View source for Sercial

{{Short description|Variety of grape}}
{{For|the Australian wine grape known as Sercial|Ondenc}}
{{Infobox grape variety
| name            = Sercial
| image           = Sercial.jpg
| caption         = Sercial in Viala & Vermorel
| color           = Blanc
| species         = ''[[Vitis vinifera]]''
| also_called     = <!-- See [[#Synonyms|list of synonyms]] -->
| origin          = [[Portugal]]
| pedigree0       =
| regions         =
| notable_wines   =
| hazards         = <!-- Viticultural hazards                 -->
| breeder         = <!-- Breeder, by ex: Hill, Bernd          -->
| institute       = <!-- Breeding institute                   -->
| crossing_year   = <!-- Year of crossing, by ex: 1971        -->
| selection_year  = <!-- Year of selection                    -->
| protection_year = <!-- Year of protection                   -->
| seeds_formation = <!-- Formation of seeds, by ex: Complete  -->
| flowers_sex     = <!-- Sex of flowers, by ex: Hermaphrodite -->
}}
'''Sercial''' is the name of a white [[grape]] grown in [[Portugal]], especially on the island of [[Madeira Island|Madeira]]. It has given name to the dryest of the four classic varieties of [[Madeira wine|Madeira]] [[fortified wine]].<ref name=OCW-cerc>winepros.com.au. {{Cite web|last= Oxford Companion to Wine|title= Cerceal|url= http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=624|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080820211158/http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=624|archivedate= 2008-08-20}}</ref>
The grape is grown in diminishing quantities at the southern end of the island. After ''[[phylloxera]]'' devastated Madeira's vineyards, the grape became more common on the mainland, where it is known as Esgana or Esgana Cão, meaning respectively Strangler or Dog Strangler.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cossartgordon.com/terroirs.html|title = Madeira Island Terroirs - Cossart Gordon - Madeira Wine}}</ref> Its late ripening allows it to retain its characteristic acidity.<ref name=OCW-serc>winepros.com.au. {{Cite web|last= Oxford Companion to Wine|title= Sercial|url= http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2919|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080809030138/http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2919|archivedate= 2008-08-09}}</ref>
[[File:Sercial Maderia.jpg|left|thumb|Madeira made from the Sercial grape.]]
The anglicised name Sercial came to be associated with the Madeira style rather than the grape variety, being the lightest, most acidic and delicate expression of Madeira that takes the longest to mature.<ref name=OCW-serc/> [[European Union|EU]] rules for varietal names on wine labels now require Madeiras labelled Sercial to be made from minimum 85% Sercial.
For obscure reasons, Sercial was the name given to the Gascony grape Ondenc when it was planted in Australia.
==See also==
*[[List of Portuguese grape varieties]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:White wine grape varieties]]
[[Category:Madeira wine]]
{{Wine-grape-stub}}
{{Portugal-stub}}