44 - Port Flashcards
What are the two towns where Port is made? What are the three vineyard areas?
twin coastal cities - Porto and Vila Nova de Gala (lie on opposite ides of river Douro)
Vineyard areas:
Baixo Corgo - lightest wines
Cima Corgo - top vineyards
Douro Superior - renowned top quality
What is the climate of the wine-growing regions for Port? What are the biggest climatic challenges?
warm and continental (the Serra do Marao shields region from cooling rain-bearing Atlantic winds)
But, varies depending on region
Baixo Corgo in west is coolest and wettest, the vineyards become hotter and drier the further east they are. BC -> CG -> DS (west to east)
biggest challenges: frosts in spring, heavy downpours that disrupt flowering and harvest
schist bedrock enables viticulture bc it fractures vertically, letting vine’s roots reach down toaccess deep water reserves
True/False: topography in Port vineyards is very uniform
False. It is very varied and growers can exploit this. the temperature between the top and bottom of slope can differ a lot.
What are the three styles of vineyards design used in Port vineyards to manage vineyards on these steep slopes
socalcos: narrow terraces supported by stone walls. Each terrace can only support a few rows of vines. Vineyard mechanisation impossible.
patamares: new style of terrace developed to allow mechanisation. built without retaining walls and each terrace wide enough to allow tractor access.
vinha ao alto: unterraced system that may be used when angle of slope is low. vines are planted in line iwth slope and accessed by roads cutting across slope.
problems: vinha ao alto and patamares prone to erosion
True/False: the majority of red Ports are blends of different varieties
True.
What are the black varieties preferred in the production of red Port?
thick-skinned, tannic, black fruited and floral grapes
Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao
What are the steps of making port in the winery?
Fermentation: fermentation stopped by fortification once alcohol reaches 5-9% abv. Fermentation only lasts 24-36 hours.
Because fermentation is so short, other methods than the normal extraction techniques are used to produce level of color and tannin expected in port: foot treading, autovinifiers, Piston plungers and robotic lagares.
fortification: port is fortified to 19% to 22% abv. All port is sweet but some sweeter than others. The spirit used to sweeten port is aguardente - it can be no stronger than 77% abv.
maturation: port is transported downstream to Vila Nova de Gala for maturation.
What are the 3 methods of extraction used in Port production?
Foot treading: traditional method. Large teams workers tread grapes for 3-4 hours in granite troughs (lagares) until fermentation is underway. Cap is then punched down to extract more color and tannin. very labor intensive but used for some premium wines.
Autovinifiers - still widely used, automates extraction. Crushed grapes put into sealed vats, CO2 given off by fermentation pushes juice up through pipes into tank. When pressure of CO2 reaches set level, valve is released and wine in tank floods downover the cap. the valve resets itself, and process starts over again. Similar to pumping over because cycle can complete every 15-20 mins. Pre-fermentation extraction is limited.
Piston plungers and robotic lagares - designed to imitate foot treading.
Piston plungers are open topped staninless steel vats, cap pressed down with robotic pistons.
Robotic lagares - shallow rectangular tank about size of traditional lagar and carris self-propelled gantry with robotic feet that copies action of foot treading.
These machines then carry out regular punch downs after foot treading is over.
True/False: on average, a bottle of Port has much more spirit in a bottle htan Fino sherry
True. totle volume average 20% spirit in Port; 3.5% in Fino Sherry
Why is Port generally transported downstream to Vila Nova de Gaia for maturation?
cooler coastal climate well suited to slow maturation of Port.
Some wines like those destined for Tawny Port are stored up the douro (higher temps -> faster ageing and loss of color)
What type of maturation does Port undergo?
old oak vessels, smal or large. new oak not desirable.
How does the maturation vessel used for Port determine the two broad styles that result?
ruby styles: predominant primary fruit character - these are aged short period in very large oak or stainless steel to minimize effect oxygen on flavor. This is how Ruby, Reserve Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage Ports are aged. some LBVs and all Vintage Ports are not filtered and can benefit from long bottle ageing.
tawny styles: undergo long oxidative maturation in barrels called pipes. differences color flavor from ruby styles is entirely due to maturation. with age, becomes raisiny, walnuts, coffee, chocolate, caramel. fully devleoped on release.
throw deposit during wood ageing.
majority of Ports are complex blends different varieties and sites.
what does the term ‘reserve/reserva’ mean as a labelling term for port?
applied to both ruby and tawny; higher quality
must be wood aged minimum 6 years
What are Late bottled Vintage (LBV) ports?
vintage wines
aged 4-6 yrs pre-bottling in large oak, which makes them more approachable on release
vast majority fined and filtered
similar to high-quality Reserve Ruby Port
rarely benefit from extra bottle ageing
What are the age indications for Tawny with an Indication of Age?
ports that undergo long maturation in pipes
10, 20, 30, or 40 years old.
must be consistent with characteristics typical of wine of that age.
age on the label is an average age
finest of all Tawny ports
