Port

Question 1

What is a Colheita Port?

Answer 1

Single Vintage Tawny Port, minimum of 7 Years old

Question 2

What does LBV stand for?

Answer 2

Late Bottle Vintage

Question 3

For what two fortified wines are Portugal famous?

Answer 3

Port and Madeira

Question 4

What are the two primary categories of Port?

Answer 4

Bottle aged or wood aged

Question 5

What style of wine is Setubal?

Answer 5

Sweet fortified wine- Muscat grape (Moscatel)

Question 6

What wine region is known for its fortified muscats?

Answer 6

Setubal

Question 7

What is an LBV? How does it differ from a Vintage Port?

Answer 7

Late Bottled Vintage, aged in cask 4 to 6 years, usually filtered

Question 8

What is a Vin Doux Naturel?

Answer 8

Naturally sweet wine, fortified during fermentation

Question 9

List three Vins Doux Naturels

Answer 9

Rasteau, Banyuls, Mavry, Muscat de……

Question 10

What are the typical alcohol and residual sugar levels in a Port immediately following fortification?

Answer 10

Rs= 8 to 12%
ABV= 20%

Question 11

Vintage Port declared:

Answer 11

2005, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1994, 1992, 1991
2005 Great Vintage
2000 Classic deep color and richness
1997 Ageworthy
1994 Yields down, quality up.

Question 12

Another name for sweet white port?

Answer 12

Lagrima

Question 13

True or False, all Port spends time aging in cask.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What is vimblanc?

Answer 14

A fortified style of wine produced from over- ripe grapes in Monstant and Tarragona

Question 15

What is Aguardente?

Answer 15

Neutral grape spirit of 77% alcoholic strength, used to fortify Port

Question 16

What type of wine are these regions known for? Muscat De Beaunes add Venice (Rhone), Muscat De Saint Jean De Minervois (Languedoc), Muscat De Frontignan (Lang), Muscat De Mineval (Lang), Muscat De Lunel (Lang), Muscat De Riversaltes (Lang)

Answer 16

VDNs (Vins Doux Naturels)- Other Fortified Wines

Question 17

What is the key varietal used in VDN (and what is VDN) and which is the lesser used grape?

Answer 17

VDN- Vins Doux Naturels- 95% ABV grape spirit is added to partially fermented must to make a strong sweet wine (15- 20% ABV)
Muscat
Lesser= Grenache

Question 18

What are the 5 preferred grapes for Port production?

Answer 18

Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
Touriga Nacional- Finest used for very best
Touriga Franca- Premium
Tinta Cao- Very Little
Tinta Barroca

Question 19

Describe details of the fortification of Port

Answer 19

Once the fermented wine has reached 6% to 9% ABV, spirit @ 77% ABV is added @ 1 part spirit to 4 parts of wine. This kills yeast and stop fermentation.

Question 20

Describe climate of Douro vineyards

Answer 20

Dry/ Continental. Serra Do Marao protect vineyards from the rain- bearing winds.

Question 21

Describe climate of Douro vineyards

Answer 21

Dry/ Continental. Serra Do Marao protect vineyards from the rain- bearing winds.

Question 22

What styles of Port are bottle aged?

Answer 22

Vintage

Single Quinta Vintage

Question 23

What is the key difference between wood maturation and bottle maturation of Port?

Answer 23

Wood is ready to drink and bottle needs further maturation for many years.

Question 24

What are the two key styles of Port? (Ie What are two ways Port can be matured)?

Answer 24

Wood matured

Bottle matured

Question 25

Which style of Port is a high quality ruby of one or more vintage, bottled young and unfiltered. They throw heavy sediment (crust) and require decanting.

Answer 25

Crusted Port

Question 26

Which style of Port is the result of 7 yrs maturation in cask and can be very soft and smooth and recognised by their more russet, tawny rim.

Answer 26

Reserve Tawny Port

Question 27

Which style of Port is made by blending ruby and white ports to produce cheap wines recognised by their Pink rim.

Answer 27

Tawny Port

Question 28

Which style of Port is known for single vintage that age in cask until just before sale. Min aging is 8 yrs, though many are longer.

Answer 28

Colheita Ports

Question 29

Which style of port is made from a specific,but not necessarily a “declared” year, aged in cask for 4- 6 yrs before bottling. Can be traditional style (bottled unfiltered) or modern (matured in cask and filtered before bottling)

Answer 29

Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV)

Question 30

Which style of Port is from 1 or more vintages, cask matured for up to 5 yrs before bottling. Full bodied w/ rich fruit and better integration and ready for drinking when bottled

Answer 30

Reserve Ruby Port

Question 31

Which Port is a full vintage Port that is the product of a single estate, the flagship of the shippers vineyard holdings

Answer 31

Single Quinta Vintage Port

Question 32

Which Port is the product of one particular year, typically best vineyards only and bottled when they are 2 years old. Mature slowly and peak @ 29 yrs. Throw heavy deposits. Not produced every year

Answer 32

Vintage Ports

Question 33

Which style of Port is young, non vintage, full- bodied, deeply coloured wine, generally sold at less than 3 hrs old.

Answer 33

Ruby Port

Question 34

Describe soils/ typography of the Douro that make it known for Port production?

Answer 34

Vineyards are planted on terraces (originally were narrow Socalcos and now wider Patameres) cut into the Schistorous Rock on steep hillsides

Question 35

Is alcohol added during during or after fermentation in the production of Port?

Answer 35

During, alcohol is added to halt the ferment before it has finished naturally

Question 36

Is Port fortified during or after fermentation

Answer 36

During

Question 37

What is the typical aroma of Port?

Answer 37

Port aromas include Pepper, Smoke, Truffles and Blackcurrant

Question 38

Port….

Answer 38

The famous fortified wine of Portugal’s Douro Valley, enjoys the protection of one of the world’s most co- opted wines styles.

Question 39

What is the firm that protects Port?

Answer 39

Douro Port Institute (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto- IVDP). It absorbed the powers of the Comissao Interprofesional da Regiao Demarcada do Douro in 2003, which in turn replaced the Casa do Douro in 1995.

Question 40

The Casa do Douro…

Answer 40

A syndicate of growers guilds was established in 1932, it was the regulator of viticulture. It lost its regulatory functions after it bought a controlling share in Royal Oporto, a port shipper and the surviving remnant of the Companhia Geral dos Vinhos do Alto Douro, the original oversight commonly established in 1756.

Question 41

IVDP

Answer 41

Supervises: promotion, production, and trade of all Porto and Douro DOP wines. Port houses must maintain “lei do tergo”(law of the third). This decrees restricts sales of Port to 1/3 of a houses total inventory annually. IVDP also guarantees label integrity and age restrictions and samples appellation wines for authenticity.

Question 42

Beneficio authorization

Answer 42

The maximum amount of wine that may be fortified in a given year- based on a matrix of 12 factors. Each factor has a minimum and maximum score. Max score is 2361. Vineyards over 1200 are awarded an A grade. B Vineyards are scored between 1001 and 1200.

Question 43

Seven soil and climate factors are scored…..

Answer 43

Location, altitude, exposure, bedrock, rough matter, slope and shelter.

Question 44

The next five factors relate to the vine itself……

Answer 44

Type so vine, planting density, yield, training system and vine age.

Question 45

Maximum yields

Answer 45

Red Grapes: 55 hl/ ha

White Grapes: 65 hl/ ha

Question 46

Preferred red grapes

Answer 46

Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Francisca and Mourisa Tinto. Must be 60% of blend

Question 47

Preferred white grapes

Answer 47

Gouveio, Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Rabigato, Esgana Cao, Folgasao.

Question 48

How are grapes harvested?

Answer 48

By hand

Question 49

Where are the Douro’s vineyards planted?

Answer 49

On steep, terraced slopes, but new planting systems abandon traditional terraces in favour of planting vines in vertical rows leading up slopes (Vinhos Ao alta)

Question 50

Patamares?

Answer 50

Wider terraces that can be navigated by tractor

Question 51

Port winemaking?

Answer 51

Fruit arrives early, foot crushed and fermented in lagares. Smaller Quintas continue this. Use music for the workers and tourists. Larger houses use automated technology.

Question 52

How long does Port fermentation last?

Answer 52

2-3 days (short). Maximises color extraction and flavour in a limited amount of time. Once the winemaker has reached its desired amount of r/s the fermented wine is pressed off the solids and prepared for fortification.

Question 53

Beneficio

Answer 53

The fortification of wine and spirit occurs when approximately 1/3 of the sugar content has been converted to alcohol. The wine is fortified to 19.2% ABV by the addition of “Aguardente” (burning water)- a 77% ABV neutral grape spirit. The spirit is uncomplicated, does nothing for the feel of the Port, but helps with maturity

Question 54

Beneficio

Answer 54

Known as mutage in France, halts fermentation, killing yeasts and preserves sweetness in the Port

Question 55

Most ports use what sort of ratio for Aguardente?

Answer 55

1:4, although lower alcohol (and drier) styles of white Port are produced.

Question 56

Rose ports were pioneered by what Port house?

Answer 56

Crofts

Question 57

Choices following fortification?

Answer 57

Length of aging, type of vessel. All determine final style of wine.

Question 58

Pipe

Answer 58

Traditional barrel used for both aging and shipping Port, varies in size. In Douro Valley it usually hold about 550 ltrs, whereas pipes in Vila Nova de Gaia will contain 620 ltrs. The size for a shipping pipe for Port is set at 534.25 ltrs, although pipes used for shipping Madeira and Marsala are smaller.

Question 59

Ruby Port

Answer 59

Are wines that will display darker color, more youthful fruit and slice tones, and a more aggressive, fiery character.

Question 60

Tawny Ports

Answer 60

Are cask aged, and develop more complex, mature tones of toffee, dried fruits and toasted nuts with time. They develop lighter, Amber tones of color as it ages in wood.

Question 61

Aging traditionally……

Answer 61

Occurred in the Port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia, a suburb of Oporto although this ceased to be mandatory in 1986. While the cooler air of coastal Oporto is preferable to the warmer Douro DOP for long term maturation, modern climate control makes it a moot point. Today many smaller Quinta age their port at facilities in Douro valley

Question 62

Ruby port

Answer 62

Ruby port is aged in bulk (wood, cement or stainless steel) for 2 or 3 yrs prior to bottling. Port is uncomplicated, deeply coloured and inexpensive. Ruby Port does not carry a vintage date.

Question 63

Ruby Reserve Port

Answer 63

Ruby reserve, or Premium Ruby, replaced the term vintage character and offers more complexity and character than a basic Ruby Port

Question 64

Vintage Port

Answer 64

Most expensive Port, approximately 1-3% of production. Will only declare a vintage year in exceptional years, 3 yrs in a decade. Must be authorised by the IVDP, and is aged in cask before being bottled 30th of July of the 3rd year of harvest. They continue to develop in bottle for decades. Needs decanting because they form a crust

Question 65

Single Qunita Vintage Port

Answer 65

Is the product of one estate’s harvest. A port house cannot confidently declare a vintage, it may nonetheless showcase the fruit of one of its better estates as a vintage wine. In vintage year such an esteemed estate usually provide the backbone of a shippers vintage port. They improve with additional bottle age

Question 66

Warre’s single Quinta vintage port?

Answer 66

Quinta de Cavadinha

Question 67

Taylor’s Single Quinta Vintage Port?

Answer 67

Quinta de Vargellas

Question 68

Dow’s Single Quinta Vintage Port?

Answer 68

Qunita do Bomfim

Question 69

Late- Bottled Vintage Port

Answer 69

LBV spends 4-6 yrs in cask prior to bottling. The wines get a mellowed tones of a Tawny, while remaining youthful fruit and directness of of a Ruby port. Always the product of single vintage, but quality varies. Usually filtered b4 bottling, no decanting, do not improve with aging.

Question 70

Tawny Port

Answer 70

They do not undergo extensive cask aging that is critical to style, paler wines- due to the provenance of grapes, less thorough extraction, or the addition of white Port. Lesser vineyards and vintages constitute these wines, which are a popular aperitif in France.

Question 71

Reserve Tawny Port

Answer 71

Ages for at least 7 yrs prior to bottling. Blended from several vintages. They retain some youthful freshness while gaining a hint of creamy, delicate nature of a true old Tawny. They will not improve with additional bottle age.

