About Terrantez, the grape.
Together with Bastardo and Listrão, Terrantez is one of the rare grape varietals grown on Madeira island. It is used by the Island winemakers in the production of fortified wine, commonly known as Madeira. At some point, Terrantez was widely grown on the Island but almost disappeared due to a powdery mildew, Phylloxera plague and lack of replanting.
A white grape, Terrantez is particularly sweet and aromatic, producing an initially sharp wine that ages well. For the most part, Terrantez wines are known to be medium dry, well-balanced and full-bodied.
Reportedly there are 4 hectares of this vine currently planted on Madeira Island.
At Henriques and Henriques, they told us that Terrantez is very finicky, frequently with very low yields and even zero yields in some years. This is one of the reasons why grape growers are not too keen to grow this varietal. To ensure that no grapes are lost, Terrantez grapes must be harvested quickly.
It is not unusual to lose an entire crop in just one weekend if the grapes are not picked fast enough.
Why Henriques & Henriques Terrantez, 1976 Frasqueira?
Henriques and Henriques was the first winery we visited on Madeira Island. Without much knowledge of how wine tasting works in Madeira, we ended up tasting their basic wines, all 3 years old blends. Fortified Madeira wine, even when it is 3 years old, traditionally comes with a high 19% alcohol content. After tasting five of the 3 years old blended wines, we had to be extra selective with our choice of the last tasting.
We heard so much about the rare grapes and Frasqueiras that we could not have passed on the opportunity to try Terrantez.
Henriques & Henriques wine lineup includes 20 years old blended Terrantez wine and two vintage Terrantez Frasqueiras, dated 1976 and 1954. All of these can be tasted at Henriques & Henriques Winery for a fee.
At €21 per tasting, 1976 Terrantez Frasqueira felt like a splurge until we had our first sip. It was an experience to remember and was worth every penny. Without a doubt, the 1976 Terrantez Frasqueira was a true pièce de résistance of our Henriques & Henriques wine tasting visit.
Henriques & Henriques Terrantez, 1976 Frasqueira wine tasting notes
*Produced using the traditional Canteiro aging method: the wine is gently warmed up for a minimum of 20 years.
Henriques & Henriques Terrantez, 1976 Frasqueira
Region:
Madeira, Portugal
grape Varietal:
100% Terrantez, Single Harvest
wine type:
Fortified Wine (madeira)
alcohol level:
21%
sweetness:
Medium-Dry
Aging method:
Canteiro*
price:
Price: $380 -$450 (if purchased in USA / Canada); €280 (if purchased in Europe/winery direct)
Cellaring:
Indefinite
colour:
Mahogany
aromas:
- Fruit: Exotic – Papaya; Dried – raisins
- Spices: Warm – cloves
palate:
Complex, Well-Balanced
- Fruit: Caramelized Figs; Candied Orange Peel
- Spices: pepper
Finish:
Long, Citrus.
Notes:
- A liquid fruit candy with a citrus zing and a dab of pepper.
tasted: Fall of 2022
This is a single-harvest vintage wine produced using the traditional Canteiro aging method. Under this method, the wine is gently warmed up for a minimum of 20 years until it reaches its full potential, as and when decided by the winemaker.
In the Madeiran wine classification system, Frasqueira signifies wines of the ultimate quality.
Frasqueira wines are widely regarded as a step above the Colheita single-harvest wines.
1976 Terrantez Frasqueira has a delightful depth and elegance that we did not observe in any other wine we tried. Even though it has a high alcohol content, the wine feels smooth and gentle on the palate. Henriques & Henriques described the 1976 Terrantez dryness level as in-between medium-sweet and medium-dry. In our opinion, it fits better into the medium-dry category.
An absolute delight, this Frasqueira is the one you want to take home with you, provided you are comfortable paying 280€ for it.
Henriques & Henriques Terrantez, 1976 Frasqueira Food Pairing recommendations
Pairing Madeira wines with food is considered a challenge. The best way to find the perfect food and wine match is to taste how your pairing idea works.
At €280, this wine was too expensive to experiment with. We had a bit of dark semi-sweet chocolate with chili flakes with us at the winery. We thought it would work well with this wine and were not disappointed. The rest of our food pairing recommendations are not tested in practice. However, based on our food and Madeira wine pairing experimentations, we believe this Frasqueira will pair well with many of the same dishes that worked with the medium dry Verdelho. These are some of our food pairing suggestions:
- After the first sip of this wine, we immediately thought of a steak au poivre with a sweet gorgonzola compound butter. The slight peppery notes in this wine will be an equal match for the meaty and strong cheesy flavour in this dish.
- Pan-seared duck breast with Madeira cherry sauce.
- Butternut squash purée with a dash of orange juice served with duck leg confit
- Duck and beets salad two ways
- Chicken liver mousse served on a slice of toasted brioche.
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Bottom Line
Tasting the 1976 Henriques and Henriques Terrantez Frasqueira makes you understand why Rasputin drank Madeira every day, and put it into his food too!
This wine is fantastic and by far the best of all fortified Madeira wines we tried on the Island. At €280, Henriques & Henriques Terrantez is not exactly affordable by most people’s standards. For those of us located outside of Europe, be prepared to pay even more. How much more? As much as $450 for a bottle of this liquid gold. Interestingly Terrantez from the same vintage year produced by Blendy’s will cost you 1/3 of that.
Clearly not your usual weekend wine to casually sip with friends. But, it could be a great wine to serve for a special occasion when you are inclined to splurge. Even if for that reason alone, this wine should not be chucked into the bin of oddities, rarities and wine reserved for stuffy-men-only clubs in the posh areas of the major metropolitan cities.