Fortified wine - Port Flashcards
What are the 3 sub-regions making port?
- Baixo Corgo - lightest wine
- Cimo Corgo - the greatest number of vineyards
- Douro Superior - the source of top-quality wine
What is the characteristics of Baixo Corgo
coolest and wettest
What are the five key varieties of Port?
- Tinta Roriz
- Touriga Nacional
- Touriga France
- Tinta Barroca
- Tinto Cao
= thick-skinned, high tannin, black fruit, floral character
Name three types of vineyard design
- socalcos
- retaining wall + lack of easy access - patamares
- no retaining walls + each individual terrace can be accessed by the road - vinha ao alto
- vines are planted in line with the slope. Cannot be used in the steepest slope
What site is viticulture used?
schist bedrock
- fractures vertically allowing vines’ roots to access deep water reserves that are built up by the winter rains
When will post-fermentation stop?
when the alcohol level reaches 5-9% abv
Describe foot treading
- the traditional method of extraction
- large teams of workers tread the grapes for 3-4 hours in shallow granite thoughts
- once fermentation is underway, foot treading stop and the cap is then regularly punched down to extract more colour and tannin
- labour intensive
Describe autovinifiers
- fermentation creates CO2 that pushed up the juice through the pipes into a holding tank automatically
- a cycle of 15-20 mins
Describe Piston plungers and robotic lagares
- designed to imitate the foot treading as closely as possible
- consider as good as foot treading
What is the percentage of spirit in the total volume of a bottle of port?
around 20%
Name the place that is used for maturation
Vila Nova de Gaia
- cool coastal climate
Is new oak flavour a characteristic that is desired in any port?
No
- no new oak influence!!!
What is the ageing requirement of Ruby port?
1-3 years old
Describe Tawny
- no long oxidative ageing
- use less heavily extracted or lighter wine from Baixo Cargo (cool and wet climate)
What is the ageing requirement of Reserve Tawny
minimum of 6 years
What is Tawny with an Indication of Age
- undergo a long period of oxidative maturation
- labelled as 10,20,30 years old
- age stated on label
What is Late Bottled Vintage (LBV)
- aged 4-6 years in large barrels
- unfiltered
Describe Vintage port
- release a vintage in the second year after harvest
- aged no more than three years in large old barrels or tanks then bottled
- unfiltered and unfined = heavy sediment
What is Single Quinta Vintage Ports
- best years wine from Quinta = make vintage port
- less prestige than vintage port but high in quality
Ruby Port is deeply coloured and sweet with primary fruit flavours. How are these achieved?
- 5 key varieties tend to be thick-skinned. Warm continental climate, especially in the inland areas of Douro = tend to produce wine with good contrition
- Port fermentation is stopped by fortification once the alcohol level reaches 5-9% = sweet wine
- Extraction techniques = deep colour.
Eg. Foot treading = large team of workers tread the grapes for 3-4 hours to extract more colours
4.Autovinifers = similar to pumping over cycle 15-20 minutes can be used to extract more colours
- Piston Plungers and robotic lagares = cap is pressed down regularly
- Predominant primary fruit character. Producer look to minimise the effect of oxygen on the flavour of wine and they will only age these wines for a relatively short period of time in a very large oak vessels or stainless steel tanks.
Describe the process of opening and decanting a fully mature Vintage port
- remove horizontally from its crack
- place in decanting basket or hold to make sure deposit is not agitated
- remove the top of capsule
- clean the shoulder and neck of the bottle
- gently remove the cork
- hold bottle in front of light pour wine into decanter
- stop pouring when deposit is seen in near the neck.