Question 72

Tawny Port with indication of Age

Answer 72

Might be labeled 10, 20, 30 or 40 yrs old. More concentrated and developed character. More pronounced oxidative, radio state by 40 yrs of age. Racked once annually. Additional wine and spirit added. Then blended due prior to bottling. Age is an indication of taste not an approximate.

Question 73

Colheita Port

Answer 73

Colheita Tawny Port is a vintage Port. It Spends most a minimum of 7 yrs in cask many state in cask for decades. Some houses will not bottle until an order is received. It’s characters can vary from bottle to bottle.

Question 74

Viticulture- Port

Answer 74

Phylloxera devastated in 19th century
Most vines: Guyot- pruned. Wire trained. Late Sept, 3 wks.
1) Socalos: walled terraces. 2 rows wide. Hi density (6000 v/ha)
2) Patamares: (70s). Ramps. Lower density (3500 v/ ha). Tractors.
3) Vinhos ao Alto: vines running up and down slope. Some mechanisation.

Question 75

Vinification

Answer 75

Rapid extraction of colour and tannins + addition of brandy spirit at right moment during fermentation.

Question 76

Crushing and maceration- Port

Answer 76

Trad method: whole bunches or crushed grapes into Lagares.

Nowadays: mechanised crushing and maceration by robotic punch- down, automatic pump overs or autovinifiers

Question 77

Fermentation and fortification- Port

Answer 77

Ferment conducted by natural yeasts @ hi temps (30c) for colour and tannins extraction.

ABV= 6-9% ABV wine drained from skins + fortified with Aguardente (77% ABV spirit) at 1:4.

Results: 18-19% ABV alcohol and fermentation stopped. White port: same technique but white grapes.

Question 78

Maturation- Port

Answer 78

550l pipes storage.

Best batches reserved to declare vintage port. Others age with some level oxidation.

Tannins softer + color evolves. Maturation in Vila Nova de Gaia (mandatory to mature there until 1986). Douro bake: sweet, caramelised flavour typical to maturation in lodges.

Question 79

Styles- wood matured- Port

Answer 79

1) Ruby- 3 yrs in lrg oak vats: deep Ruby, fresh, fruity and Robust.
2) Premium/ Reserve Ruby: 5 yrs. lrg oak. More colour and depth.
3) White: white grapes, skin contact. 18mth young.
4) Fine Tawny: basic. Blend in young Ruby and white port.
5) Aged tawny: oxidatively aged. 8 yrs. tawny colour. Soft.
6) LBV: single vintage. 4-6 yrs bottled. Common fined, cold stabilised before bottling.

Question 80

Bottle matured- Port

Answer 80

1) Vintage Port: highest quality, 2% of production, exceptional years, aged in wood for 2-3 yrs anaerobically and bottled without filtration for further maturation, needs decanting
2) Single Quintas: bottled without filtration after 2 yrs in wood, will mature earlier vs Vintage port

Question 81

Trade and Legal Structures- Port

Answer 81

Benificio system: put in place in 1947 to keep supply and demand in check.

Quintas ranked every year from A to F according to 12 factors (incl Location, Altitude, Gradiant, Aspect, vines, soil type, shelters).

Point system is calculated by IVDP.

Question 82

Key Producers- Port

Answer 82

90m litres produced every year.

Very fragmented: 38,000ha for 33,000 growers (80% holdings

Question 83

Cruz- Port

Answer 83

1, mainly French market

Question 84

Symington (Dow’s, Graham, Warre)

Answer 84

Dominant family for 4 generations, founded in 1882, introduced robotic lagares in 80s.

Ferreira: Portugese port house, sold to Symingtons in 89, leading brand in Portugal, famous for non- port wine Barca Velha in 50s

Question 85

Cockburn

Answer 85

Founded in 1815.

Famous for premium, Ruby, Special Reserve

Question 86

Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fronseca and Croft)

Answer 86

Family owned, 30% of premium Port worldwide

Croft: est in 1678 under different name, also invested in Sherry in 70s (Pale Cream),

Taylor’s: independent, established in 1692 with a lot of different names, famous for vintage port, owns Quinta de Vargellas,

Sanderman: est by a Scot in 1790, accursed by Sogrape 01

Question 87

Sales- Port

Answer 87

80% Premium and 20% standard. France: 25% of sales but mainly young Tawny. US/ UK/ Canada: Premium buyers.

Question 88

What is the traditional barrel used for aging and shipping Port wines?

Answer 88

Pipe

Question 89

Vintage Port is considered a type of Ruby Port.

Answer 89

True

Question 90

When are Port wines fortified?

Answer 90

During Fermentation

Question 91

Which of the following grapes is not a preferred red varietal for Porto wines? Tina Barroca, Folgasão, Bastardo, Tinta Francesa, Touriga Nacional

Answer 91

Folgasao

Question 92

What is a Colheita Port?

Answer 92

A vintage-dated Tawny with a minimum 7 years in cask

Question 93

Location- Port

Answer 93

The vineyard area is inland in the Upper Douro. The port trade has important bases in the coastal towns of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia

Question 94

Climate- Port

Answer 94

Oporto: There is a moderate maritime climate with high rainfall.

Upper Douro: There is a warm- hot continental climate with variable rainfall levels. Summers become drier and hotter further inland.

Question 95

Soils- Port

Answer 95

Schist. The soils are normally cry thin and infertile and have poor water holding capacity but the vine roots can draw on water from the sub-soil

Question 96

Vineyard- Port

Answer 96

V/yard area subdivided into three areas:

Baixa Corgo, Cima Corgo (the classic areas for premium ports) and Douro Superior.

V/yard ownership is very fragmented.

Owned by 30,000 growers who sell to co-ops or shippers. Baixa and Cima Corgo is made up of very steep slopes. Terracing is the most common way of managing the terrain.

Question 97

Socalcos- Port

Answer 97

These are the old walled terraces. The presence of the wall is defining quality. Some have 1 or 2 rows on a flat terrace some have up to 10 rows on a slightly sloping terrace. No mechanisation is possible.

Question 98

Patamares- Port

Answer 98

This system was introduced in the 1970’s. They do not have retaining walls and typically have 2 rows per terrace. Each terrace is accessible by small tractors and limited mechanisation is possible. This does not include pruning or harvesting.

Question 99

Vinhos ao Alto- Port

Answer 99

The v/yard is un-terraced and the rows are planted up the slope. This is is only suitable on the less steep slopes. Limited mechanisation is possible.

Question 100

In the Douro Superior……

Answer 100

the v/yard area is flatter

Question 101

Water availability….- Port

Answer 101

Is scarce.

Vines send their roots deep through the vertical splits in the rock but in hot years photosynthesis can stop. Irrigation is now permitted. Weed eradication is vital.

Question 102

Touring Nacional- Port

Answer 102

A low yielding, high colour and tannin variety with concentrated flavours. Considered the finest grape but occupies a tiny percentage of the vineyard area.

Question 103

Touring Franca- Port

Answer 103

A high colour and tannin variety which is higher yielding than Nacional with excellent aromatic quality. It needs warmer sites to ripen fully. It is the most widely planted of the top five.

Question 104

Tinta Roriz- Port

Answer 104

(Tempranillo) Something of a lightweight it adds finesse to blends

Question 105

Tinta Barroca- Port

Answer 105

It gives high must weights and high levels of colour, tannin and acidity. It is early ripening and so prefers the cooler sites.

Question 106

Tinta Cao- Port

Answer 106

It is very rare and low yielding but high in extract and valued by some shippers.

Question 107

White- Port (Varieties)

Answer 107

Best varieties are Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and Viosinho

Question 108

Winery- White Port

Answer 108

Older wines were rather extractive, warm fermented and had an oxidative colour, aroma. Modern styles have no skin contact and the ferment is temperature controlled, with cultured yeasts. Most are sold unnamed, but there are rare examples that show some aging.

Question 109

Winery- Red Port

Answer 109

Acidification is nearly always necessary. Extraction is necessary as all colour and tannin must be extracted in 2-3 days. Foot treading in lagares is the trad. technique. This is rare now due to cost. Autovinifers, and mechanical limitations of foot treading (piston plungers, robotic lagares) are now used. 77% abv is used for fortification. Sweetness depends on house style. Maturation: in lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia or in Upper Douro where there are air conditioned lodges. Pipes (550L) are used for tawny styles where oxidation is necessary. Ruby Styles (more fruit retained) are stored in large oak vessels and stainless steel tanks.

Question 110

Styles- Basic Styles

Answer 110

Ruby, Tawny, White and Rose: Ruby and Tawny ports at this level are of a similar age. The colour difference coming from lighter extraction, warmer maturation conditions or blending in white port. Rose Port is a new phenomenon led by Croft Pink

Question 111

Styles- Special Categories

Answer 111

Ruby Styles: Ruby reserve, LBV, Crusted, Vintage, Single Quinta Vintage

Tawny Styles: Tawny Reserve, 10 yr old, 20 yr old, 30 yr old, 40 yr old and Colheita

White Styles: Reserve and indication of age as Tawny Ports (very rare).

Question 112

Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP)

Answer 112

2004, merger of a number of different bodies which oversaw different aspects of the trade separately. It is the inter professional body for Port and Douro wines.

Question 113

Casa do Douro- Port

Answer 113

Used to be very powerful.

Now only keeps the v/yard register (cadastro) and represents the growers initiative.

Question 114

Vineyard Classification- Port

Answer 114

V/yards are classified from A to F, A being the best. Doesn’t appear on the label. But is the basis of benefico. There are 12 different criteria on which the vineyards are judged.

Question 115

Beneficio- Port

Answer 115

Every year IVDP decides how much port can be made based on quality of the vintage and stock levels. The grapes are divided between A through to F with A getting the best price. Remaining grapes are used for light wine or distillation. Small grape growers can make a viable living so long as they have some of the benefico allocation. However there is no quality control built into the system and it leaves shippers with the problem of not being able to use all of their top graded fruit. This means that shippers will buy benefico rights so they can use their own higher quality grapes.

Question 116

Stopping fermentation occurs with the use of…..

Answer 116

Brandy

Question 117

Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 117

• fortified wine made by adding brandy to arrest fermenting grape must,
• Usually that is both sweet and high in alcohol.
• Names comes from Oporto (Porto), the 2nd largest city in Portugal,
• Shipped for over 300 years, notably by English merchants.
• Production varies from year to year, partly because of the conditions of each growing season, but also reflecting the benefício, the amount of wine that may be fortified each year, officially calculated according to stocks and sales.
• Avg annual production during the first decade of the 21st century : 157,000 pipes (86 million l). The production of unfortified douro wine averaged 56 million l between 2008 and 2011.

Question 118

Port- Early History- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 118

Port originates from 17th-century trade wars between the English and the French. For a time, imports of French wines into England were prohibited, and then, in 1693, William III imposed punitive levels of taxation which drove English wine merchants to Portugal, a country with whom the English had always shared good relations. At first they settled on the northern coast but, finding the wines too thin and astringent (see vinho verde), they travelled inland along the river Douro. Here merchants found wines that were the opposite of those they had left behind on the coast. Fast and furious fermentation at high temperatures produced dark, astringent red wines that quickly earned them the name ‘blackstrap’ in London. In a determined effort to make sure that these wines arrived in good condition, merchants would add a measure of brandy to stabilize them before shipment.

Question 119

Port- Early to Late History- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 119

British trade with France ceased altogether in the early 18th century with the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession. By this time, a number of port shippers were already well established and in 1703 England and Portugal signed the methuen treaty, which laid down further tariff advantages for Portuguese wines. By the 1730s, however, the fledgling port industry was blighted by scandal. Sugar was being added and elderberry juice being used to give colour to poor, overstretched wines. Unprincipled over-production brought about a sharp fall in prices and a slump in trade. Prompted by complaints from British wine merchants, the port shippers contacted the Portuguese prime minister of the day, the marquis of Pombal. Partly to create a lucrative Portuguese monopoly on port production, in 1756 he instituted a series of measures to regulate sales of port. A boundary was drawn around the Douro restricting the production of port to those vineyards within it. Vineyards outside the official wine region, in bairrada for instance, were summarily grubbed up by the authorities.

Question 120

Port- Soils- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 120

The topsoils in this mountainous region of Portugal are shallow, stony, and low in nutrients. Over a period of 300 years, however, the land has been worked to great advantage. The valley sides are very steep but terraces hacked from the schist, often with little more than a shovel and crowbar support, give vines a metre or two of soil in which to establish a root system. The bedrock fractures vertically, however, and, once established, vines root deeply in search of water and nutrients.

