Wine Guide - Verdelho - Carousel Card Item

<h3>Best known for its use in fortified Portuguese wine, verdelho has been given a new lease on life in Australia. But despite its presence in a host of white blends and as a standalone variety, this unpretentious grape has forever found itself ignored and overlooked.</h3><p></p>

<h2>&#39;&#39;With the first sip the palate is hit with a wealth of tropical flavours, including guava, paw paw and pineapple, but despite this flavour profile the wine tends more towards the dry end of the spectrum than the sweet&#39;&#39; </h2><p></p>

<p>Fresh, tropical and affordable - the verdelho sales pitch is an enticing one. A largely unsung grape that plays both supporting cast and starring role in many of Australia’s most popular white table wines, despite its unfailing presence it nevertheless continues to be overlooked. </p><p>So let’s make amends, shall we? It’s time to push this underrated wine firmly into the limelight. </p><p>Born of a little Portuguese island off the coast of Northern Africa, verdelho has been one of Portugal’s most prominent whites – generally in fortified form – for over 500 years. And its vibrant, fruity and modern character has proven the perfect match for our local palate, with Australia finding itself behind only Portugal and Spain in terms of verdelho production. </p><p>So enough with the anonymity. Let’s take a look at what verdelho is all about.</p>

Wine Guide - Verdelho - From Madeira, my dear

Wine Guide - Verdelho - The most Australian of European wines

Wine Guide - Verdelho - A fruit-forward crowd-pleaser

<h4><b>The best of the bunch</b> </h4><p>While Australian verdelho is grown from coast to coast, two states are generally recognised as the producers of the finest examples. Western Australia (in particular the Margaret River and Swan Valley regions) has a long and proud history of producing beautiful verdelhos, while New South Wales’ Hunter Valley pioneered the grape as a table wine in the 1950s. </p><p>Unlike Australia, the verdelhos of Portugal are almost exclusively fortified, so those looking for the genuine Madeira experience are wise to choose a bottle from Henriques &amp; Henrique or Vinhos Barbieto.

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<h4><b>Verdelho titbits</b></h4><ul><li><p>Since 1993, any Madeira wine labelled “verdelho” must contain at least 85% of the grape.</p></li><li><p>At the turn of the 20th century verdelho was all but wiped out by the phylloxera plague, a disease from North America that destroyed over two-thirds of all European vineyards.</p></li><li><p>The finest examples of Madeira Verdelho can remain perfectly drinkable for over a century.</p></li></ul><p></p>

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