Winemaking
Estufagem and canteiro
Deliberately heating Madeira, which is why it is effectively indestructible.
Overview
Madeira is heated during maturation. Estufagem uses heated tanks at around 45–50°C for several months; canteiro is slower and better, storing casks in warm lofts for years.
The practice is said to originate from the observation that wine shipped as ballast through the tropics arrived improved rather than spoiled.
Because the wine has already been heated and oxidised, essentially nothing remains to damage it. An opened bottle survives for months.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Instituto do Vinho, do Bordado e do Artesanato da Madeira — IVBAM, Portugal
More in winemaking
Winemaking
Fermentation
Yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide — the step that makes wine wine.
Winemaking
How red wine is made
Fermenting grape juice in contact with the skins, which is where colour and tannin come from.
Winemaking
How white wine is made
Pressing the juice off the skins before fermentation, then fermenting the clear juice.