Negra

Negra Mole, often referred to as Tinta Negra Mole, is the most commonly planted varietal on the island of Madeira. This grape yields high quantities that produce bold reds high in sweetness that turn amber over time.

NEGRARA: Red wine producing variety grown in the Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto regions of Italy. Best known for its inclusion in Bardolino DOC wine blends. Has several synonym names but is of little interest as a varietal wine.

TINTA NEGRAMOLEVariety grown on the island of Madeira and currently mainly used for secondary blends of Madeira fortified wines in amounts not to exceed 15 percent volume of the blend. Also widely grown in Australia under the alias name Tinta Madeira.

Tinta Negra Mole is a red wine variety widely planted in Madeira, where it usually makes the sweeter wines. It also occurs in Portugal's Algarve, where its production is lighter weight and dry, and in Spain where it is called just plain Negramoll.

* Alma Negra, a sparkling Argentine chardonnay, maintains a rich, creamy mouth-feel with notes of apple and citrus. With its crisp finish, the wine pairs well with Ambrosius' Caramels with Sea Salt and Cinnamon/Cayenne Truffle.

In the least valued Madeira is usually used the Tinta Negra Mole grape, a red berried grape.

Tinta Negra Mole is the most common grape in Madeira and is generally used in bulk wines and the cheaper 3 year old blends. The four classic grapes, in order from driest to sweetest, are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey.

Since the epidemic, Tinta Negra Mole is the workhorse variety on the island and is found in various concentrations in many blends and vintage wines. Of these, Bastardo and Tinta Negra Mole are red grape varieties, the rest are all white.

Has the synonym names Negra and Loureiro Tinto in Portugal. Recently found (1999) by Spanish researchers to be identical with the variety Jaén (du Dao), although some growers still insist the variety is a mutated version of Cabernet Franc.

In this century, a large portion of madeira has been produced from the inferior Tinta Negra Mole grape, though recent years have seen a return to the traditional varieties.

See also: Grape, Variety, Blend, Red, White