white grape · regional specialty
Verdelho
Azores, Portugal
Say it
vehr·del·yoo
The -lh- digraph is a palatal lateral /ʎ/ — like 'll' in Spanish 'llano'; anglicised 'ver-DEL-oh' (silent H, hard L) is the common error.
On the palate
lemonwhite peachapricotpineapplepassionfruithoneysuckle
How you spot it blind: persistent high acidity with tropical fruit and honeysuckle lift
The story
First written down · 1586–1590, Terceira Island, Azores (Gaspar Frutuoso, Saudades da Terra)
A 2018 DNA study confirmed Savagnin as one parent, established the Azores — not Madeira — as probable origin, and found Verdelho is itself a parent of both Arinto dos Açores and Terrantez do Pico.
Family tree: SAVAGNIN × ?
Where it lives
Madeira, Portugal · Pico Island (Azores), Portugal · Hunter Valley, Australia · Swan Valley, Western Australia
Shows up as
still whitefortifiedMadeira