Justino´s Madeira Wines

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Thursday, December 27, 2012 / /

 Justino´s was founded in 1870, in 1993 it was acquired by the French group "La Martiniquaise", that owns C. da Silva (Vinhos) SA and Gran Cruz Porto.
JUSTINO'S MADEIRA WINES, SA is one of the oldest producers of Madeira Wine and a very important exporter namely to countries like: Brazil, Japan, USA and Europe.


Justino´s Winery

                             GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION of the territory:

Madeira Island is the largest and most important with an approximate area of 735 km2 and a maximum length of 57 Km.
The Madeira Archipelago includes, Madeira, Porto Santo, and Wild Desert...maximum width: 23 Km.
It is Located in the Atlantic Ocean, 900 km southwest of Lisbon and 600 km west of the North African coast, the capital is the city of Funchal.

The climate:

Temperate climate (subtropical) with variations of temperature, humidity and rainfall according to altitude.
Temperature: 22 º C (August - the hottest month)
                    15 º C (February - the coldest month)

Recommended grape varietals:
White: Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malvasia Candida, Malvasia de São Jorge and Terrantez
Red: Tinta Negra
Authorized grape varietals:
White: Malvasia Fina, Listrão and Snail
Red: Complexa, Deliciosa and Triunfo
Most planted grape varietal: Tinta Negra

After the phylloxera (1872) it became the main grape varietal of Madeira island.

Justino´s Cellar

Madeira Wine is a fortified Wine with about 19% to 22% alcohol by volume.

Diferent types of Wines from Sweet to Dry, great persistency, intensity of color and a incredible richness of flavors and aromas. 

Four types according to each grape varietal:

^ Sercial - Dry
^ Verdelho - Medium Dry
^ Boal (Bual) - Medium Sweet
^ Malvasia (Malmsey) - Sweet

Most of the Madeira Wines aged during the first three months on heated stainless steel vats with a temperature that goes from 45º to 50º C.

After this stage the Wine is transferred to oak pipes for a long ageing process in order to achive a maximum oxidation and concentration.

Although it doesn´t evolve in the bottle like Vintage Port, it has a enormous longevity thanks to the oxidation during the ageing process, high alcohol content and high natural acidity.