Casa De Santar Branco

Casa De Santar Branco. Cerceal Branco, Bical and Encruzado from Dao, Portugal. Lemon yellow colour. Aromas of predominantly tropical fruit and citrus. Fruity fresh flavour. Harmonious a persistent on the finish. As an aperitif, with lightly seasoned fish and white meat.

Cerceal is a name given to various Portuguese grapes, including the Madeira grape, better known as sercial. Sercial is often grown at high altitudes. The grape ripens late and is therefore the last variety to be harvested. Sercial has a high acidity and is the driest and lightest style in Madeira. Since 1993, every Madeira with Sercial on the label must contain at least 85% of this grape. Other cerceals are found in the Dão, Bairrada and Ribatejo wine regions.

Bical is a good-producing cultivar that is mainly used in the Dão and Bairrada. Due to its high acid content, the grape is also used for sparkling wines. This fairly robust grape has a good production but is sensitive to mildew. The wine combines a high acidity with a high alcohol percentage and can become honey-sweet after a few years in the bottle. Bical has a reputation for being aromatic, but many modern monovarieties show little evidence of this. However, skin contact before fermentation appears to produce a slightly soapy and floral aroma. The wine can be stored well.

Encruzado is the most important white grape in the Dão wine region. Winegrowers experiment with fermentation in wood and stirring the yeast sediment to bring out the character, and a little oak during aging seems to do it good. At its best, the wine is elegant, with a leafy aroma and good balance.