3.3: Port - Styles of Port Flashcards
How is the style, quality and price of Port largely determined?
- the quality of the base wine
2. the form of maturation
Before being permitted to specify the wine style on the label, what must occur?
wines must be analysed and tasted by the IVDP
When do quality-minded producers often start making decisions on what grapes will be used in particular styles of wine?
during the growing season
In the vineyard, what environmental and human factors can influence the style?
- weather
- canopy management techniques and harvesting dates impacted by ripeness and concentration
What are the main categories of red Ports?
- Basic Ruby
- Basic Tawny
- Reserve Ruby
- Reserve Tawny
- Tawny with an Indication of Age
- Colheita
- Vintage
- Single Quinta
- Crusted
- Late Bottled Vintage (LBV)
Describe Basic Ruby Port.
- medium bodied
- medium tannin levels
- mixture of red and black fruit flavours
- suitable for drinking early
- acceptable to good quality
- inexpensive to mid-priced
- due to limited ageing/use of cheap spirit (both of which mean that it can be made at low price points) the wines often have simple fruity flavours and can have slightly harsh alcohol
How is Basic Ruby Port produced and matured? Why?
protective winemaking techniques
- fermenting in stainless steel or concrete
- ageing in bulk (usually in stainless steel or concrete vessels, or sometimes large old wooden vessels) for a maximum of 3 years
Why?
- to retain primary fruit flavours
- expected to have the same consistent taste year on year
How is Basic Tawny Port produced and matured? Why?
- light extraction during fermentation (similar to Rosé Ports) to give them a paler colour reminiscent of an older wine
- fermenting must for Basic Tawny may be drained early, concentrating the remaining wine which can be used to add more colour and flavour to Ruby Port
- aged for a maximum of 3 years
How do Reserve Ruby and Reserve Tawny compare with basic Ruby and Tawny?
higher quality
For how long must Reserve Tawny Port be aged? In what type of vessel?
- in wood
- min 7 years
What are the requirements in making Reserve Ruby Port?
- no min aging requirement
- must be tasted and approved by the IVDP’s tasting panel
How does Reserve Ruby compare with basic Ruby?
tend to be more concentrated and of a higher quality and price than Basic Ruby
How is a Tawny Port with an Indication of Age aged?
aged for long periods of time in wooden barrel
In what type of vessel is Tawny Port with an Indication of Age aged in?
pipes and hold 620-640 litres
Describe the pipes’ affect on the wine.
- old and therefore do not contribute flavours of oak
- controlled exposure to oxygen:
1. tannins soften
2. alcohol integrates
3. tertiary flavours from fruit development (e.g. dried fruit) and oxidation (e.g. caramel, nuts)
How are the Tawny Port with an Indication of Age filtered? Why?
- not filtered
- due to the long ageing period, clarification and stabilisation occurs naturally in barrel and therefore these wines tend not to need filtration before bottling
What are the 4 age categories that can be stated on the Tawny Port with an Indication of Age label?
10, 20, 30 or 40 years
What does the aged specified on the label of a Tawny Port with an Indication of Age reflect?
- age specified is not the minimum amount of time the wine must be aged
- these wines are usually blends of more than one vintage and this blend can be made up of wines that are younger and older than the age specified
- tasted by a panel within the IVDP and must be deemed to have the characteristics of a wine of that age
What is needed during the maturation of Tawny Ports with an Indication of Age? What does that mean in terms of price?
- barrels need racking and topping up (due to gradual evaporation of the wine)
- makes the production of age-indicated Tawny Ports relatively expensive
What sub-category of Tawny Ports with an Indication of Age has arisen in recent years?
- very old (non-age indicated) aged Tawny
- rare, long maturation
- super premium prices
What are Colheita Ports?
Tawny Ports that are made from the grapes from one vintage
What are the main requirements to make Colheita Ports?
- must be aged in small barrels for a minimum of 7 years before being bottled
- label must state the vintage of the wine as well as the year the wine was bottled
In making Colheita Ports, what might shippers to do to respond to demand?
- shipper could bottle part of their Colheita wine in one year (providing it is at least seven years old)
- bottle more in the following years according to demand
- wine in barrel can be topped up with other wines or spirit to avoid ullage
How does the price of Colheita Port compare with that of Vintage Port?
- Colheita Ports do not tend to be as expensive as Vintage Port
- but there are some shippers that hold small stocks of very old Colheita wines that can sell for super premium prices
What is Vintage Port?
wines from one ‘declared’ vintage
When must producers register their intention to release a Vintage Port? What is this subject to?
- in the second year after harvest
- the young wine is approved by an IVDP tasting panel
When will producers declare a Vintage Port? Is the decision universal across producers?
- in years where their grapes and young wines are of exceptional quality
- some years the vast majority of Port shippers will declare a vintage (e.g. 2011, 2016)
- in other years, the decision is more mixed (e.g. 2015)
What financial decisions are at play when declaring a Vintage Port?
- producers will decide to release according to market conditions
- if two exceptional vintages in a row (very rare) producer must decide whether to declare both vintages, the second of which could take sales away from the first
Describe the grapes used for Vintage Port.
- the product of a very good vintage
- high quality plots, often from the shipper’s own vineyards
- sometimes old vines
What are two grapes that usually are the key components in the blend of Vintage Port? What do they add?
- Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional
- colour, tannin and flavour concentration suitable for long-term ageing
How is too much oxidation avoided in the production of Vintage Port?
various lots (batches) of these wines are then stored in large old wooden vessels to avoid too much oxidation
If the wine is tasted and it does not become a Vintage Port, what happens to it?
may become Single Quinta Ports, LBV, Crusted Port or even possibly a form of Tawny Port
For how long must Vintage Ports be aged in large old wooden vessels? In practice, how long are the majority of the wines in barrel? What does this add to the wine?
