44 - Port Flashcards
the technique of adding grape spirit to a fermenting juice to create an alcoholic sweet wine
1. name of beverage
2. has been used in the region since
- Ports
- the eighteenth century
colour of Port
red, white & rosé
the activities of the Port industry are divided between …
A) the twin coastal cities of
1. Porto
2. Vila Nova de Gaia
which lie on opposite sides of the mouth of the river Douro
B) the vineyard area that starts 70 km upstream of these towns
These two areas are distinctly different
the vineyards area of Port is divided into …
3 sub-regions
1. Baixo Corgo: lightest wines
2. Cima Corgo: greatest number of the top vineyards
3. Douro Superior: still relatively sparsely planted, also renowned as a source of top-quality wine
the vineyards area of Port is divided into …
3 sub-regions
1. Baixo Corgo: lightest wines
2. Cima Corgo: greatest number of the top vineyards
3. Douro Superior: still relatively sparsely planted, also renowned as a source of top-quality wine
climate & infl. of the vy area of Port
- Warm Continental
- shielded from the cooling rain-bearing Atlantic winds by the Serra do Marão
- the climate is not uniform
- Baixo Corgo in the west: coolest & wettest of the sub-regions
- the vy become progressively hotter & dryer the further east they are located
- frost in spring
- heavy downpours can, on occasion, disrupt flowering as well as harvest
- in the summer, daytime temperatures can be very high
- rainfall throughout the growing season is very low
- schist bedrock, which fractures vertically allowing the vines’ roots to access deep water reserves that are built up by the winter rains
topography of the vy area of Port
- the vy in the Baixo & Cima Corgo are planted on the very tall & very steep slopes that rise up from the banks of the Douro & its tributaries
- the topography is very varied & this can be exploited by the growers
- there can be clear temperature differences between the top & the bottom of a slope due to the change in altitude
- some sites that have a more northerly aspect are deliberately used because they face away from the full force of the sun
- simply managing vineyards on such steep slopes is an enourmous & costly challenge
- 3 types of systems (2 terraced, 1 unterraced)
3 systems used for vy area of Port
Traditionally
- the vines were planted on narrow terraces, known as socalcos, which were supported by stone walls
- each terrace can only support a few a few rows of vines & no vy mechanisation is possible
- the walls are also expensive to maintain
- nevertheless this system is still widely used
A new style of terrace
- was developed to allow some mechanisation
- they are called patamares
- built without retaining walls
- each terrace is wide enough to allow tractor access
where the angle of the slope is low
- an unterraced system called vinha ao alto may be used
- vines are planted up & down the slope & accessed by roads cutting across the slope from where machinery is operated by winches
both of these two latest systems are particularly prone to erosion
- this is particularly true of vinha ao alto, which is simply not viable on the steepest slopes
what is socalcos
- vy system used in vy areas for Port
- traditionally the vines were planted on narrow terraces, which were supported by stone walls
- each terrace can only support a few a few rows of vines & no vy mechanisation is possible
- the walls are also expensive to maintain
- nevertheless this system is still widely used
what is patamares
- A new style of terrace used for the vy areas used for Port
- was developed to allow some mechanisation
- built without retaining walls
- each terrace is wide enough to allow tractor access
- particularly prone to erosion
what is vinha ao alto
- a vy system used for the vy areas of Port
- can be used where the angle of the slope is low
- an unterraced system
- vines are planted up & down the slope & accessed by roads cutting across the slope from where machinery is operated by winches
- particularly prone to erosion
- simply not viable on the steepest slopes
grape varieties used for red Port
- bl or sv, grape char.
- varieties preferred in premium Port production
- the vast majority of red Ports are complex blends of many different varieties which, in the Douro, tend to be thick-skinned & high in tannin with black fruit & floral aromas
- there are 5 varieties that are preferred in premium Port production
1. Touriga Franca
2. Tinta Roriz
3. Tinta Barroca
4. Touriga Nacional
5. Tinto Cão
fermentation in Port production
- Port fermentation is stopped by fortification once the alcohol level reaches 5-9% abv, to create a sweet wine
- the fermentation typically only lasts for around 24-36 hours
extraction techniques in Port production
- the normal extraction techniques used in the production of red wines are simply not vigorous enough to produce a wine that has the level of colour & tannin expected of Port. Instead, other techniques are used
- Foot treading
- Autovinifiers
- Piston plungers & robotic lagares
Foot treading in Port production
- this is the traditional method of extraction in Port production & the benchmark against which all other methods are judged
- large teams of workers tread the grapes for 3-4 hours in shallow granite throughs, or lagares
- once fermentation is underway, foot treading stops & the cap is then regularly punched down to extract more colour & tannin
- this method is not widely used now because it is so labour intensive
- but it is still used for some premium wines
what is lagares?
shallow granite throughs used for foot treading in Port production
the traditional method of extraction in Port production & the benchmark against which all other methods are judged
foot treading
autovinifiers
- one of the earliest methods used to automate extraction
- still widely used
- crushed grapes are put into sealed vats & the rising pressure of th CO2 given off by the fermentation pushes the juice up through pipes into a holding tank
- when the pressure of the CO2 reaches a set level a valve is automatically released & the wine in the holding tank, no longer supported by the gas pressure, floods down over the cap
- the valve resets itself & the process starts again
- this is similar to pumping over but the amount of contact between the wine & the skins is much higher because, when the fermentation is very active, a cycle will complete every 15-20 minutes
- in this system pre-fermentation extraction is limited & many newer autovinifiers now include mechanical paddles to help with this
piston plungers & robotic lagares
- these systems are designed to imitate foot treading as closely as possible
- piston-plungers are round shallow open topped, ss vats where the cap is pressed down with robotic pistons
- the robotic lagar involves the use of a shallow & rectangular ss tank of the approximate size of the traditional lagar, which is adapted to carry a self-propelled gantry with robotic ‘feet’
- the gantry moves up & down the lagar with the feet copying the action of foot treading by actually squashing the grapes against the floor of the tank
- once the ‘foot treading’ phase is over, these machines carry out regular punch downs
- many consider these systems as good as foot treading & they are widely employed in the production of premium wines
what does fortification do, and what % is Port fortified to?
fortification kills the yeast to create a stable sweet wine with between 19-22% abv
the timing of the fortification of Port will depend on …
- the initial must weight
- the required level of sweetness