Question 121

Port- Viticulture- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 121

The first bulldozers arrived in the late 1970s to gouge out a new system of terraces called patamares. Inclined ramps bound together by seasonal vegetation replaced the costly retaining walls and, with wider spacing between the vines (resulting in a vine density of 3,500 vines per ha (1,420 per acre) as opposed to 6,000 on some traditional terraces), small caterpillar tractors can circulate in the vineyards. At much the same time, some growers pioneered a system of planting vines in vertical lines running up and down the natural slope. This ‘up and down’ planting has been a qualified success, although access and soil erosion are problems where the gradient exceeds 30 degrees. In the 1980s, there was a flurry of new planting under a World Bank scheme which provided farmers with low-interest loans. The traditional, labour-intensive terraces, still impeccably maintained by some growers, now stand alongside the newer patamares and vine rows planted vertically up the hillside, both of which allow limited mechanisation. Most of the Douro’s vineyards used to be pruned according to the French guyot system and were trained on wires supported by stakes hewn from local stone, but now all but the very old vines are spur pruned and vsp-trained on wires supported by wooden stakes.

Question 122

Port- Vintage- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 122

The Douro harvest usually starts in August in the Douro Superior and continues until early October. The steeply terraced vineyards, eerily quiet for most of the year, come alive as gangs of pickers descend from outlying villages for the duration of the harvest (see also harvest traditions). Yields in the Douro are among the lowest in any wine region in the world, with 500 to 750 g per vine from old vines the norm. From younger plantings, those up to 20 years old, 1.5 kg is the average production per vine in the best vineyards.

Question 123

Port- Vine Varieties- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 123

More than 80 different grape varieties are authorized for the production of port but until the 1990s few growers had detailed knowledge of the identity of the vines growing in their vineyards. All old vineyards contain a mixture of grapes, often with as many as 20 or 30 different varieties intermingled in the same plot. But research conducted in the 1970s (mostly by Cockburn and Ramos Pinto), identified the best varieties and all new plantings since then have been more orderly. touriga nacional, tinta barroca, touriga franca (often still referred to by its old name Touriga Francesa), Tinta Roriz (Spain’s tempranillo), and tinto cão are the favoured five black-skinned varieties, although varieties such as sousão, tinta amarela, and mourisco find favour with certain growers. gouveio, malvasia Fina, and viosinho are generally considered among the best varieties for white port.

Question 124

Port Winemaking- Extraction of colour and phenolics….

Answer 124

Rapid extraction of colour and tannins is the crux of the various vinification methods used to produce red port. Because fermentation is curtailed by fortifying spirit after just two or three days, the grape juice or must spends a much shorter time in contact with the skins than in normal red winemaking. The maceration process should therefore be as vigorous as possible.

Question 125

Port- Lagares

Answer 125

Until the early 1960s, all port was vinified in much the same way. Every farm had a winery equipped with lagares, low stone troughs, usually built from granite, in which the grapes were trodden and fermented. Some are still in use, mainly at the small, privately owned quintas, and some of the finest ports destined for vintage or aged tawny blends continue to be trodden in lagares. The human foot, for all its many unpleasant associations, is ideal for pressing grapes as it breaks up the fruit without crushing the pips that would otherwise release bitter-tasting phenolics into the wine. Lagares would be progressively filled over the course of a day, and trodden by the pickers themselves, thigh high in purple pulp, in the evening. Most lagares hold 10 to 15 pipes (about 5,500 to 8,250 l (2,180 gal) ) although a number of the larger quintas have lagares with a capacity of up to 30 pipes. As a rule of thumb, between one and two people per pipe are needed to tread a lagar.

Question 126

Port- Alcohol Strength when using a Lagare….

Answer 126

After 24 to 36 hours, the level of the grape sugar in the fermenting must declines from 12 or 13 °baumé to between 6 and 8 °Baumé. Depending on the intended sweetness of the wine, the wine would be run off the lagar into a vat, already about one-fifth full with grape spirit whose alcoholic strength is 77%. As the spirit is mixed with the wine, the yeasts are killed and the fermentation is arrested. At this stage the must becomes young, sweet, fiery port with an alcohol content of 19 or 20%.

Question 127

Port Winemaking after laggers were too expensive?

Answer 127

Most port producers abandoned lagares altogether. Many isolated properties were without electricity then and shippers set about building central wineries to which grapes from outlying farms could be delivered. Most of these were equipped with autovinification tanks, which required no external power source and have proved to be a successful alternative to treading in lagares. The resulting wine is fortified just like foot-trodden young wines were. n the late 1990s, however, a new generation of winemakers started to experiment with more novel ways of making port as the labour shortages in the region continued and production costs increased considerably. Two key types have emerged: cap plungers as introduced by the fladgate partnership and automated treading machines or ‘robotic lagares’ as designed by the symington family. Both systems have become widely used for the making of premium quality ports, although they are too expensive to be used to make the large volumes of standard-quality ports.

Question 128

Ruby Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 128

This is one of the simplest and least expensive styles of port. Aged in bulk for two or three years, it is bottled young while the wine retains a deep ruby colour and a strong, fiery personality. Young wines from more than one vintage are aged in all sorts of vessels (wood, cement, and occasionally stainless steel) before being blended, filtered, and bottled. pasteurization is sometimes applied to stabilize such wines and can result in ‘stewed’ flavours, but good ruby with its uncomplicated berry fruit aromas and flavours is often a good, warming drink. When the British fashion for ruby port and lemonade faded in the 1960s, many shippers dropped the name ruby on the labels of such ports in favour of their own, self-styled brands.

Question 129

Reserve/ Reserva- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 129

is the term now used to designate a premium ruby, a wine with more colour, character, and depth than a standard ruby. This category has supplanted ‘vintage character’, a misleading term which was largely used in English-speaking markets.

Question 130

Moscatel- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 130

One of over 30 different grape varieties used for making white port, Moscatel is occasionally used on its own to make a sweet fortified varietal white wine with the grape aroma characteristic of muscat. The village of Favaios on the north bank of the Douro makes a speciality of moscatel.

Question 131

Rose- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 131

This style was initiated by croft in 2008 and was initially classified by the IVDP as ‘light ruby’. Made from red grapes with minimal skin contact, it was subsequently introduced by many shippers, albeit with a huge variation in the style and colour of the wine, from pale salmon to light ruby. Not without controversy when it was launched, it is said by some to have a new, younger group of port drinkers.

Question 132

White Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 132

White port is made in much the same way as red except that maceration during fermentation is much shorter, or non-existent. Most white ports have a certain amount of residual sugar, even those labelled ‘dry’ or ‘extra dry’. Intensely sweet wines, made mainly for the domestic market, are labelled lagrima (tears) because of their viscosity (see also málaga). Another, drier style of white port, described as leve seco (light dry) is made by some shippers. These are wines with an alcoholic strength of around 16.5 or 17%, rather than the usual 19 to 20%. Most commercial white ports are aged for no more than 18 months, generally in tanks made of cement or stainless steel. Wood ageing lends character to white port, turning it gold in colour and giving the wine an incisive, dry, nutty tang. Superior white ports may also be bottled with a designation of age: 10, 20, 30, 40 Years Old. White port is sometimes used by shippers for blending cheaper tawnies.

Question 133

Garafeira- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 133

The word garrafeira, meaning ‘private cellar’ or ‘reserve’, is more commonly associated with Portuguese table wines than with port. Until 2002 it did not form part of the IVDP’s officially authorized lexicon but was a style produced by a single shipper, Niepoort. Now a port may be designated as a garrafeira if it comes from a single year and is aged for a minimum of seven years in glass demi-john before bottling (like some madeira). In practice the wines age in 5- or 10-l demi-johns for considerably longer than the minimum. After 20, 30, or even 40 years in glass, the wine is decanted off its sediment and rebottled in conventional 75-cl bottles. The wines combine depth of fruit with the delicate, silky texture associated with tawny port.

Question 134

Crusted Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 134

This port is so called because of the ‘crust’ or deposit that it throws in bottle. In spite of its rather crusty, establishment name, it is the fairly recent creation of British shippers, notably the symington group. It is designed to appeal to vintage port enthusiasts, even though the coveted word ‘vintage’ does not appear on the label (because crusted ports are not wines from a single year or vintage but blends from a number of years bottled young with little or no filtration). Like vintage port, the wines continue to develop in the bottle, throwing a sediment or crust, so that the wine needs to be decanted before it is served. Rather like traditional LBVs, many crusted or crusting ports offer an excellent alternative to vintage port, providing the port enthusiast with a dark, full-bodied wine at a much lower price. It may be exported from Oporto three years after bottling.

Question 135

LBV- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 135

Late Bottled Vintage port is a wine from a single year, bottled between the fourth and sixth years after the harvest. hree different styles of LBV wines have evolved, however. First there are LBVs bottled without any filtration or treatment so that, like a vintage port, they need to be decanted before serving. These wines, once designated with the word ‘traditional’ tend to be made in good but undeclared years and are ready to drink earlier than vintage port, four to six years after bottling. Since the revision of the legislation in 2002, unfiltered LBV may also be sold as Envelhecido em Garrafa or ‘bottle matured’, provided the wine in question has been aged in bottle for a minimum of three years prior to release on the market. Many of the wines in this second style share much of the depth of a true vintage port. A third style of LBV is the most common. These are wines which have been fined and sometimes filtered and cold stabilized before bottling to prevent the formation of sediment. These wines are made in large volumes and are popular with restaurateurs (obviating the need to decant) but do not have the intensity or depth of an unfiltered LBV.

Question 136

Single- Quinta Vintage- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 136

Just as wine-producing châteaux evolved in France in the 18th and 19th centuries, the cult of the single, winemaking quinta has developed in Portugal, and many of the better-known Douro quintas belong to a particular port shipper. Aged in wood for two or three years and bottled without filtration so that they throw a sediment (and should therefore be decanted before serving). Although some independent quintas produce a vintage port nearly every year, a number of significant differences distinguish single-quinta vintages from declared vintage ports. First of all, shippers’ single-quinta ports tend to be made in good (but not outstanding) years which are not declared. In years which are declared for vintage port, many of these wines will be the lots that make up the backbone of the vintage blend and are not therefore available for release as wines in their own right. Secondly many single-quinta ports are kept back by shippers and sold only when the wine is considered to be ready to drink, perhaps eight or ten years after the harvest. Single quintas or individual vineyards in the Douro were given a fillip in 1986 when the law requiring all port to be exported via Vila Nova de Gaia was relaxed, opening the way for a number of small vineyard owners who, before, had been restricted to selling their wines to large firms.

Question 137

Vintage Port- Oxford Companion of Wine

Answer 137

Vintage port accounts for hardly 1% of all port sold, yet it is the wine which receives the most attention. Wines from a single year, or vintage, are blended and bottled after spending between two and three years in wood. Thereafter, most of the wine is sold and the consumer takes over the nurturing for up to 30 or more years, although an increasing proportion is being drunk much earlier, especially in the US. Vintage port is distinguished from other ports by the quality of the grapes from which the wine is made. Only grapes grown in the best, usually Cima Corgo, vineyards, picked at optimum ripeness following an outstanding summer, are made into vintage port. Even then, nothing is certain until at least a year after the harvest when shippers have had time to reflect on the characteristics of the wine and the market. The vintage may be declared only after the IVDP has approved samples and proposed quantities in the second year after the harvest. With the steady improvement in vinification methods since the mid 1980s, some wine of vintage port potential is now made at the best quintas in most years. he wines, extremely high in phenolics in their youth, throw a heavy deposit and need especial care when decanting and serving.

Question 138

Colheita- Port- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 138

Meaning ‘harvest’ or ‘crop’ and therefore by extension ‘vintage’ in Portuguese, colheita ports are in fact very different from vintage ports (below). Colheitas are best understood as tawny ports from a single year, bottled with the date of the harvest on the label. The law states that colheita ports must be aged in wood for at least seven years, although most are aged for considerably longer. The wines take on all the nuances of an aged tawny but should also express the characteristics of a single year. All colheita ports carry the date of bottling and most wines should be drunk within a year or so of that date. Colheita ports, once the speciality of the Portuguese-owned houses, have, in the 21st century, been taken up enthusiastically by the British shippers who sometimes use the word ‘Harvest’ on the label. (madeira may also use the word ‘colheita’.)

