North coast table wine producers of Madeira
If you’re in Madeira and interested in exploring the world of fortified wines, head to the south coast, where all these wineries are located. For those interested in visiting Madeira’s pure-play wine producers and tasting their table wines, the north side of the island is where you should go.
Firstly, what’s in the name “pure-play”? We came up with this label to designate Madeiran wine producers that exclusively focus on table wines.
In contrast, we refer to the fortified winemakers that have expanded their product range to additionally include table wines as “we make it all” wineries. For these wineries, table wines play a secondary role in their operations, more as a way to hedge their business bets and diversify their operations. We extensively covered these wineries and their table wines here 
.
On the south coast of Madeira, pure play table wine producers are small-scale family businesses, often run by one or two family members (read more here ). While some north coast wineries operate similarly, most of them have interesting business models, and a couple have moved past the mom-and-pop shop setup.
Below, you’ll find information about these producers. Share your experiences with our readers and us if you visit any of them.
Duarte Caldeira & Filhos – Seixal Wines, Lda. | Terras do Avo Winery
Phone:
+351964008001
Facebook:
Terras do Avô wines and visit
Terras do Avô is a retirement project of Duarte Caldeira and his family. As they lack their own wine production facility and a dedicated winemaker, it is a stretch to call them a winery. That doesn’t stop them from offering wine tasting in the comfort of their own home.
What sets Terras do Avô apart is its uniqueness as the first-ever Madeiran producer to make sparkling wines. These wines are available for purchase at their business address, which also happens to be their home address.
During our recent visit to Madeira, we had the pleasure of experiencing Terras do Avô firsthand, and we’ve detailed our insights about their wines and the wine tasting experience in our comprehensive story here .
Terra Bona Nature & Vineyards
Address:
B18 19 Estrada do Cardo, 117 – 9240-048 Boaventura, Madeira, Portugal
Phone:
+351 925 864 904
Email:
Website:
About Terra Bona Nature & Vineyards
Terra Bona is a family-run project owned by Marco Noronha Jardim and his spouse. Interestingly, they had no plans to be in the winemaking business when they purchased the property. They were not pleased with a 20-year-old vineyard on the land, already planted with Arnsburger grapes. Initially, they viewed the vineyard as a problem rather than a benefit.
Terra Bona Wines
After a successful first harvest in 2019, they released their “Family Harvest” wines and later introduced two new White wines made from the carefully selected Arnsburger grapes. The wines go through distinct maturation processes: with one of these aged in French oak barrels and the other in terracotta barrels. They sell both of these under the “Terra Bona Heritage” brand. The experienced São Vicente Winery oversees the winemaking. So far, the results have been impressive.
Their 2019 vintage even received an impressive score of 90 points from Wine Advocate.
Terra Bona Wine tasting and visit
Terra Bona offers wine tastings and vineyard tours by appointment. When we visited Madeira, they were also in the process of constructing their permanent wine tasting space, aiming to complete it in 2023. Unfortunately, due to the weather at the time, Marco did not feel that a wine tasting outside was a good idea. Contact Marco directly via the provided email if you are interested in a visit. You can also buy Terra Bona wines through their website.
DSW – Diana Silva Wines | Madeiran PDO “Ilha”
Address:
São Vicente, Madeira, Portugal
Phone:
+351 966 273 301
Email:
Website:
About DSW
DSW, or Diana Silva Wines, is a one-woman operation led by Diana Silva, a young Madeiran woman with ambitious goals. After completing her studies, she started DSW as a project, aiming to make white, rosé, and red wines, all from a single grape variety, Tinta Negra.
DSW Wines and visit
Despite Tinta Negra’s reputation among Madeiran winemakers as a lesser variety, Diana’s wines, known as “Ilha” (Island), have been well-received in the local Madeiran market. We were eager to meet this trailblazer and learn how she makes white wine from the red Tinta Negra grapes. Unfortunately, DSW doesn’t offer wine tastings. Neither does DSW reply to emails. But all is not lost. You can easily find Ilha wines in various supermarkets and grocery stores across Madeira, typically priced slightly above €20 per bottle. Additionally, these wines are available for purchase through online retailers.
Seiçal–Sociedade de Produtores de Vinho do Seixal
Address:
Caminho do Farrobo, n.7, Seixal 9270-137 Porto Moniz, Madeira, Portugal
Phone:
+351 966 878 521
Email:
Website:
Facebook:
About Seiçal–Sociedade de Produtores de Vinho do Seixal
In 1999, a group of small landowners in the north of the island started replanting their vineyards with the vines like Touriga Nacional, Merlot, Tinta Roriz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Verdelho, and Arnsburger. In 2002 they set up a commercial company called Seiçal – Sociedade de Produtores de Vinho do Norte, Lda., in honour of the origins of the Seixal parish. That same year they produced their first wine.
This winery is the oldest “pure-play” table wine producer on the Island.
Seiçal Wines and Visit
Seiçal produces wine under three brands: Seiçal, Latadas, and Palheiros. Latadas pays tribute to the island’s traditional pergola vineyards, while Palheiros honours the countryside’s people who built haystacks.
Seiçal branded wines are made in three styles – White, Rosé and Red table wines. All these are DOP Madeirenses.
- Seiçal White is a blend of Arnsburger and Verdelho. It is a light-bodied wine with a 12.5% ABV.
- Seiçal Rosé is another light-bodied wine with 12% ABV. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional, Syrah, and Aragonez.
