No relation to the ‘Verdejo’ of the Iberian peninsula, Verdelho is one of the four ‘classic’ Madeira varieties, along with Sercial, Boal and Malvasia. In the vineyard, it has proven itself the most adaptable and is now the most widely planted of them, with 51-ha under vine, including 10-ha at H&H’s Quinta Grande vineyard at Ribeira do Escrivão, Campanario (largest on the island). Combining elegance and power in equal measure, its citrus fruits are marked by smoke and sea spray, roasted nuts and island spices. While Sercial is seco, Verdelho is meio secco—‘medium-dry’—its formidable acidity providing the structure and balance to make it the most approachable of all madeiras, highly versatile at the table.