Gouveio is an indigenous white wine variety from Portugal, which is identical to the Verdelho Branco variety found in Madeira and the Italian Verdello. The origin behind Verdelho is certainly much better known than the variety itself - Madeira. Verdelho most likely originated here, although it was previously assumed that immigrants from the mainland brought the variety with them when they settled on the island. Today there are only a few Verdelho areas left in Madeira, but the grape variety still represents a special style of the famous fortified sweet wine. In recent years, Verdelho has increasingly gained a foothold in New World countries, particularly Australia, where it represents a fruity, dry wine style. A trip to French regions failed and in 1995 Verdelho was removed from the list of officially approved grape varieties. The Verdelho has some demands on the location and soil, mainly on the moisture in the soil. It is susceptible to both variants of powdery mildew and all kinds of putrefactive diseases. It also naturally produces quite low yields. While there are only a few hectares under vines in California and Argentina, the Australians have discovered it and planted it on almost 2000 hectares. He probably immigrated to the fifth continent with emigrants from Madeira. Here he can avoid all the dangers of a humid climate. Particularly in the Hunter Valley, Western Australia, the Swan River and the Riverina, it represents a full-bodied, dry and very fruity wine style.
This grape variety is also known by the name of:
Ojo De Gallo, Verdello
