Port Flashcards
When was Douro first demarcated?
One of the world’s oldest appellations—first demarcated in 1756. Behind Chianti in Tuscany in 1716 and Tokay in Hungary in 1737.
Who oversees port production? What two regulatory bodies were their previous?
Douro Port Wine Institute, or Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP)
IVDp absorbed the powers of the Commissão Interprofessional da Região Demarcada do Douro in 2003, which in turn replaced the Casa do Douro in 1995.
What is Casa do Douro?
A syndicate of growers’ guilds established in 1932 that assumed control over the regulation of viticulture, but lost many of its regulatory functions after it bought controlling shares in Royal Oporto, a port shipper and the surviving remnant of the Companhia Geral dos Vinhos do Alto Douro, the original oversight “company” established in the Douro in 1756.
What does the IVDP supervise?
The promotion, production, and trade of all Porto and Douro DOP wines. Both growers and shippers must submit to its authority. IVDP requires houses to maintain compliance with lei do tergo. In addition, the IVDP guarantees label integrity and age designations, and samples all appellation wines for authenticity.
What is lei do tergo?
“law of the third”, a decree of the IVDP restricting sales of Port to one-third of a house’s total inventory annually.
What is beneficio authorization for Port?
The maximum amount of wine that may be fortified in a given year, granted by the IVDP—based on a matrix of twelve factors. Each factor has a minimum and maximum point score associated with it, and there are a total of 2,361 points available.
1200 awarded an “A” grade
1001-1200 points awarded “B” grade
And so on through F-the lowest grade.
Seven soil and climate factors are scored: location, altitude, exposure, bedrock, rough matter, slope and shelter.
The next five factors relate to the vine itself: type of vine, planting density, yield, training system, and vine age.
What is the max yield for red and white grapes in the Douro?
Red: 55 hl/ha
White: 65 hl/ha
What are the preferred red grapes for Port production? What % must these grapes make of the blend?
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz (Aragonez), Tinta Cão, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Francisca, Bastardo and Mourisco Tinto. They must constitute a minimum 60% of the blend.
What are the preferred white grapes for Port production? (6)
Main grapes: Gouveio Malvasia Fina Viosinho “VIO-seen-yo” Rabigato “HA-be-got-to” Esgana Cão Folgasão “FOL-go-son”
A Very Vicious Dog Bites Many Rabitts -
Arinto, Verdelho, Viosinho, Donzelina Branca, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato
Compendium; Arinto (Pedernã), Cercial, Donzelinho-Branco, Folgazão, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina, Moscatel Galego Branco, Rabigato, Samarrinho, Semillon, Sercial (Esgana Cão), Síria (Roupeiro), Verdelho, Viosinho, Vital
What is Vinhos ao Alta?
Planting system where vines are grown in vertical rows leading directly up the slopes, as opposed to the traditional terraces used in Douro.
What is Patamares?
Common planting system in the Douro, where wide terraces can be navigated by tractor.
What is a lagares?
Open granite troughs used for traditional foot-crushing
What is an autovinifier?
An Algerian vinification technology in which the fermenting wine would be pumped over the cap by virtue of its own buildup of gas, became more and more common during labor shortages in the 1960s and 1970s in Portugal.
What is beneficio? When does it occur?
Known as mutage in France. The fortification of wine with spirit. In port production, it occurs when approximately one-third of the sugar content has been converted to alcohol.
Beneficio halts fermentation, killing the yeasts and preserving sweetness in the Port.
**Beneficio is also the term which describes the classification system in Porto
What is aguardente?
“Burning water”. In port production it is the 77% neutral grain spirit the base wine is fortified with.
-The spirit is raw and uncomplicated; it is a young, fiery alcohol that contributes nothing to the character of the wine, rather it imparts the robustness necessary for the new Port to reach a proper maturity.
How is the amount of aguardente added to the base wine determined?
For most Port, aguardente will be added to the fermenting wine in a 1:4 ratio, although lower alcohol (and drier) styles of white Port are produced.
How does white and rose port differ from red?
Besides the use of white grapes, both are made with lesser degrees of maceration.
After fortification, what determines the final style of wine for Port?
Length of aging and type of vessel.
What is the traditional barrel used for both aging and shipping Port wine? Size?
Pipe
-pipes used in the Douro Valley usually hold 550 liters, whereas pipes in Vila Nova de Gaia may often contain 620 liters. The size of a pipe used for shipping Port is set at 534.24 liters, although pipes used for shipping Madeira or Marsala are smaller.
Describe the two broad, fundamental styles of Port.
Ruby and Tawny
Ruby-Bottle aged, including all Vintage Port. With the exception of well-aged, venerable Vintage Ports, Ruby Port wines will display darker color, more youthful fruit and spice tones, and a more aggressive, fiery character.
Tawny-cask-aged, and develop more complex, mature tones of toffee, dried fruits, and toasted nuts with time. Tawny Port, naturally, develops lighter, amber tones of color as it ages in wood.
Where has Port been traditionally aged? Why this location?
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 this a moot point.
Describe Ruby Port and Ruby Reserve Port
Ruby port is often aged in bulk (in wood, cement, or stainless steel) for two to three years prior to bottling. The wine is uncomplicated, deeply colored, and inexpensive
Ruby Reserve (replaced the term “Vintage character” and offers more complexity and character than a basic Ruby Port. Reserve implies greater quality when used for “Ruby” Port but it does not carry any minimum aging requirement.