Question 139

Aged Tawny- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 139

Port that has been left to age in wooden casks for six or more years begins to take on a tawny colour and a soft, silky character as the phenolics are polymerized (see ageing). Most of these tawnies are bottled with an indication of age on the label, although a new category of Tawny Reserve or Tawny Reserva may be applied to wines that have spent at least seven years in wood. Most aged tawnies are blended according to house style and must be tasted and approved by the IVDP as conforming to the character expected from the age claimed on the label. Aged tawnies are made from wines of the very highest quality: wines set aside in undeclared years that might have otherwise ended up as vintage port (see below). Once the bottle has been opened, younger aged tawnies may be subject to quite rapid oxidation, losing their delicacy of fruit if left on ullage for more than a few days. (Very old tawnies and colheita ports are usually more robust.) Port shippers themselves often drink a good aged tawny, chilled in summer, in preference to any other. The delicate, nutty character of a well-aged tawny suits the climate and temperament of the Douro better than the hefty, spicy character of vintage port, which is better adapted to cooler climes.

Question 140

Tawny- Oxford Companion to Wine

Answer 140

In theory, tawny implies a wine which has been aged in wood for so much longer than a ruby that it loses colour and the wine takes on an amber-brown or tawny hue (see ageing). In practice, however, much of the tawny port sold today is no older than the average ruby and may therefore be found at the same price. The difference between a commercial ruby and its counterpart labelled ‘tawny’ is that, whereas ruby is made from a blend of big, deep-coloured wines, tawny is often produced from lighter wines grown in the cooler Baixo Corgo vineyards where grapes rarely ripen to give much depth or intensity of fruit. Many bulk tawnies are left upriver for longer than other wines for the heat to speed up the maturation (see douro bake). The resulting wines often display a slight brown tinge on the rim but tend to lack the freshness and primary fruit character normally associated with young port. The French typically drink inexpensive, light, tawny-style wines as an aperitif and supplying this market has become the major commercial activity for many of the larger port shippers.

Question 141

Port- During the 1980s and 1990s bureaucracy changed….

Answer 141

this encouraged single estates, or quintas, to cut their links with local co-operatives or port shippers and to make and market their own more distinctive wines. Private investors who had made millions in other industries injected a new entrepreneurial spirit into the business of winemaking, establishing estates from scratch (notably in the alentejo, whose sprawling, flatter landscape offers relative economies of scale). The co-operatives were forced to adapt to survive and, while some struggled and others went under, some rose to the challenge. In 2011, there were 90 active co-operatives producing 43% of Portuguese wine. Vineyard transformation has inevitably been slower but the benefits of replanting vineyards in varietal blocks rather than traditional field blends, experimentation with non-local and international varieties, plus a considerable amount of research into Portugal’s unique array of indigenous varieties (see below) have become increasingly apparent, especially in the douro, dão, and the alentejo, and more recently tejo and lisboa

Question 142

Douro

Answer 142

Most famous as the source of the fortified wine port, the Douro Valley is also well known for the production of (unfortified) table wine labelled Douro DOP. First demarcated in 1756, making it one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions (see delimitation and portugal, history), the Douro Valley’s since-modified irregular outline corresponds closely with an outcrop of pre-Cambrian schist, which is hemmed in by granite. For over two centuries, the demarcation applied only to port, but in 1979 it was extended to include table wine.

Question 143

Douro- History

Answer 143

Although (poorly made) ‘blackstrap’ table wines dominated Douro production until usurped by port in the latter part of the 18th century, the first glimmer of the region’s true potential for table wines appeared when port shippers ferreira launched Barca Velha 1952, a red wine from the Douro Superior, upstream of the port heartland. Making table wines did not take hold, however, until the 1990s, following Portugal’s accession to the eu. This provided invaluable funds for research and new equipment. It also led to the demise of the port shippers’ de facto monopoly over exports, enabling estates to make and sell their own wine. In the spirit of Barca Velha, early efforts focused on ambitious, upmarket reds. But this century has seen the emergence of many a mid-priced and even entry-level Douro table wine as the number of port shippers and independent wine farms (quintas) making table wine has mushroomed. While quality is correspondingly more variable, the Douro still produces some of Portugal’s most consistent red wines.

Question 144

Mechanisation- Port

Answer 144

Operators other than at the tasting stage are increasingly being mechanised but it is invading the winery faster than the vineyard. Robotic technology is used for, the production of Port the movement of pallets around the winery and preparing wine samples.

Question 145

Palomino grapes are prone…..

Answer 145

to oxidation and browning

Question 146

Quintas- Port

Answer 146

Portuguese word for “farm”. Single Quintas are wines made from the same vintage year and single estate.

Question 147

Cockburn- Port

Answer 147

In the second half of the 20th Century became the brand leader of in the British market with special reserve ruby. Founded in 1815. In 1845 became Cockburn Smithes and Co. Had a reputation for its vintage ports, but released them in unconventional years. Part of the Harvey’s Bristol Cream syndicate, that ended up as part of Beam Wine Estates in 2005. Sourced wines in the higher Douro. In 1989 purchased Quinta dos Canais, 261- hectare property on the North bank of the Douro. 2006 Symingtons bought the Cockburn vineyards from Beam Wine Estate, they are now working on building back Cockburn’s reputation for vintage port.

Question 148

Croft- Port

Answer 148

A port shipper with a long history. Used to be known as Phayre and Bradley (est 1678). 1st Croft from York, became a partner in 1736. Became Croft and Co in 1769. Croft went into Sherry in 1970s inventing Pale Cream as a style. In 2001 the sherry arm was sold to Gonzalez Byass. The port part of the business is now owned by the Fladgate Partnership.

Question 149

Ferreira- Port

Answer 149

Est in 1715 by Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira. She was a famous port identity who spent most of her time improving her holdings. Through marriage she inherited Quinta do Vesuvio, sold to Symingtons in 1989. Today they own: Quinta do Porto, Quinta do Cuedo and Quinta de Leda. 1980s pioneered vertical system of planting where rows were aligned. Until 1987 the company was owned by descendants of Dona Antonia, but the company now belongs to Sogrape.

Question 150

Sandeman- Port

Answer 150

Port and sherry house. Famous for “Sandeman Don” logo. Taken over by Seagrams in 1980. In 1990, George Sandeman moved to Oporto (7th Gen, first to live there since 1868). In 2001, Sandeman’s Port was acquired by Sogrape. Sandmans sherries have been made by Harvey since 2004.

Question 151

Taylors- Port

Answer 151

Indépendant Port shipper, but a part of the Floodgate Partnership. The original firm of port shippers was established in 1692 by Job Bearsley, and his son Bartholomew bought Casa dos Alambiques at Salgueiral near Régua, the first known British port shipper’s property in the douro Valley. Between then and 1844 there were no fewer than 21 name changes. However, with the arrival of Joseph Taylor in 1816, John (later Baron) Fladgate in 1837, and Morgan Yeatman in 1844, Has had 21 names and partnerships. In 1844 became known as Taylor, Fladgate and Yeatman (Taylors for short).

Question 152

Fladgate Partnership- Port

Answer 152

The Fladgate Partnership Vinhos S.A. was formed in 2001 when Taylor Fonseca Vinhos S.A. (see taylor’s and fonseca) purchased croft and Delaforce (subsequently sold) from diageo. The group, whose name was inspired by Taylor’s full name—Taylor, Fladgate, & Yeatman—remains family owned and is run by descendants of the Yeatman family. In 2014 it had 631 ha/1,558 acres of properties in the douro Valley with over 1.4 million vines. Taylor’s port is consistently one of the most admired and longest lived, and its Quinta de Vargellas single-quinta bottling can often be almost as concentrated. Vargellas, Taylor’s best-known property in the remote eastern reaches of the Douro, was acquired in 1893 when it was still suffering from the ravages of phylloxera. This acquisition marked the start of Taylor’s now considerable landowning and farming activities. Quinta de Terra Feita in the Pinhão Valley, which had been supplying port to Taylor’s since the 1890s, was bought in 1974. In 1990, Terra Feita de Cima was added, followed in 1993 by São Xisto next door to Vargellas, which was further extended in 1999. Quinta do Junco was acquired in 1998. In the late 20th century Taylor’s popularized the filtered LBV (late bottled vintage) style of port. In the early 21st century it pioneered the release of special, small-volume releases of luxury ports. In 1948, Taylor, Fladgate, & Yeatman acquired Fonseca. Quinta do Cruzeiro in the Pinhão Valley had been supplying wine for Fonseca since the 19th century and was acquired in 1973. Five years later the company bought Quinta do Panascal in the Távora Valley, which is a key ingredient in Fonseca vintage port as well as producing single quinta vintage ports. Quinta de Santo António was replanted in the 2000s and is entirely organic. Fonseca’s best-known wine is probably the superior ruby reserve port Bin 27. Vintage ports from earlier-maturing years are sold under the name Guimaraens and are blended from the same properties as produce Fonseca vintage port. In 2001 port shipper Croft was acquired from Diageo, including the 109-ha/269-acre Quinta da Roêda near Pinhão which has long provided the backbone for Croft’s vintage blends. In 2008 the brand was used to launch rosé port, Croft Pink, on an unsuspecting world. In 2013 The Fladgate Partnership purchased shipper Wiese & Krohn and its impressive stocks of mature tawnies. Eschewing Douro table wines, its focus is premium port, with a global market share of more than 33% of this category. The company has also ventured into wine-related hotels, first in the Douro and, since 2010, the Yeatman in Vila Nova da Gaia overlooking Oporto.

Question 153

Symingtons- Port

Answer 153

Dominant family of port wine shippers for five generations whose group of port companies includes W. & J. Graham, Warre, Dow, Quinta do Vesúvio, Smith Woodhouse and cockburn. They also own Quinta de Roriz. Founder as Andrew James Symington, who arrived in Oporto from Glasgow in 1882 at the age of 19 and afterwards married the Anglo-Portuguese Beatriz Leitão de Carvalhosa Atkinson whose ancestors had been in port since the 17th century. he joined the firm of Warre & Co., rising to become a partner. At the time George Warre was senior partner in Dow’s, and in 1912 a swap took place whereby Symington took a share in Dow’s while Warre regained a part of the firm that his family had founded. The Symingtons ran production and the vineyards for the two firms while the Warre family ran sales and marketing in London. The Warre family sold their remaining shareholding to the Symingtons in 1961. W. & J. Graham & Co. was purchased from the Graham family in 1970 along with the smaller sister company of Smith Woodhouse. The family owns Quinta do Bomfim near Pinhão, which provides much of the fruit for Dow’s (along with Quinta da Senhorada Ribeira, acquired in 1998, having originally been sold by the family in 1954 when the fortunes of port were at a particularly low ebb). It also owns Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha in the Pinhão valley and Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos at Tua. The group was instrumental in reviving interest in single-quinta ports in the late 1980s (see port, styles). In 1989 the Symingtons acquired Quinta do Vesúvio, a 400-ha/990-acre estate widely regarded as one of the finest vineyards in the Douro, but in need of restoration (see ferreira). The vineyards have been extended and improved and, from 1991, Quinta do Vesúvio has been marketed as a brand in its own right. The family own substantial additional vineyards whose fruit is sold to their various different port companies. In 1988, the extensive Quinta do Marco plant in vila nova de gaia was opened and it bottles more than 1.5 million cases of port annually. In 1996, a new winery, Quinta do Sol near Regua, was opened with an annual winemaking capacity of 3.2 million litres of port. The Symingtons operate another six small wineries on individual vineyards throughout the Douro, some of them equipped with the robotic lagares that the family pioneered in 1998. In 2006, Symingtons bought the cockburn vineyards, cellars, and stock, and in 2010 acquired the brands. Despite this integration, each company within the group has its own separate stocks and the group maintains a full range of vintage and wood ports for each company. In 1988, the blandy family approached the Symingtons and offered a partnership in their madeira business, hoping to reverse a general decline in sales of madeira. The Symingtons acquired a controlling interest in the Madeira Wine Company and ran it until 2011 when the Blandy family regained control. The Symingtons have established their own distribution companies in Portugal, Britain, and the US.
The Symingtons have become firm believers in douro table wines. Their flagship wine Chryseia is made jointly with Bruno Prats, past owner of Ch Cos d’Estournel of st-estèphe. The two families acquired Quinta de Roriz in 2009 and Chryseia is now made at this estate, with its related wines. The Douro table wines Quinta do Vesúvio and the Altano range are made from the family’s Douro vineyards.