- Seiçal Red: is a blend of Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a medium-bodied wine with a 13% ABV.
Latadas wine is made only in one style – White, DOP Madeiresnes table wine. Light-bodied 100% Verdelho wine, with only 12.5%, Latadas is their most expensive and the only varietal wine.
Palheiros wine is made only in one style – Terras Madeirenses Red table wine. It is a blend of Tinta Roriz, Merlot, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Like most of the wines from this producer, this is another light-bodied red blend with only 12% ABV.
All their wines are widely available on the Island of Madeira. They are affordable and range from €8 to a maximum of €14. Use a form on their website to schedule a vineyard tour and wine tasting.
Quinta do Barbusano, Lda.
Address:
Caminho do Barbusano, 26 – 9240-000 São Vicente, Madeira, Portugal
Phone:
+351 291 101 022
About Quinta do Barbusano
Established in 2006, Quinta do Barbusano has been on a growth trajectory.
Of all the Madeiran Table wine producers, Antonio Barbusano, the proprietor, stands out as the most dedicated and professional in his approach to running a winemaking business.
One aspect that impressed us was his employees’ responsiveness to customer inquiries. When we contacted them to schedule a wine tasting and vineyard tour, they replied promptly, showing their commitment to customer satisfaction.
Winery visit
At Barbusano’s winery, they have a designated space for wine tasting. You can choose from various options to taste their wines during their open hours. If you want, they also have food pairings available for you to enjoy along with the wines.
The wine tasting that we inquired about included tasting of six Barbusano wines at €15 per person and a tour of the vineyards. However, our excitement was short-lived as we faced an unexpected problem on our way there.
The ominous road to Barbusano
If you visit the village of São Vicente in the northern part of Madeira Island, you will see the Nossa Senhora de Fátima Temple with its four large round clocks and a white-painted façade. It sits atop Pico da Cova mountain peak and attracts tourists with a promise of stunning valley views from the grounds. To reach Barbusano, you must continue hiking past the Temple for a few more kilometres. The roads on Madeira are narrow and steep, often suitable for just one-way traffic. The road leading to Fatima is not too difficult to navigate, but the journey to Barbusano is a challenge, as there’s no paved pathway. If you have a rugged, all-terrain vehicle, you could attempt the drive, but with our small Fiat 500, it was a wiser decision not to take the risk. Fortunately, the local liquor store has plenty of Barbusano wine available to pick from.
Barbusano wines
Before the 2019 pandemic, Barbusano made wines under two brands: Barbusano and Ponta do Tristão.
Wines produced under the Barbusano brand were made in 5 styles, Tinto, Branco, Rosé, Tinto Barricas and Branco Barricas, all falling under the DOP Madeirense style. The grape compositions of these wines were as follows:
- Vinho Tinto: A red blend of Touriga Nacional and Aragonez.
- Vinho Branco: A Verdelho varietal wine.
- Vinho Rosé: A blend of Tinta Negra and Aragonez.
Under the Ponta do Tristão brand, two wines were produced, both in the IGP Terras style:
- Vinho Tinto: A red blend of Aragonez and Touriga Nacional.
- Vinho Branco: Originally a white blend of Arnsburger and Verdelho until 2009, when Barbusano began incorporating Boal into this blend.
While the pandemic negatively affected many, it pushed Barbusano to innovate and create new wine styles, including limited releases. For instance, the White Barricas wine was upgraded to Colheita: single varietal White Verdelho wine. But the innovation didn’t stop there.
Barbusano introduced several new lines of wine like Vinhos do Antonio, Locuras de Enolog, Fonte d’Areaia, and Leve. Starting in 2022, the winemaker started production of sparkling wines, exclusively under the Barbusano brand label.
At Barbusano, experimentation is in full swing, not only with the composition of their blends but also with the sourcing of their grapes. For example, Vinhos do Antonio, a DOP Madeirense red blend, now includes Merlot alongside the traditional Touriga Nacional and Aragonez grapes found in Barbusano’s other red wines. A standout example is Barbusano’s Fonte D’Areaia, a single varietal Caracol wine made with grapes sourced from the neighbouring Porto Santo Island.
Barbusano has also been using the “Colheita” label more frequently, which some may consider a marketing tactic, possibly influenced by Barbeito, who first used it on their non-fortified wines.
Tasting Barbusano Wines
Following our unsuccessful attempt to reach Barbusano Winery, we decided to salvage the situation by stopping at a local liquor store, where we found a bottle of Barbusano Barricas Verdelho wine.
As we poured the wine into the glass it looked promising, with its bright lemon colour. Our excitement quickly faded as we took our first sip. The wine was disappointingly ghastly, seemingly spoiled. With no desire to take another sip, we left the bottle in the fridge, hoping that someone might find a use for it in their cooking endeavours.
Conclusion
While more advanced than the south coast table wine producers, the north coast producers are still in their infancy compared to Madeira’s fortified winemakers.
However, there are exceptions, such as Barbusano, which stands out for running its winemaking operations with professionalism and finesse, rising to the occasion as a proper business. Additionally, Terra Bona Nature & Vineyard impressed us with its creative integration of winemaking into its primary hotel business, prompting imitation of new industry entrants from the south.
Will Madeira become as well-known for its table wines as it is for its fortified wines? The answer remains uncertain, but the potential is there, particularly for the north coast producers.
See interactive map here