H.M. Borges 5 years old Madeira - medium sweet
€ 15.20
| Producer | H.M. Borges |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Tinta Negra |
| Ageing | 5-6 years: half estufagem, half canteiro |
| Alcohol | 19%vol |
| Serving | Aperitif 10°C, dessert 13-14°C No need to decant, keeps for a few months once opened |
Five years of Tinta Negra: coffee, candied grapefruit and honey.
Tasting note
Dark amber with greenish glints. The nose carries the typical Madeira mark, with a faint whiff of nail varnish remover, coffee, a little coconut, dried quince and dark cinnamon. Juicy and slightly bitter on the palate, like biting into candied grapefruit peel, with a touch of molasses and coffee turning to honey, and a very long, pleasant finish.
The story
Tinta Negra is today Madeira’s most widely planted grape, accounting for about 85% of production. It is used for all four sweetness levels (dry, medium dry, medium sweet and sweet), shown on the label. This robust grape with small to medium berries and fine, soft skins grows in the south near Funchal and Câmara de Lobos and in the north near São Vicente. For this wine the grapes come from near the coast at Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, on clayey, acidic, mainly basaltic volcanic soils rich in organic matter.
The grapes are destemmed and lightly pressed, then ferment for about 5 days in open tanks at 24-26°C before being fortified with 96% neutral spirit. Half of the wine ages via estufagem: at least 3 months in stainless steel tanks at 35-45°C, partly filled so that it oxidises deliberately, followed by 30 days of cooling and 5-6 years in large vats of hard tropical wood. The other half ages for 5-6 years in the canteiro method, at 20-35°C in 650-litre French and American oak casks, losing 5-8% a year to evaporation, which concentrates the acidity.
Food pairing
Lovely as an aperitif or with a good starter. Try it with a spicy Vietnamese pho with plenty of fish sauce, fresh coriander, lime juice and chilli.