Fortified Wine: Port

Question 1

Port is a fortified wine.
What style is it always?
–dry
–sweet

Answer 1

Port is always sweet

Question 2

When is Port fortified with neutral grape spirit?

Answer 2

During fermentation so that the natural sugar remains.

Question 3

In what region is Port made?

Answer 3

Douro region, in NW Portugal

Question 4

What River runs through the Douro region (and the Port wine growing area)?

Answer 4

Douro River

Question 5

What is the climate of Port?

Answer 5

It ranges:
-Warm, balmy Maritime in west that closer to the Atlantic
-Hot and dry in the east moving towards Spain.

Question 6

The Port region is:
-very flat
-sort of hilly
-steep and mountainous

Answer 6

Steep and Mountainous

Question 7

What is the main soil type found in Port?

Answer 7

Schist (drains well)

Question 8

The single most important grapes in Port is _____.

Answer 8

Touriga Nacional

Question 9

In Port, vineyards are planted on the incredibly steep hillsides.

How are the grapes harvested?

Answer 9

by hand

no machine can maneuver these terraces

Question 10

What are ‘quintas’ in Port?

Answer 10

Single Vineyards

Question 11

Port is almost always:
-single grapes variety
-a blend of several grapes

Answer 11

a blend of several grapes

Question 12

In traditional Port houses, how are the grapes usually crushed?

Answer 12

by foot

Question 13

What are ‘lagares’?

Answer 13

Big, shallow (1m/3ft) troughs that are filled with grapes, where harvest workers stomp the grapes by foot and macerate the grapes.

Question 14

Port’s fermentation is fast or long?

Answer 14

Fast
–preserves fruitiness
–maximizes flavor and color extraction

Question 15

At what point during fermentation is Port fortified to stop the wine from fermenting?

Answer 15

When about 1/3 of the sugar has been fermented (at this point the abv is about 5%)

Question 16

To what abv is Port fortified?

Answer 16

19%-22%

Question 17

What is the name of the neutral grape spirit used to fortify Port?

Answer 17

Aguardente

Question 18

What are the 2 overarching styles of Port?

Answer 18

1. Ruby
2. Tawny

Question 19

What does a Ruby-style port typically indicate?

Answer 19

That the Port was aged in the bottle

Question 20

What does a Tawny-style Port typically indicate?

Answer 20

That the Port was aged in cask

Question 21

Name 4 styles of Ruby Port.

Answer 21

1. Ruby
2. LBV
3. Vintage
4. Single Quinta

Question 22

Name 4 styles of Tawny Port.

Answer 22

1. Tawny
2. 10 year tawny
3. 20 year tawny
4. 30 year tawny
5. 40 year tawny

Question 23

The style of Port indicated on the label is based on how long the wine spent in ____ or in _____.

Answer 23

Cask or bottle

Question 24

Describe a Ruby Port.

Answer 24

young
blend of vintages and vineyards
inexpensive
fruity

Question 25

Describe an LBV Port.

Answer 25

Grapes from top Quinta’s blended together

ages 4-6 years in cask before it’s bottled

Still quite fruity

Question 26

Describe a Vintage Port.

Answer 26

Made only from best Quinta’s in exceptional vintages (about 4 times a decade)

Aged 2 years in cask before being bottled where it can/should spend at least another decade…

most expensive

most age worthy

Question 27

Describe a Single Quinta Port.

Answer 27

Fruit from the top Quinta’s (or vineyards) in non-declared vintages.

Question 28

Describe the general style of Tawny Port.

Answer 28

nutty
oxidized
caramel, toffee notes
full bodied
high alcohol
amber in color (not red like ruby’s)

Question 29

Tawny Ports are aged entirely in ____.

Answer 29

cask

Question 30

What do the age indications mean on a bottle of Tawny Port?

Answer 30

They are approximations of the ages of all the wines in the blend.

As the age indications increase (10, 20, 30, 40) the wines become progressively more concentrated and developed.

Question 31

Between 2005-2020, what years were declared vintages in Port?

What might be considered the top three? *

Answer 31

2007
2008
2009
2011 *
2015
2016*
2017*