Question 154

Vila Nova de Gaia- Port

Answer 154

Or Gaia New Town, cramped, cobbled suburb on the opposite side of the douro estuary from the Portuguese city of oporto where port is traditionally aged. From the waterfront, long, single-storey buildings called lodges rise in steps up the hillside. Under the clay-tiled roofs, shippers mature their stocks of port, as well as tasting, blending, bottling, and selling it. Until 1986, the law required that all port destined for export had to be shipped from within the strictly defined area of the Gaia entrepôt. Port may now be shipped from anywhere within the demarcated Douro region so that export markets are open to small firms, quintas, and co-operatives without premises in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Question 155

Lodge- Port

Answer 155

The term used by British shippers of port and madeira for a building where wine is stored and matured, especially in Vila Nova de Gaia in oporto and Funchal in Madeira respectively. It is derived from the Portuguese word loja meaning ‘shop’ or ‘warehouse’. The Portuguese themselves tend to use the term armazém.

Question 156

Schist- Port

Answer 156

a metamorphic rock with a distinct planar aspect due chiefly to the parallel alignment of some of its constituent minerals, best shown by mica and amphibole (see geology). Consists of a coarser grain-size than slate, having been subjected to greater burial temperatures and pressures, and as a result splits less cleanly. The transition between slate and schist is therefore gradual, and the distinction rather subjective. The rocks of priorat, for example, are described by some as slate and by others as schist. (To add to the confusion, the German word Schiefer is commonly used for both rocks, as is the French word schiste, which is also sometimes extended to include shale.) The planes in schist can have any orientation but are commonly close to vertical—ideal for vine roots to penetrate and for rainwater to percolate through. This is probably why in the douro, vineyards sited on schist perform better than those on the region’s massive, relatively impenetrable granite. Schist is also important in parts of the Languedoc, such as banyuls, faugères, and parts of st-chinian, corbières, and in new zealand’s Central Otago.

Question 157

Terraces- Port

Answer 157

Make work in vineyards planted across sloping land considerably easier, and can also help combat soil erosion. Terraces more or less follow the contours of the land, and so row spacing may be irregular. Terraces are created when the hillside is re-formed into a series of horizontal steps between the rows. The world’s most famous vineyard terraces are those of the port wine region of the douro Valley in northern Portugal, where there has been considerable experimentation with different designs, although they are common in much of switzerland, the northern rhône, and elsewhere. In centuries past, such terraces were laboriously constructed by hand and supported by stone walls. The modern way of making the terraces is with bulldozers. An alternative to creating terraces is to plant vines up and down the hillsides, as in Germany and other parts of northern Europe. This practice avoids the expense of forming terraces but can lead to soil erosion and worker fatigue, and some slopes are too steep for tractors.

Question 158

Touriga Nacional- Port

Answer 158

The most famous vine variety for port and, increasingly, for fine dry reds, and not just in portugal. It produces small quantities of very small berries in the douro Valley and the Portuguese dão region (where it probably originated) which result in deep-coloured, very tannic, concentrated wines, often with a floral aroma in youth. he vine is vigorous and robust but is prone to coulure and may produce just 300 g/10 oz of fruit per vine, making it unpopular with growers. This almost led to its extinction in the mid 20th century but considerable work has been done on clonal selection of the variety so that newer cuttings are slightly more productive and average sugar levels even higher. Touriga Nacional is proportionately more important in its native Dão than the Douro and can make fine varietal reds here, although the variety is regarded by many as better in a blend. Touriga Nacional plantings have been increasing considerably, not least because it has migrated south into most other Portuguese wine regions. Its total area had reached 10,531 ha/26,012 acres by 2012. Touriga Nacional has also been travelling extensively outside Portugal—notably to Australia in its capacity as an alternative variety, California, and South Africa—although each of them had only about 100 ha by 2014. Its distinctive name, proliferation of varietal versions from Portugal, and its nominal hint at the glories of quinta do noval Nacional are expected to continue its worldwide spread.

Question 159

Tinta Barroca- Port

Answer 159

A common, relatively thick-skinned port grape variety which is the third most planted in Portugal’s douro Valley, mainy for port, and grown on a total of 5,444 ha/13,447 acres of Portuguese vineyard in 2012. It is favoured by growers for yielding large quantities of grapes with exceptionally high levels of sugar and is widely planted on higher or north-facing slopes. However, Barroca is prone to both mildews and is easily damaged by extreme heat and the berries have a tendency to shrivel on the vine. By no means as highly prized as the other leading port grapes, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (Tempranilloa), Barroca produces reasonably well-structured but slightly jammy, rustic wines which can be useful in a blend. In Portugal, Tinta Barroca is rarely used as a varietal but it has been one of the most popular varieties for fortified port-like wines in South Africa’s vineyards, and full-throttle, unfortified varietal Tinta Barroca dry(ish) red (sometimes misspelt and referred to as Tinta Barocca or Tinta das Baroccas) is a speciality in South Africa where there were 215 ha in 2012.

Question 160

Touriga Franca- Port

Answer 160

(Formerly known as Touriga Francesa) is the most widely planted grape variety in the douro Valley, accounting for around one-fifth of all vines, and is the more common of Portugal’s two Tourigas with a total of 14,357 ha/35,462 acres in 2012. Despite the name, it has no connection with France and has been shown by dna profiling to be the relatively recent progeny of the Douro varieties touriga nacional and marufo. On warmer south-facing slopes it is valued for both port and Douro wines. It is classified as one of the best port varieties, although the wine it produces is not as concentrated as that of Touriga Nacional and is more susecptible to rot. Favoured by growers for its consistent yields, it is respected by winemakers for its wines’ perfume and persistent fruit. It is also widely planted in trás-os-montes and is spreading to other Portuguese regions such as Lisboa, Tejo, and the Alentejo.

Question 161

Tempranillo- Port

Answer 161

Has been planted so enthusiastically in Spain that it was the world’s fourth most popular wine grape variety in 2010. In some ways it is Spain’s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon. Its grapes are thick skinned and capable of making deep-coloured, long-lasting wines that are not, unusually for Spain, notably high in alcohol. Often replacing garnacha, bobal, or monastrell, it became the most popular red wine grape in Spain in the early 21st century and by 2011 was planted on a total of more than 206,000 ha/508,800 acres in virtually all regions except for those in the far south and north west, and challenged airén as the country’s most-planted variety of either colour. Temprano means early in Spanish and Tempranillo probably earns its name from its propensity to ripen early. This relatively short growing cycle enables it to thrive in the often harsh climate of Rioja’s higher, more Atlantic-influenced zones Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, where it constitutes by far the majority of all vines planted with a total of 34,383 ha in 2011. Tempranillo has traditionally been grown in widely spaced bushes here, but this relatively vigorous, upright vine has also responded well to training on wires. Flavour identity: Some find strawberries, others spice, leather, and tobacco leaves, but yields and winemaking skill are critical in determining its style. In Rioja, it is traditionally blended with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan), Graciano, and Viura. In Penedès, where it is known as Ull de Llebre, Tempranillo softens the local Monastrell. In Valdepeñas, it is known as Cencibel. The variety is ideally suited to the cool conditions of Ribera del Duero, where, as Tinto Fino, it is by far the principal grape variety, but the seasoning of varieties imported from Bordeaux is an ingredient of some importance in that high plateau’s most famous wine vega sicilia. Indeed, throughout Spain, blends of Tempranillo with Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot are common, notably in Navarra and Castilla-La Mancha. Tempranillo is one of relatively few Spanish varieties to have been adopted to a great extent in Portugal, where it is known both as Aragonez and (Tinta) Roriz and, after a dramatic increase in popularity, was the country’s single most planted variety. Tempranillo Blanco, a pale-berried mutation, has been identified in Rioja where varietal versions have been made.

Question 162

Tinta Cao- Port

Answer 162

Meaning ‘red dog’, top-quality black grape variety for the production of port. Having almost disappeared from the vineyards of the douro Valley in northern Portugal (despite its long history there). It is also grown for varied table wines in the Dão region and has also been planted experimentally at davis in California, and in Australia were it has been known as Tinta Cao.

Question 163

Lagar- Port

Answer 163

Term used in portugal for a low-sided stone trough where grapes are trodden and fermented. Most have now been replaced by conventional fermentation vats except in the douro Valley, where some of the best ports continue to be foot-trodden in lagares. In the late 1990s, robotic lagares were introduced in the Douro by the symington family and have become an important factor in the making of premium quality port.

Question 164

Autovinification- Port

Answer 164

A process involving automatic pumping over, was developed in algeria in the 1960s, where it was known as the Ducellier system. Faced with a shortage of labour in the 1960s, port producers were forced to abandon the traditional practice of treading grapes by foot in lagares. Many isolated quintas had no electricity and so shippers built central wineries. Autovinification is a self-perpetuating process induced by the build-up of pressure; no external power source is needed. Crushed and partially destemmed grapes are pumped into specially constructed autovinification vats which are filled to within about 75 cm (29 in) of the top. The vat is closed and the autovinification unit (a) is screwed into place. As the fermentation begins, carbon dioxide is given off and pressure builds up inside the vat. This drives the fermenting must up an escape valve (b) which spills out into an open reservoir (1) on top of the vat. Eventually the pressure will also force the water out of a second valve (c) into a smaller, separate reservoir (2). When the water has been expelled, the carbon dioxide that has built up in the vat escapes with explosive force through valve (c). The fermenting must in reservoir (1) falls back into the vat down the central autovinification unit (a), spraying the floating cap of grape skins, so extracting colour and tannin. At the same moment, the water in reservoir (2) returns to valve (c), again sealing in the carbon dioxide, and the process repeats itself. The cycle continues until the winemaker judges that sufficient grape sugar has been fermented to alcohol, and sufficient colour has been extracted, at which time the wine is run off and fortified just as described in port, winemaking. At the start of fermentation, when a small amount of carbon dioxide is given off, the autovinification cycle is slow. But when the fermentation is in full swing, the pressure build-up is such that the cycle takes only 10–15 minutes to complete. Originally autovinification vats were built from concrete and lined with resin-painted concrete. However, significant modifications have accompanied improvements in both winemaking technology and the power supply to the douro valley, where port is produced. Modern autovinification tanks are made from stainless steel and are equipped with refrigeration units to prevent the must from overheating. Some shippers have resorted to traditional pumping over, or remontage, although this generally provides insufficient extraction for better-quality port. Other shippers have successfully combined pumping over with autovinification, thereby giving the winemaker greater control over port fermentation than ever before, although lagares are preferred by many for top-quality ports.

Question 165

Douro Bake- Port

Answer 165

Traditional expression for the character imparted to wines, especially port, matured in the hot, dry climate of the douro Valley (rather than the much cooler, damper atmosphere of vila nova de gaia, where port has traditionally been matured by the shippers). Some wines matured in the Douro seem to develop faster, losing colour, browning, and sometimes acquiring a slightly sweet, caramelized flavour—although poor and sometimes unhygienic storage conditions often have a greater impact on wine quality than the climate, and many reputable shippers successfully age large stocks of port in the Douro.

Question 166

Port trade 17th Century…..

Answer 166

Due to the war between France and UK. Small amount of alcohol placed in the wine to sweeten it.

Question 167

IVDP regs in to do with Port are very strict…..

Answer 167

Quoters are based on how much wine is made.

Question 168

Douro region is…..

Answer 168

The oldest demarcated wine region in the world

Question 169

Baixo (“Lower”) Corgo

Answer 169

Densely planted. Oldest, but most unreliable. Lower end tawnies and rubys. Cima Corgo- better wines. Douro Superior- Driest area. Not bad for producing good wines.

Question 170

Granite is used for the Lagares….

Answer 170

This is the soil of the region

Question 171

Port- Schist helps with….

Answer 171

Minerality

Question 172

Tinta Roriz

Answer 172

Tempranillo, big wines but not a lot of Naturel acidity

Question 173

Port- Touriga Franca

Answer 173

Can be a little more feminine than the other grapes

Question 174

Ruby Style- Port

Answer 174

Are wines in which the winemaker looks to restrain the evolution of their deep red colour and maintain the fruit and strength of a young wine. This is the type of wine that you will find in the following categories, in ascending order of quality: Ruby, Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and Vintage. The finest category wines, especially Vintage, followed by LBV, are good for storing as they age well in bottle. We particularly recommend LBV and Vintage.

