultivar

Sercial httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Similar
  
Boal, Verdelho, Tinta Negra Mole, Common Grape Vine, Arinto

Sercial is the name of a white grape grown in Portugal, especially on the island of Madeira. It has given name to the dryest of the four classic varieties of Madeira fortified wine.

The grape is grown in diminishing quantities at the southern end of the island. After phylloxera devastated Madeira's vineyards, the grape became more common on the mainland, where it is known as Esgana or Esgana Cão. Its late ripening allows it to retain its characteristic acidity.

The anglicised name Sercial came to be associated with the Madeira style rather than the grape variety, being the lightest, most acidic and delicate expression of Madeira that takes the longest to mature. EU rules for varietal names on wine labels now require Madeiras labelled Sercial to be made from minimum 85% Serial.


For obscure reasons, Sercial was the name given to the Gascony grape Ondenc when it was planted in Australia.

References

Sercial Wikipedia