Negra mole means ‘black soft’ which is a useful starting place to understand this variety from the Portuguese island of Madeira.
The fortified wines of Madeira like those of the Douro and its famous port have less demand than 20 years ago and grapes are now used to make excellent reds. A range of the varieties originating in both these classical regions were initially bought to Australia to study what role they might play in the making of ports and fortifieds. Others have arrived more recently as part of the desire to present a range of new varieties to local consumers.
What ever the original thought they do make excellent reds and Glug actively seeks them for the Village Belle range which features unusual and rare varieties. Considerable success with positive consumer acceptance is reported by the long-established Port Houses of Portugal which now use varieties like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Cao to make dry red table wines.
The first Village Belle release was in 2014 was a Negro Amaro 2012 from Southern Italy and this tradition continues with the first Negra Mole.