red grape · regional staple
Tinta Negra
Andalusia, Spain
Say it
teen·tahnay·grah
Final vowels are reduced in European Portuguese; NAY-grah approximates the sound for English speakers.
On the palate
strawberryred cherrycranberrydried fruitearthtobacco
How you spot it blind: makes all four official Madeira sweetness levels from a single grape
The story
First written down · 1787, Andalusia (as Mollar)
Phylloxera devastated Madeira's noble varieties in 1872; high-yielding Tinta Negra expanded to fill the gap and now accounts for 80–90% of island production.
Family tree: HEBEN × ?
Where it lives
Madeira, Portugal · Canary Islands, Spain
Shows up as
still redfortifiedrosésweet
If you like this, try
Also answers to Tinta Negra Mole, Negramoll.
Shop our Tinta Negra bottles