Question 175

Tawny Style- Port

Answer 175

Are obtained from lots of different wines that have aged for different lengths of time in casks or in vats. With age, the colour of the wines slowly develops into tawny, medium tawny or light tawny, with a bouquet of dried fruits and wood; the older the wine, the stronger these aromas. The present categories in this style are: Tawny, Tawny Reserve, Tawny with an Indication of Age (10, 20, 30 and 40 years old) and Colheita. These are blends of wines from several years, except for Colheitas, wines of a single year that are similar to an aged Tawny of the same age. These wines are ready to drink when they are bottled. We particularly recommended a Tawny with an Indication of Age and Colheita.

Question 176

White Port

Answer 176

Varies in style according to whether it has aged for a shorter or longer period of time, and different degrees of sweetness according to the manner by which it is made. In addition to the traditional White Ports, there now are other wines with a floral and complex aroma and a minimum alcohol content of 16.5% (Light Dry White Port) capable of meeting the demand for less alcoholic Ports.

Question 177

Rose- Port

Answer 177

Rosé is a pink-coloured wine obtained by light maceration of red grapes, with no oxidation during preservation. These are wines to be drunk young and are highly aromatic with notes of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. They are soft and pleasant on the palate. They are best drunk chilled or with ice, and can also be served in several cocktails.

Question 178

Ruby Reserve Port

Answer 178

Full-bodied, rich and deep ruby red, these wines are frequently the product of a selection of the best Port Wine made each year, blended together to create a young, powerful, fruity and intense wine that is also rounded and versatile.

Question 179

Late Bottled Vintage- Port

Answer 179

This is a Ruby Port from a single year, chosen for its extremely high quality and bottled after ageing for four to six years in wood. Most of these Ports are ready for drinking when they are purchased, but some will continue to age in bottle (check the label). LBV Port is a deep ruby red, extremely full-bodied and rich in the mouth and it possesses the particular style and personality of a wine from a single harvest.

Question 180

Vintage Port

Answer 180

Considered by many as the jewel in the Port Wine crown, this is the only Port that ages in bottle. Produced from the grapes harvested during a single year and bottled two to three years after the vintage, it develops gradually for 10 to 50 years before it is drunk. The charm of Vintage resides in the fact that it is attractive at pratically all stages of its life in bottle. During the first five years, it retains the intense ruby of its original colour, exuberant aromas of red fruits and wild berries and a taste of black chocolate, all of which is balanced by strong tannins that make it the perfect accompaniement to desserts that are rich in chocolate. After ten years in bottle, in addition to its throwing a light deposit, Vintage takes on garnet tones and attains a delicious plenitude of ripe fruit aromas and flavours. As the wine matures, its colour turns a rich golden brown and its fruit acquires a greater subtlety and complexity and the deposit that it throws becomes thicker.

Question 181

Port (Vintage) Single Quinta Vintage

Answer 181

These Vintages are unique in that they are not only the product of a single harvest but also of a single quinta, or wine estate, which makes them truly exceptional.

Question 182

Ruby Style:

Answer 182

Bottle Matured

Question 183

Tawny Style:

Answer 183

Wood Matured

Question 184

Tawny Reserve Port

Answer 184

Aged in oak, this wine boasts extremely elegant flavours, the perfect combination of the fruitiness of youth and the maturity of age, also apparent in their attractive médium golden brown colour.

Question 185

Tawny 10 Year old Port

Answer 185

A bit more developed than Tawny Reserve, this is a very similar wine but with the added assurance that it bears the characteristics of a ten years old Port.

Question 186

Tawny 20 year old Port

Answer 186

With colours ranging from a reddish to golden Tawny, these exceptional wines are full of fruit and their flavours are more developed and concentrated due to the fact that the wine was aged in small oak casks. The extremely intense aromas and flavours are reminiscent of toasted vanilla and dried fruits, with delicate hints of oak.

Question 187

Tawny 30 year old Port

Answer 187

Certain Ports are set aside to age longer in wood. The gradual exposure to air concentrates and intensifies the original fruit of these wines, creating more complex characteristics where honey and spices are touched with deep aromas of dry peaches, hazelnuts and vanilla.

Question 188

Tawny 40 year old Port

Answer 188

This classification is given to the oldest Tawny Ports, wines that are marvellously concentrated and complex. Intense, they all but explode in the mouth, filling your palate with aromatic flavours that will astound your senses.

Question 189

Colheita Port

Answer 189

These single vintage Tawnies are aged in cask for a minimum seven years and present a wide range of colours from golden red to tawny, depending on their age. Their bouquet and flavour also develop over time to create different style Tawnies.

Question 190

Special Categories of White Port

Answer 190

Port Wines can bear the designation ‘Reserve’ or ‘Indication of Age’ (10, 20, 30 or more than 40 years old) on the label, provided that the criteria of the Port Wine regulations are met.

Question 191

Conservation of Port

Answer 191

After the bottle has been opened, its conservation will depend on the Port Wine category and its place of storage. The suggested periods are only for guidance purposes
Vintage: 1 – 2 days, LBV: 4 – 5 days, Crusted: 4 – 5 days, Ruby / Ruby Reserve: 8 – 10 days, Tawny / Tawny Reserve: 3 – 4 weeks, Tawny with an Indication of Age: (10, 20, 30, +40 years): 1 – 4 months (Younger Tawnies should be consumed earlier), White Port with an Indication of Age (10, 20, 30, +40 years): 1 – 4 months (Younger White Ports should be consumed earlier), Colheita: 1 – 4 months (Younger wines should be consumed earlier), Standard White Port, depending on the style: Modern (fresh and fruity) – 8 - 10 days; Traditional (wood matured): 15 – 20 days

Question 192

Serving Temperatures- Port

Answer 192

Rosé Port: 4ºC
White Port: 6-10ºC
Ruby style Port: 12-16ºC
Tawny style Port: 10-14ºC

Question 193

Beneficio

Answer 193

The IVDP regulates the quantity of port to be made in order to stabilise the market and pricing. Every August they announce the Beneficio- effectively a certificate or licence issued to each grower authorising them to produce a certain amount of port. The amount of the Beneficio is determined based on many factors, such as the quality of the individual producer’s vineyards, the climatic condition ps of the year, the market and stocks.

Question 194

Symington Estates

Answer 194

The Symington family, with Scottish, English and Portuguese ancestry has been present in the Douro for five generations — since 1882 — and through the current generation’s great grandmother, the family’s links to the wines of the Douro span 14 generations, to the mid-17th century and to the very beginnings of the history of Port. The family has 2,071 hectares of land in the Douro Valley across 27 individual estates. These properties, known as quintas, have just over 1,000 ha of vines, the vast majority of which are planted on terraces, and amount to the most significant vineyard holding in the region. Generations of Symington winemakers have planted and cared for these estates, accumulating knowledge that they have employed in the making of some of the finest Ports and Douro wines. These vineyards are at the heart of the family’s wines.
Symington Family Estates is an entirely family-owned and managed company and is one of the leading quality Port producers, responsible for the making of approximately 32% of all premium Port categories. Five of the family, Paul, Johnny, Rupert, Dominic and Charles work together maintaining the vineyards and making the wines of their four historic Port houses: Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s and Warre’s. The family also own Quinta do Vesúvio, one of Portugal’s greatest vineyard estates. Paul’s daughter Charlotte and Rupert’s sister Clare also work with the family in the UK. The Symingtons conduct extensive research into Douro viticulture and winemaking in their experimental vineyards at Quinta da Cavadinha in the Pinhão Valley, at Quinta do Bomfim in the main Douro Valley and at their ‘Vine Library’ at Quinta do Ataíde in the Vilariça Valley. In the past the family developed the modern treading lagares, which became the most significant advance in the production of premium quality Ports for many years. They have also been amongst the pioneers in the development of Douro DOC wines, producing Chryseia, Post Scriptum and Prazo de Roriz with the Prats family of Bordeaux, as well as other Symington Douro wines from Quinta do Vesúvio, Quinta do Ataíde and the Altano range. The family are the only Douro producer to have made a Port in the 21st century that merited a perfect 100 points from Wine Spectator; Dow’s 2007 Vintage Port. The family’s dedication to the wines of the Douro was further recognized when Wine Spectator ranked Dow’s 2011 Vintage Port as the Nº 1 Wine of the Year in 2014. Another wine, made in partnership with Bruno Prats, Chryseia Douro DOC 2011, was classified as Nº 3 Wine of the Year in the same year. This international recognition was an important step for the wines of the Douro and has significantly increased their reputation worldwide.

Question 195

Who do the Symington’s Own?

Answer 195

Graham’s, Warres, Dow, Cockburn’s, Qunita De Vesuvio, Altano Douro, Prats and Symingtons

Question 196

Graham’s Port

Answer 196

The story of two families across three centuries. For almost two hundred years W & J Graham’s has been an independent family business renowned for producing the finest Port wines. Graham’s has always been a pioneer. Graham’s was one of the first Port companies to invest in its own vineyards in Portugal’s Douro Valley in 1890 and is now at the cutting edge of innovation in winemaking techniques. Today, five Symington cousins share responsibility for every aspect of the company and personally make the Graham’s wines. They too have been involved with Port and the Douro for many generations, with ancestry dating back to the mid-17th century. Graham’s first harvest under the ownership of the Symington family was extremely auspicious, with Graham’s 1970 Vintage Port being declared. The 1970 is thought by many to be one of the greatest wines of that century. Nearly an hundred years after their ancestor AJ Symington left Graham’s to set up on his own as a Port producer, the family’s relationship with this Port house came full circle. Besides the family’s other Port marques, Graham’s is the only remaining British Port company independently owned by a single family. This ensures that every aspect in the making of Graham’s Ports is controlled and cared for intimately.

Question 197

Cockburns

Answer 197

In 1815, the Scotsman Robert Cockburn and his brother John, already successful wine merchants in Leith near Edinburgh, set up a branch of their firm in Porto: R & J Cockburn’s. They had many business partners through the years. And like all of the early Port companies the name changed. Eventually coming to be known as Cockburn’s & Co: the name that survives today. The Cockburn family continued to run the company until well into the twentieth century. Other families though joined the extended family of Cockburn’s & Co during this time. The Wauchopes, the Smithes, the Teages and the Cobbs were amongst them. The Cockburn’s & Co family thus gradually swelled to include some of the finest winemakers and Port tasters that the trade has ever known. Together, the Cockburn’s & Co family built themselves a remarkable reputation for fine Vintage Port. The records at the London auction houses show that in the early twentieth century, Cockburn’s Vintage Ports commanded the highest prices of any Port house.

Question 198

Dow’s

Answer 198

For over two centuries the name of DOW has been associated with the finest Port from the vineyards of the Upper Douro Valley. Throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st, the Symington family has built on the legacy of the preceding Silva and Dow families. Generations of Symington winemakers have worked at the Dow’s vineyards: Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, creating from them Dow’s superbly concentrated wines that are intense and tannic when young, maturing towards a superlative racy elegance with age and scented with violet and mint aromas. Dow’s attractive and distinctive drier finish is the recognisable hallmark of the wines from this great Port house. The story of Dow’s is unusual amongst all the great Port houses. It began in 1798 when Bruno da Silva, a Portuguese merchant from Oporto, made a journey which was the opposite to that of the first British merchants. Bruno set up in London from where he imported wine from his native country. He married an Englishwoman and was rapidly assimilated into London society where his business acumen led to a fine reputation for his wines. But the outbreak of the Napoleonic wars put his business in jeopardy. Undaunted, Bruno da Silva applied for ‘letters of marque’ (Royal Assent to equip a merchant ship with guns) to secure safe passage of his Port from Oporto to Bristol and to London. His became the first and only Port company to transport its precious cargo of casks of fine Ports under its own armed protection across the treacherous Bay of Biscay, a strong dissuasion to attack during a period when less audacious companies saw their sales dwindle away. The Port shipping business was continued by Bruno’s son, John da Silva who in 1862 brought into partnership Frederick William Cosens. Together with John’s son, Edward, they became the active partners in Silva & Cosens. Edward da Silva inherited his grandfather’s business ability and the company continued to prosper. Edward became a highly respected figure in the London wine trade and was one of the founders of the Wine Trade Benevolent Society, the leading charity which survives to this day as the principal British wine trade organisation. Edward da Silva was to be the Benevolent’s chairman and then, from 1892, its president for many years. With the continuing expansion of the firm, Edward da Silva and Frederick Cosens were joined by George Acheson Warre, whose well known family had been involved in the Port trade since its earliest years. ‘GAW’ joined as partner in 1868 and became its driving force in Portugal. In 1877, Silva & Cosens merged with another leading Port company, Dow & Co, who’s senior partner was James Ramsay Dow, who had made a name for himself in 1856 with the publication of his important treatise, ‘An Inquiry into the Vine Fungus with Suggestions as to a Remedy.’ The Oidium fungus was at the time devastating the Douro’s vineyards. Although smaller than Silva & Cosens, Dow & Co had become a very highly regarded Port producer with a particularly fine reputation for its Vintage Ports and when the two companies merged, it was decided to adopt DOW’S as the brand name.

