Bastardo variety

At one time Bastardo, Terrantez, and Moscatel grapes were used to make vintage Madeira. These grapes were all but wiped out by the vine diseases and pests that struck Madeira very hard in the last half of the

1800s. However very small amounts of Vintage Madeira have been made from these grapes since 1900. Bastardo Vintage Madeira is seen the least often of the three mentioned varieties. I have Blandy Bastardo Vintage Madeira 1870, Cossart Gordon Bastardo Vintage Madeira 1875, and Leacock Bastardo Vintage Madeira 1927. M. Broadbent has tasted two of these and rated them highly in his books.

I am not sure how the grapes got the name Bastardo, but this word seems to have about the same meaning in Portugese as in English.

As well as in French - except they spell it "Batard".

Tom S

Well, the grape variety is known in France as Trousseau.

Mike

Also some Bastardo grapes still are grown in Portugal. So far as I know, they are not made into a single variety wine, but end up as part of the blend in Ports and Dao. Both Lichine and Johnson mention Bastardo in this connection in their wine encyclopedias. Johnson says: "Bastardo a rather pale and low-acid but aromatic and well balanced grape used for port and in Dao." Bastardo is a red grape.