Madeira 2

The island of Madeira has an oceanic climate with some tropical influences. With high rainfall and average temperature of 19 °C, the threats of fungal grape diseases and botrytis rot are constant viticultural hazards. To combat these threats, Madeira vineyards are often planted on low trellises, known as latada, that raise the canopy of the vine off the ground, similar to those used in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. The terrain of the mountainous volcanic island is difficult to cultivate, so vineyards are planted on man-made terraces of highly fertile soils on volcanic rock. These terraces, known as poios, are very similar to the terraces of the Douro that make Port wine production possible. The use of mechanical harvesting and vineyard equipment is near impossible, making wine grape growing a costly endeavour on the island. Many vineyards have in the past been ripped up for commercial tourist developments or replanted with such products as bananas for commercial reasons. Some replanting is taking place on the island; however, the tourist trade is generally seen as a more lucrative business than winemaking. Most of the grapes, grown by around 2100 grape growers are from vines planted on small plots of land off which the grape growers survive by making an income from a variety of different inter-grown crops.