Wine Tourism
All about Wines
2021
Caracol.
Caracol is one of the traditional varieties on the island of Porto Santo. There are several stories and myths about its potential origin, from a Mr. Caracol who brought it and planted it. However, the scientific bibliography seems to link this variety with the “Cédres” variety and, when analyzed, it seems to have a genetic relationship very close to Listrão, and could be a possible descendant from the Canaries. The little information we have is that it has existed in Porto Santo for longer than memory remembers.
Porto Santo island
The island of Porto Santo emerged 14 million years ago in the Atlantic Ocean, being geologically one of the oldest islands in the Portuguese archipelagos. It was also the first to be discovered by Zarco in 1418. The ancients say that it was from here that the rippest grapes were harvested for the wine that made famous these islands. Today there are less than 14 hectars left, farmed by a group of resistants. In the neighbour island the people of Porto Santo are known as the “Prophets”, an ancient nickname that has never made more sense when you see these old vineyards planted by the sea, close to the ground, protected from the ocean and the wind by rock walls (crochet walls) or by ingenious cane structures.
Conduction: Traditional low-lying vines, close to the ground, protected from strong winds by reedbeds or crochet walls. Age of the Vines: 40-80 years old. Soils: Clay-Sandy textured limestone soils pH>8.5.
The grapes were harvested manually, on a Saturday in the island of Porto Santo, chosen bucket by bucket and loaded onto a cold truck, for transport by boat to the island of Madeira (since it is not legal to make wine in Porto Santo). At 1:00 am, whole bunch press to decantation deposits inside a refrigerated container, with three pressing fractions being separated, without any use of SO2. The first and second press fractions were fermented in stainless steel vats, lying on lees, with a capacity between 250 L and 1000 L, where they remained ageing for only 3 months in order to retain all their potential. Then the wines were blended and bottled.
4 267 numbered bottles of 0,75L released in November 2021.
12,5% Vol
Open pale yellow color. Intense, fresh nose, floral notes, combined with iodine and gunpowder profiles. Fresh, crunchy attack with great freshness and acidity.
Excellent for fresh dishes, ceviches, carpacios, oysters, clams, leaner fish and grills.
Store at 6-8ºC to drink at 10ºC.
SO2 <60 mg/L (EU biologic/organic standards <150 mg/L; demeter standards <90 mg/L).
