Text Olga Cardoso | Translation Teresa Calisto

I am an insatiable lover and an indefatigable defender of the Verdelho grape variety. Madeira’s Verdelho mind you!
Although for many this title may seem incoherent, because they may only recognize the legitimacy of the use of the name Verdelho in wines from that Portuguese region, the truth is that there are many other wines that claim having been made from that grape variety.

However, most of them are produced from other different types such as Gouveio or Spanish Verdejo.

Madeira’s Verdelho is in another league. It is pungent acidity, it is delicate aromas, it is freshness and it is also a huge sense of place. Yes, Madeira’s Verdelho does justice to that land of sea, sun and rugged soils.

Those who, like me, have recently visited that region and its vineyards, will certainly understand how stoic it is to produce wines over there. Small vineyards, steep slopes and countless time and place hardships. However, once they are overcome they produce very mineral wines with sea air hints. Wines that translate a typicality and a whole reason of being.

Terras do Avô wines tell a story. Duarte Caldeira, the leader of this project, decided in 2008 to start making their own brand wines – Terras do Avô. He took advantage of the already planted three acres of land, to start a partnership with his children, based on the lands inherited from their grandfather. The brand Terras do Avô belongs to Duarte Caldeira & Sons – Seixal Wines Lda, a company that has Duarte Caldeira and his three children: Sofia, Filipa and Duarte as partners.

With Paulo Laureano and João Pedro Machado in charge of oenology, Terras do Avô produces two whites and two reds. Two Colheita or entry level, and two Grande Escolha. These Escolha are only bottled in years when the quality of the harvest justifies it. The whites are exclusively made from Verdelho grapes, while the reds come from blends of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Syrah.

I must confess I was mostly seduced by the white wines. The Verdelho variety makes all the difference. Such an amazing grape variety we have!

Duarte Caldeira and his children welcomed us comme il faut and offered us the opportunity to taste the Terras do Avô 2013 white and the Terras do Avô Grande Escolha 2011 and 2012 white. We were also able to taste the Colheita 2010 red and the Grande Escolha 2010 red. Madeira’s hospitality is amazing and the island has such potential and quality. A true pride for any Portuguese.

I was truly impressed by the whites. The young Terras do Avô 2013 presented as a very fresh wine, with evident mineral notes and well dosed tropical aromas, not at all cloying. With huge acidity, from Madeira’s Verdelho, it is a balanced wine, easily empathetic. Terras do Avô Grande Escolha 2011 showed a more golden color, with smooth tropical notes, clearly marked minerality and slight herbaceous hints. Terras do Avô Grande Escolha 2012 presented a very seductive nose, with pineapple and passion fruit hints, clear minerality and clues of salinity. With some complexity, it revealed a well-structured mouth with remarkable acidity.

The labels of these wines are very original and were designed by Madeira’s artist Marco Fagundes Vasconcelos, who dedicated the color green to the white wines and the red color to the same color wines.

Currently they produce around 19 thousand bottles of white and 9 thousand bottles of red wine. If Madeira already has reasons to be proud of its indigenous inhabitants, then Mr. Duarte Caldeira adds to this pride. An honest, straight talking man who becomes a true charm to any outsider

Integrated in the islands’ wine tourism, the Caldeira family welcomes their visitors with all the required care. Tapas, delicacies and dishes are always available to accompany their wines to those who come here, as are kindness, availability and hospitality.

Located in Seixal municipality, on the northern shore of Madeira Island, with a breathtaking view over the ocean, they welcome many national and foreign tourists and are doubling and improving their facilities.
What are you waiting for to pay them a visit? Here are all the necessary contact details. Go! Go! Go!

Contacts
Sociedade Duarte Caldeira e Filhos – Seixal Wines, Lda.
Sede: Sitio do Lombinho – Seixal, 9 270 – 125 Porto Moniz
Tel: (+351) 965 013 168(Duarte Caldeira) | (+351) 964 008 001 (Sofia Caldeira)
Email: seixalwines@gmail.com
Website: www.terrasdoavo.blogspot.com