- maximum of 3 years in large old wooden vessels
- majority are bottled during the second spring after the harvest, hence after 18-20 months in wood
- small amount of oxygen exposure during this time ensures that stability of the colour of the wine (through anthocyanin-tannin bonding) over its long ageing
How are Vintage Ports fined and filtered?
- bottled without fining or filtration
- heavy deposit of sediment on opening and pouring
Describe Young Vintage Ports.
- deep in colour
- full bodied
- high levels of tannins
- a pronounced intensity of ripe black fruit and sometimes floral notes
Describe Vintage Ports as they age.
- gradually develop flavours of dried fruit
- the tannins and alcohol integrate
Why are Vintage Ports highly profitable wines for the producer?
limited time in wooden vessels and early release from the winery
Describe the price and quality of Vintage Port.
- very good to outstanding quality
- premium to super premium prices
What is Single Quinta Port? When may it be produced?
- a wine from one year that is made only from the grapes of one estate (quinta) that is stated on the label e.g. Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas and Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos
- may be produced in years when the producer does not produce a vintage Port (e.g. the weather has not been suitable to produce grapes of sufficient quality)
What is Crusted Port? Describe the style and ageing potential.
- a non-vintage Port that is aged in wood for up to two years before being bottled without fining or filtration, and hence a deposit or ‘crust’ forms in the bottle
- similar in style to Vintage Port and have considerable ageing potential
What must appear on the label of Crusted Port?
bottling date
When can Crusted Port be released? Why might a producer choose to wait longer?
- at any time after bottling
- however, after three years of bottle age it can include the term ‘bottle matured’ on the label
Describe the price and quality of Crusted Port.
- good to very good quality
- mid-priced to premium
What is Late Bottled Vintage Port?
- LBV
- wines from a single year and must be bottled between four and six years after harvest
How does the quality of the fruit used for LBVs compare to that of Vintage Ports?
fruit used for LBVs does not tend to be of the same quality
Where is LBV wine typically stored before bottling? Why?
- large old wooden vessels or stainless-steel vats
- to avoid oxidation
What’s the benefit of filtered LBV Ports?
- filtered on bottling and therefore can be drunk without decanting being necessary
Describe the price and quality of filtered LBV Port.
- good to very good in quality
- usually mid-priced
Why are LBV Ports bottled ready to drink?
- lower quality fruit
- longer ageing before bottling
Describe LBV Port that was not filtered before bottling. How is it made? What might it require?
- 4-5 years in wood followed by a further few years in bottle before release
- more full-bodied
- benefit from bottle maturation
If LBV Port has been aged for three years in bottle before release, how can it be labeled?
‘bottle matured’
Describe the price and quality of unfiltered LBV Port.
- very good quality
- mid-priced
How do the highest quality unfiltered LBV Ports taste?
similar in style to young Vintage Ports
What is another term for Rose Port?
Pink Port
Who invented Rose Port? When?
- Croft
- in the late 2000s
How is Rose Port made?
- from black grape varieties
- must is left to macerate for only a few hours, before draining the free run juice and clarification (some of the lightest press juice may also be used)
Grapes from what areas are used to make Rose Port?
grapes that tend to come from the coolest areas, high altitudes or from the Baixo Corgo
At what temperature does Rose Port ferment? Why?
- 15-16°C
- to retain red berry fruit aromas
Describe the aguardente used to fortify Rose Port. Why is this important?
- must be as neutral as possible and of a high quality
- must not stand out given that this style has less intense flavours and usually little tannin compared to red Ports
When are Rose Ports bottled and released?
- bottled soon after the fortification
- released from the winery within a year
Describe Rose Port.
- inexpensive to mid-priced
- colour and flavour profile depends on the producer (they range from pale salmon to almost ruby)
When are grapes for White Port harvested? Why?
- harvested at the same time (varieties for White Port are often scattered within mixed vineyards)
- may be harvested first (before black grapes) in vineyard parcels that are planted entirely to white varieties
Describe White Ports made with Muscatel.
- fruity, unoxidized style
- aromatic fruity and floral notes
- lemon in colour
- medium bodied
- flavours of stone fruits or floral notes
How are fruity, unoxidized White Ports made?
- grapes crushed
- SO2 added
- maceration may last a couple of hours at chilled temperatures to limit oxidation
- must then drained and pressed
- juice fermented off the skins at temperatures similar to those used for unfortified white wines (under 18°C) to enhance and retain fruity aromas
- stored in either stainless steel or in very large old oak casks for a short period
Describe White Ports made with Malvasia.
- highly oxidised style
- subtle flavours in youth becoming honeyed and nutty with age
- amber or even brown in colour
- lavours of caramel, citrus peel, dried stone fruits and nuts
How are highly oxidized White Ports made?
- may spend slightly longer on their skins to extract more phenolics that will support the wine during the ageing process
- aged for several years in small casks (like premium Tawny Ports)
Describe slightly oxidized White Ports. How are they made?
- more limited ageing in oak
- fresh fruit but a slight nuttiness
How can White Ports be labelled?
same labelling terms as Tawny Ports (Reserve, Age-indicated, Colheita)
What is the requirement for ‘Reserve’ White Ports?
aged in wood for a minimum of 7 years
How can White Ports be labelled with an indication of age?
- 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old
- if it is deemed to have the characteristics and taste of that age by the IVDP tasting panel
How can White Ports be labelled as Colheita?
- wine comes from a single vintage
- is aged for a minimum of 7 years
