{{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 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. It has given its name to the driest of the four classic varieties of 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 {{lang|pt|esgana}} or {{lang|pt|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>
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 rules for varietal names on wine labels require Madeiras labelled Sercial to be made from a minimum of 85% Sercial.
For unknown 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}}