The white grape variety originates from Portugal. Synonyms are Arintho, Arinto, Arinto dos Açores, Cachorrinho, Cerceal, Cerceal de Jaes, Esaninho, Esgana, Esgana Cão, Esgana de Castelo de Paiva, Esganacão Bianco, Esganinho, Esganiso, Esganosa, Esganoso, Esganoso de Bucelas, Esganoso de Castelo de Paiva, Esganoso de Penafiel, Eskanoza, Espadeiro Loureiro, Etrangle Chien, Madera, San Mamede, Sarcial, Serceal, Sercial de Madeira, Sercial de Madere, Sersial, Uva Cão and Verdelho Branco. The parentage (parentage) of the vine is unknown. The drawing on the right comes from the work "Ampélographie - Traité général de viticulture" by the two French ampelographers Victor Vermorel and Pierre Viala.
It must not be confused with the varieties Arinto de Bucelas, Cerceal Branco, Sémillon (Sercial), Ondenc (formerly cultivated as Sercial in Australia) or Sercialinho, despite seemingly indicating synonyms or morphological similarities. It is also not a mutation of the red Touriga Franca variety (Esgana Cão Tinto). According to DNA analyses carried out in 2007, it is genetically closely related to the varieties Alvarelhão, Ramisco and Trincadeira Preta. The hypothesis that the variety originates from the Rhine, or that it is a Riesling clone, was thus disproved. It was a crossing partner in the new Sercialinho variety and a parent of the Cercial variety, which was created by natural crossing.
The late-ripening vine is resistant to both types of mildew. It produces extremely acidic, aromatic white wines. On the island of Madeira, it also gave its name to a variety of this dessert wine. On the Portuguese mainland, it is mainly cultivated under the second main name Esgana Cão in the Bucelas area near Lisbon, as well as Minho and Douro (permitted in white port wine ). In 2016, it occupied 85 hectares of vines in Portugal (Kym Anderson). In France, it is cultivated by the Mas de Daumas-Gassac estate (Languedoc) on half a hectare.
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robin son, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Picture left: © Madeira Wine and Dine