Question 199

Bomfim

Answer 199

One of the Douro Valley’s finest vineyards, Bomfim is the heart of the company’s greatest Ports, having provided the main structure for Dow’s Vintages since it was acquired in 1896. The property is situated in the centre of the best wine-producing area, known as the ‘Cima Corgo’, which offers an ideal balance between the relatively wet ‘Baixo Corgo’ to the west (with sometimes excessively rich soils for the production of great Port) and the intense heat of the ‘Douro Superior’ to the east. The area was well known to Dow’s as prior to purchasing Bomfim; the firm had traditionally purchased the production of some of the finest quintas in the vicinity. Bomfim is a classic ‘River Quinta’ with many natural advantages: it is south-facing ensuring ample exposure to the sun; its stony schist soil affords excellent drainage allowing water to reach the vines’ deep roots; the annual rainfall is near perfect at 800mm (15 year annual average); the altitude ranges from 120 to 340 metres above sea level, accommodating both gentle gradients lower down and progressively steeper slopes higher up the valley side, as well as offering a variety of aspects. A further advantage is the consistency of the climate, blessed with a favourable combination of temperate and Mediterranean influences, respectively from Portugal’s Atlantic coast and the Spanish hinterland. The whole Bomfim vineyard is ‘A-rated’, the highest quality grading conferred by the region’s wine regulatory body. The vineyards are now almost entirely planted in varietal batches, meaning each variety may be picked and subsequently vinified separately, thus allowing for each grape’s maximum potential to be tapped. The principal grape varieties planted are: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and old mixed vines. Two-thirds of the vineyard is now over 20 years old, whilst one third is between 30 to 40 years old.
Winemaking: Bomfim’s wines are vinified on site in the quinta’s fermentation vats which have been successively upgraded and which continue to produce excellent wines. Selected batches of wines are made at Dow’s modern facility, Quinta do Sol, just a short distance downstream where the prototypes of the revolutionary robotic lagares were first trialled in 1998 and 1999. Field research and development: advanced vinification practices amount to nothing without careful attention to viticulture and for this very reason, Dow’s employs a full-time viticulturist. One of his primary tasks is to conduct field experiments to assess such aspects as trellising systems, suitability of specific grape varieties, among several others. One of the principal areas under study at Bomfim is the matching of appropriate canopy management techniques to the grape variety and location. Accordingly, parcels of vineyards at the quinta contain six different trellising systems to monitor their performance under Douro conditions, using local varieties.

Question 200

Senhora da Ribeira- Port Vineyard

Answer 200

One of the classic River Quintas of the Douro and one of its most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim, a relatively short distance that belies the distinctive characteristics of each property. Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira is set in the remote, hot and dry Douro Superior and commands a magnificent north bank position, overlooking a broad sweep of the Douro, directly opposite another Symington family-owned vineyard: Quinta do Vesuvio. . A small chapel dedicated to the ‘Lady of the River’ (literally: Senhora da Ribeira) has stood here for centuries and gave the quinta its name. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating.
Climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity. Robotic lagares: Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Upper Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Seven granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are now complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001. ‘Robotic lagar’, a fully automated treading machine which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. They are very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in the robotic laggers. After the Second World War, the European economy took a long time to recover and the Port trade endured very lean times. In order to keep its independence the family had to sell, with great regret, Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira in 1954. Fortunately, as part of the agreement, Dow’s continued to make the wines and purchase them in most years, thus ensuring the continuity of style for Dow’s Vintage Ports. Furthermore, to the family’s great delight, a fortuitous opportunity to buy back Senhora da Ribeira presented itself in 1998, a year charged with great significance for Dow’s - the company’s bicentenary.

Question 201

Cardeira- Port Vineyards

Answer 201

Both these vineyards are privately owned by members of the Symington family who work in Dow’s. They are located quite close to Senhora da Ribeira, producing outstanding fruit which is very much in the same style as that of the main Dow vineyard. All three quintas are clearly visible from each other. The grapes from these two properties are vinified at Senhora da Ribeira’s winery and produce some of Dow’s very best Ports. As with Senhora da Ribeira, Santinho and Cerdeira benefit from a south-facing aspect and also share the same climatic profile. Between them, these two vineyards have a total of 18 hectares under vine, planted primarily with the Touriga Franca and the Tinta Roriz varieties. The Touriga Franca is a natural choice owing to the supreme quality of its fruit and aromatic properties and also because of its ability to thrive in a dry environment. Santinho and Cerdeira are both A-rated vineyards and in exceptional years they contribute to Dow’s classic Vintage Port.

Question 202

Santinho- Port Vineyards

Answer 202

Both these vineyards are privately owned by members of the Symington family who work in Dow’s. They are located quite close to Senhora da Ribeira, producing outstanding fruit which is very much in the same style as that of the main Dow vineyard. All three quintas are clearly visible from each other. The grapes from these two properties are vinified at Senhora da Ribeira’s winery and produce some of Dow’s very best Ports. As with Senhora da Ribeira, Santinho and Cerdeira benefit from a south-facing aspect and also share the same climatic profile. Between them, these two vineyards have a total of 18 hectares under vine, planted primarily with the Touriga Franca and the Tinta Roriz varieties. The Touriga Franca is a natural choice owing to the supreme quality of its fruit and aromatic properties and also because of its ability to thrive in a dry environment. Santinho and Cerdeira are both A-rated vineyards and in exceptional years they contribute to Dow’s classic Vintage Port.

Question 203

Warres- The Origins

Answer 203

Established in 1670. Two Englishmen, William Burgoyne and John Jackson opened offices in northern Portugal as Burgoyne & Jackson - initially a general trading company, exporting wines, olive oil and fruit, as well as importing dried cod and English woollen goods. Over time, the company admitted new partners and its name changed accordingly; in 1718 it traded as John Clark, then in 1723 it was known as Clark & Thornton and finally in 1729, it became Messrs. Clark, Thornton & Warre, with the arrival of the first Warre in Portugal. This was William Warre, born in India (1706), where his parents and grandparents were long established members of the East India Company. By the close of the 18th century, Warre’s had become one of the leading companies as illustrated by the total shipments of Port for 1791. In that year, 21 companies exported a little over 30,000 pipes of Port, of which Warre & Sons accounted for 2,937 pipes, i.e. 10% of the total.

Question 204

The Warres Family

Answer 204

On arriving in Portugal in 1729 William Warre (1706 - 1773) was to start a family Port dynasty that would make a unique and unmatched contribution to Port and to the life of its adopted city and country. In 1745, he married Elizabeth Whitehead, sister of John Whitehead, the distinguished British Consul responsible for designing and building the magnificent British Factory House (1790). Their eldest son, also William, would himself serve as His Majesty’s Consul. The 5th sibling, James Warre, became a prominent figure in the Port trade for over 50 years and would father the most illustrious member of the family, another William Warre (1784 - 1853). This William was destined to have an outstanding military career which was to mark him as one of the most distinguished and historically important figures to come out of the many Port families in the long annals of the Port trade.

Question 205

Warre’s Vineyards

Answer 205

The mainstay of the company’s Vintage and other premium Ports is provided by its three great estates; Quinta da Cavadinha (46 hectares), Quinta do Retiro Antigo (40 ha) and Quinta da Telhada (35 ha). The latter estate was acquired by Warre’s in 2006 and this river-side vineyard now makes a significant contribution to the company’s premium range of wines. Further to these, Warre’s is able to draw on the production of a collection of other vineyards, long associated with Warre’s that are owned privately by members of the Symington family. These are Quinta do Alvito (35 ha) and Quinta das Netas (5 ha). Quinta da Cavadinha’s new state-of-the-art winery was inaugurated for the 2003 harvest. Equipped with six robotic lagares, it is now one of the most advanced, small specialist wineries in the Upper Douro. Cavadinha produces elegant wines with lifted and fresh aromas. Quinta do Retiro Antigo is one of the finest vineyards in the Rio Torto valley. The old vineyard is a historical landmark with spectacular 18th century stone terraces, most of which have just one row of vines on them. These ancient vines produce superb and concentrated wines that perfectly complement Cavadinha’s Ports. Quinta da Telhada is one of the most remote vineyards in the Douro Valley, situated well east of the famous Quinta do Vesuvio and only 25 kilometers from the Spanish border on an isolated stretch of the Douro River. An important feature of this property is the very large proportion of the low yielding Touriga Nacional vines which account for 47% of the total. The Touriga Nacional is widely regarded as the finest Port grape and thrives in the hot dry conditions of this area. Although very difficult to grow and very low-yielding, the Touriga Nacional is fundamentally important for Warre’s classic Vintage Ports as well as for the Bottle Matured Late Bottled Vintage and the Warrior Reserve. Quinta do Alvito, with a 14.7 hectare vineyard and Quinta das Netas (14.5 hectares of vineyard) form a neighbouring group of privately owned vineyards. These contribute over 170,000 kgs of grapes that make an average of 280 pipes of premium quality wine for Warre’s fine range of Ports.

Question 206

Quinta do Vesuvio- Terroir

Answer 206

Vesúvio has a total area of 326 hectares (806 acres), of which 133 hectares (329 acres) are planted with vines. The rest, almost two-thirds, has been conserved in its natural, wild state. Many other things grow at Vesúvio besides vines: oranges, lemons, figs, almonds, walnuts, grapefruits, pomegranates and many more exotic fruits and herbs. Vesúvio also has great variations in altitude, from 130 metres at the riverside to 530 metres at the top of the ridge. Being so far in land, the Quinta experiences climatic extremes, reaching very high temperatures in summer and very low in winter. It is extremely dry, with an average of only 400mm of rain falling each year. Vesúvio specialises in making remarkable Vintage Ports and Douro D.O.C red wines. The Symington family, the leading family of winemakers in the Douro Valley, personally makes all Vesúvio’s wine. The nineteenth century winery is one of the largest in the Douro and one of the last places on earth where grapes are still trodden by human feet, according to a time-honoured art, practised for centuries, millennia even.

Question 207

The Fladgate Partnership…..

Answer 207

Taylors, Croft, Fonseca Port, Krohn Port Shippers

Question 208

Taylor’s Port- Overview

Answer 208

Established in 1692, Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses. It is dedicated entirely to the production of Port wine and in particular to its finest styles. Taylor’s is regarded as the benchmark for Vintage Port. Blended from the finest wines of the firm’s own quintas or estates, Vargellas, Terra Feita and Junco. Taylor’s is also respected as a producer of wood aged ports and holds one of the largest reserves of rare cask aged wines from which its distinguished aged tawny Ports are drawn. The house is also known as the originator of Late Bottled Vintage, a style which the firm pioneered and of which it remains the leading producer. Above all, Taylor’s is an independent company in which some family members play a leading role in all areas of the firm’s activity. The firm’s long and unbroken family tradition has provided continuity and clarity of purpose. Based in Oporto and the Douro Valley the company is closely involved in all stages of the production of its Ports, from the planting of the vineyard and the cultivation of the grapes to the making, ageing, blending and bottling of the wines. The family’s commitment to the future of Port is demonstrated in its single minded dedication to the highest standards in Port production, its continued investment in all aspects of the firm’s operations and its determination to preserve the unique environment of the Douro Valley through the promotion of sustainable and responsible viticulture.

Question 209

Quinta de Vargellas- Taylor’s Vineyard

Answer 209

Quinta de Vargellas is pre-eminent among the wine estates of the Douro. Located in the wild and hilly eastern reaches of the valley, it has been prized as a source of the finest ports since the 1820s. Today it ranks among the great vineyards of the world. The elegant and finely constituted wines of Vargellas are remarkable for their complex fruit, their distinctive scented quality and their well integrated sinewy tannins. These are most clearly discernible in the Quinta de Vargellas single estate Vintage Ports with their hallmark fragrance. However, in declared years, they also help define the personality of the classic Taylor Vintage Ports in which the finest wines of Vargellas are blended with those of Quinta de Terra Feita and also, in recent years, of Quinta do Junco. However, the wine which represents the quintessence of the terroir of Vargellas is the rare Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Port, made in very small quantities from the very oldest vines on the property. The original part of Quinta de Vargellas forms a vast north facing amphitheatre of terraced vineyard towering above the River Douro. Clustered at its centre are the house and winery, as well as the estate’s own railway station. On the steep slopes to the west of the winery rise the dry stone walls of the oldest terraces on the property, which form part of the ‘Vinha Velha’ or Old Vineyard. Along one of these ancient terraces runs one of the two narrow roads leading into the estate. It is from this precarious vantage point that visitors arriving by road catch their first glimpse of the estate buildings. Downstream from the original part of the property is a second magnificent semicircular sweep of vines. This is the recently planted São Xisto vineyard laid out using the technique of vinha ao alto or vertical planting. The two parts of the estate are separated by a ridged promontory jutting out into the river and crowned by a pagoda-like structure known as the Ruby Folly, built to mark the ruby wedding anniversary of the company’s Chairman, Alistair Robertson, and his wife Gillyane.

Question 210

Quinta de Terra Feita- Taylor’s Vineyard

Answer 210

Like those of Vargellas, the wines of the beautiful old property of Terra Feita are an essential component of the Taylor Vintage Port blend. The wines of Vargellas, sophisticated and aesthetic, provide elegance and finesse with their wonderfully pure and complex fruit, characteristic scent of violets and sinewy but beautifully integrated tannins. The wines of Terra Feita, on the other hand, express a sensuous hedonism and earthiness. Their dense blackberry and cassis fruitiness is overlaid with wild herbal aromas, tarry notes of liquorice and tobacco and a palate crammed with thick mouth- filling tannins. It is the harmony and tension between the contrasting styles of these two great properties which fundamentally define the character of Taylor’s Vintage Ports. Quinta de Terra Feita is located on the west bank of the River Pinhão, the narrow tributary which winds north to south through a sinuous steep-sided valley before flowing into the Douro at the village of Pinhão. The Pinhão Valley is one of the most historically important areas of the Douro. In the heart of the original 1756 demarcation, it has been recognised as a source of the very finest Ports since the origins of the Port trade and its steep terraced hillsides are ringed with well known properties much as the famous châteaux of the Médoc line the west bank of the Gironde.

Question 211

Nogueira Winery- Taylor’s

Answer 211

In addition to making wine from the produce of its own quintas, Taylor’s also purchases grapes from estates owned by its partner grape growers. The wine from these grapes is made at the Nogueira winery, near the town of São João da Pesqueira. With good access from the high quality areas of the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, it occupies a strategic location. The winery itself is one of the most advanced in the Douro Valley and is equipped with innovative fermentation tanks designed by the Taylor wine making team. These tanks, whose prototypes were developed at the research winery at Quinta de Vargellas, are equipped with a system of mechanical piston plungers which work asymmetrically according to a cycle customised by the wine maker for each individual batch. These keep the grapes skins in constant contact with the fermenting wine ensuring that the colour, tannins and aromas are gently but thoroughly extracted. The 32 fermentation tanks are of different sizes, giving the wine makers flexibility. Taylor’s 22 partner grape growers are professional farmers with whom Taylor’s maintains a close long term relationship and who own very high quality estates. They are spread over a wide area covering the key quality sub regions of the Douro Valley. Taylor’s policy of developing a close partnership with a small number of professional farmers, rather than purchasing from a large number of small producers, is unusual in the Douro Valley but is fundamental to maintaining a high standard of quality at every level in the range.

Question 212

Croft

Answer 212

• Port shipper long history.
• Started as Phayre and Bradley est 1678.
• 1st Croft, from York, became a partner in 1736 and the company was known as Croft and Co from 1769.
• 1911 firm was taken over by Gilbey’s, and the multinational corporation Grand Metropolitan, subsequently an integral part of Diageo.
• Bought Morgan Brothers in 1952.
• Croft expanded into Sherry in early 1970s. Croft launched an entirely new style of sherry, Pale cream, which could offer the beguiling combination of a pale, sophisticated appearance with the reassuring sweetness of a cream. An enormous success, necessitating almost immediate expansion for Croft Jerez, in the form a series of ultra-modern bodegas known as Rancho Croft.
• Croft’s Jerez adventure ended in 2001, when diageo sold the bodegas to gonzález byass for 54 million euros. Some of its best old soleras were acquired by a new, quality-minded company, Tradición. The port business is now owned by the fladgate partnership.

Question 213

Croft Pink

Answer 213

• 4 centuries of Port making has given the house of Croft time to consider this wonderfully exciting rosé style of Port,
• 1st company to do it. New technique it extracts fresh, fruity flavours and delivers a subtle and delicate pink colour.
• The challenge for producing the Pink Port was how to capture these characters without letting the intense tannic character of Douro grapes and the fortification process dominate the final product.
• Winemaking: takes red Port grapes and handle them in a similar way to producing an elegant non-wooded white wine. This vinification method extracts a light amount of colour from the skins without extracting astringent tannins which would make the palate of this light style of Port aggressive.
• The cold settling prior to fermentation and the cool fermentation are fundamental to enhance the freshness of fruit and its elegance. The result attractive floral notes underline the pungent, aromatic raspberry fruit aromas. The palate is full of deliciously ripe cherry and raspberry fruit flavors with lovely nuances of honey and grapefruit.

Question 214

Sogrape

Answer 214

• Portugal’s largest producer, owned by Guedes family, whose success is founded on mateus Rosé.
• Since the 1980s, it has invested in new wine regions, acquiring Portuguese winemaking facilities and vineyards in the Minho, Dão, Bairrada, Alentejo, and Douro
• It owns port shippers Ferreira, Sandeman, and Offley.
• Its Portuguese table wine brands include Douro icon ferreira’s Barca Velha, Grão Vasco, Duque de Viseu, Gazela, Planalto, Quinta de Azevedo, Quinta dos Carvalhais, and Herdade do Peso.
• Global acquisitions include Finca Flichman (Arg), Framingham (NZ), Los Boldos (Chile), and Rioja-based Bodegas LAN.

Question 215

Port and the Douro- 2015

Answer 215

Overall, a dry and warm year in the Douro, but with enough rainfall at the right times to keep the vines in good condition. Disease pressure was low and the harvest was earlier than average. Flavour ripeness is impressive across all varieties, but acidity levels are fairly low, as are yields. Most producers are confident of making great vintage ports in this vintage.

Question 216

Port and the Douro- 2014

Answer 216

Rain caused significant damage in the first half of the year, then a cool August didn’t help matters. Yields will be low, quality is not remarkable, and vintage declarations are most unlikely.

Question 217

Port and the Douro- 2013

Answer 217

Unusually cool conditions in April and May and a tinder dry summer slowed grape development resulting in a low-yielding, tardy harvest of generally high quality.

Question 218

Port and the Douro- 2012

Answer 218

The Douro saw drought and hail conspire to reduce yields significantly, by as much as 40% in places. The resultant small berries have made wines of high colour and notable acidity.

Question 219

Port and the Douro- 2011

Answer 219

The rain of 2010 was crucial in this much drier year, to sustain the vines through a hot summer. There was, finally, much needed precipitation in late August and September with dry, warm conditions thereafter which were perfect for picking. Looks to be a great quality vintage.

Question 220

Port and the Douro- 2010

Answer 220

An exceptionally wet winter brought challenging erosion to the Douro, but welcome restoration of ground water. A very hot July then retarded ripening (because the vines shut down in the excessive temperatures) but the weather was more agreeable later in the season with good conditions for harvest and increased yields compared to 2008 and 2009.

Question 221

Port and the Douro- 2009

Answer 221

An exceptionally hot summer led to an early vintage with great potential for Port, but extremely high alcohols in the unfortified wines, with some unripe tannins and shrivelled berries. Higher altitude sites will be crucial to making these wines work. A declared vintage.

Question 222

Port and the Douro- 2008

Answer 222

A dry but, like 2007, cool year. Some growers picked early for fear of rain, but those that risked it were rewarded with ideal ripening conditions late in the season. Not universally declared, although Quinta do Noval have.

Question 223

Port and the Douro- 2007

Answer 223

A vintage year, and one that has produced exceptionally approachable Ports at a young age. The growing season was fairly cool for the Douro, leading to later than usual harvest and none of the grape desiccation that can confer raisined character.

Question 224

Port and the Douro- 2006

Answer 224

A wet year with rain inconveniently timed in September. But some grapes were also shrivelled by extreme heat. Far from a textbook year.

Question 225

Port and the Douro- 2005

Answer 225

An exceptionally dry growing season in which only old vines triumphed. Very early harvest produced unusual musts - the Douro’s answer to 2003?

Question 226

Port and the Douro- 2004

Answer 226

The usual hot summer, then rain in early September but late September saw sugar levels zoom up. There will be some fine vintage and single quinta ports.

Question 227

Port and the Douro- 2003

Answer 227

Some great vintage ports, not harmed by the hot summer and helped by newfound alternative techniques to foot treading.

Question 228

Port and the Douro- 2002

Answer 228

The usual very dry summer was followed by an unusually wet September which compromised both the health and ripeness of those grapes that were picked. A most unusual harvest and extremely unlikely to produce vintage port.

Question 229

Port and the Douro- 2001

Answer 229

Some very good vintage port. Exceptionally wet winter - an unprecedented five months of rain - was followed by early budburst slowed by a cool spring. The crop was reduced by a heatwave in June but conditions were favourable throughout the rest of the summer. Useful quantity with good not great quality.

Question 230

Port and the Douro- 2000

Answer 230

Mild and exceptionally dry winter was followed by a wet spring which delayed the growth cycle. An unusually hot September gave the grapes a late boost just before harvest in benign conditions. The result of this, together with the introduction of new, mechanised alternatives to foot-treading in some houses, is a range of particularly luscious, ripe vintage ports.

Question 231

Port and the Douro- 1999

Answer 231

At the end of August growers were looking forward to a distinct improvement on 1998 but hopes were washed away by continuous rain in September, although the thick-skinned port grapes suffered much less than table wine grapes elsewhere in Portugal.

Question 232

Port and the Douro- 1998

Answer 232

Definitely not a year for vintage port.

Question 233

Port and the Douro- 1997

Answer 233

Some fine vintage ports. Early flowering was followed by a fairly cool, wet summer so the ports are more structured than the 1994s.

Question 234

Port and the Douro- 1996

Answer 234

Not a year for vintage port but some fine single quinta wines were made.

Question 235

Port and the Douro- 1995

Answer 235

Some real potential for vintage port.

Question 236

Port and the Douro- 1994

Answer 236

Potentially exceptional year for vintage port. Very rich but not overripe wines.

Question 237

Port and the Douro- 1992

Answer 237

Taylor and Fonseca chose to declare this instead of 1991.

Question 238

Port and the Douro- 1991

Answer 238

Great potential, very rich with considerable structure. A long-term vintage.

Question 239

Port and the Douro- 1985

Answer 239

A flattering year: luscious and fragrant for mid-term drinking.

Question 240

Port and the Douro- 1983

Answer 240

A shade behind 1985. Good, sometimes exceptional. Widely declared and maturing relatively fast.

Question 241

Port and the Douro- 1982

Answer 241

Declared by only a few houses, these are supple and for early drinking.

Question 242

Port and the Douro- 1980

Answer 242

A medium weight year. Reliable without hitting the heights

Question 243

Port and the Douro- 1977

Answer 243

Initially destined to be legendary, these have great weight, backbone and and power but the vintage has proved much less consistent than expected.

Question 244

Port and the Douro- 1975

Answer 244

Widely declared and inexpensive but whilst pleasant, hardly vintage material.

Question 245

Port and the Douro- 1970

Answer 245

Superb, big, full and deep. Should last very many years.

Question 246

Port and the Douro- 1966

Answer 246

Rich, fragrant and lovely now.

Question 247

Port and the Douro- 1963

Answer 247

A benchmark year, sensational from many houses and only very, very slowly commencing their decline.

Question 248

What is the oldest Port house in Porto?

Answer 248

Kopke (1638)