Port

Question 1

Name the two towns for Port on the opposite banks of the Duero

Answer 1

Porto

Villa Nova de Gaia
Mother Earth’s New House

Question 2

Climate of vineyards for Port grapes

Answer 2

Warm continental

Regions protected from Atlantic by mountains Serra do Marão

Question 3

Where do grapes, in this hot dry climate, get water from?

Answer 3

The rainwater trapped deep in the vertical fractures of the schist rock.

Question 4

Douro valley’s topography offers options (Port)… how?

Answer 4

Very steep sides offer many aspects to/from the sun and even temperature differences in altitude.

Question 5

Weather risks on the Douro?

Answer 5

Spring frosts
Heavy rain at flowerset and harvest
Really high summer temperatures
Low rainfall in growing season

Question 6

Narrow terraces of vines in the Douro are called…

Answer 6

Socalcos

Soc(iety of) Alco(holic)s

Question 7

Terraced vines in the Douro with a degree of mechanisation possible are called…

Answer 7

Patamares

Fat enough for horses
Fatter Mares

Question 8

Unterraced Douro vineyard planting system is called…

Answer 8

Vinha ao alto

Question 9

Problem of vinha ao alto and patamares?

Answer 9

Erosion…

Question 10

Port grape varieties? Five of ‘em

Answer 10

Touriga Franca - acidity
Touriga Nacional - acidity
Tinta Roriz - 
Tinta Barroca - sugar
Tinta Cão - Tannin

Question 11

Fermentation of Port.
ABV reached during fermentation?
Duration of fermentation?

Answer 11

5% - 9% ABV

24-36 hours

Question 12

What’s the challenge for port producers?

Answer 12

Getting enough extraction given the short fermentation.

Question 13

Foot treading for Port… method and benefits

Answer 13

Trodden for 3 or 4 hours, then the cap is regularly punched down.
Gentle enough to not crush bitter tasting pips

Question 14

Autovinifiers - how do they work

Answer 14

CO2 from fermentation drives liquid up into a holding tank until, at the set pressure, it gets dumped back into the fermentor.
An automated pump-over some 4 or 5 times an hour at peak.

Question 15

Robotic Lagares … describe

Answer 15

In which a self propelled gantry with robotic ’feet’ press grapes against the bottom of a shallow tank (a lagar).

Question 16

Piston plunging… describe

Answer 16

Robotic pistons punch down the must in a shallow pool

Question 17

The spirit used to arrest the fermentation of port is called….
What is the ABV of said spirit?

(Big cat?)

Answer 17

Aguardente. (J)aguar Teeth to arrest

77%

Question 18

Port’s fermentation is stopped at what ABV?

Answer 18

Between 5% and 9%

Question 19

The typical ABV for a bottle of port is…

How much of a glass of port is added spirit?

Answer 19

19% to 22% ABV

On average, 20% of port is aguardente (77% spirit)

Question 20

Why are good ports sent to Villa Nova de Gaia on the coast?

Answer 20

Good port needs to mature slowly in a cool place. The coast.

The New Villa of Mother Earth

Question 21

How does cheap Port become Tawny?

Answer 21

It is kept at a higher temperature (up river where it is warmer) which speeds maturation and causes colour loss.

Question 22

Ruby ports destined to be Vintage ports are treated differently to Ruby, Reserve Ruby and LBV. How?

Answer 22

They all have minimal O2 exposure to maintain fruit. But… Vintage port is not filtered and thus will bottle age becoming garnet and getting tertiary notes - dried fruit, leather etc.

Question 23

Do Tawny Ports benefit from bottle age?

Answer 23

Nope.

Question 24

How is a true Tawny port made?

Answer 24

They undergo long oxidative maturation in barrels called “Pipes”. They turn garnet, tawny and then eventually brown.

Primary fruit dies, tertiary notes (dried fruit, walnuts, coffee, chocolate etc. ad nauseam) come in.

Question 25

Cheap Ruby… describe

Answer 25

Blended, between 1 and 3 years old.

Lacking concentration, complexity or tannin

Question 26

Cheap Tawny… describe

Answer 26

Same a Ruby but colour achieved through lighter extraction, blending with white, lighter wines, heavy fining and or hot maturation.

Bit shit really.

Question 27

Reserve/Reserva… can be applied to Ruby, Tawny or both?

Answer 27

Both

Question 28

What does Reserve/Reserva mean on a port?

Answer 28

Higher quality as determined by a tasting panel.

Reserve Tawney must be wood aged for a minimum of 6 years. The wood is really old, so no oak flavours. More for oxidisation.

Question 29

LBV… describe

Answer 29

Little better than a Ruby Reserva.
Aged for between 4 and 6 years in large old oak vessels prior to bottling.
Mostly fined and filtered, so no bottle ageing.

Question 30

Tawny with Indication of Age… describe.

Answer 30

• Can be labelled 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old.
• This is the average age of the wine and it’s characteristics must be consistent with the stated age.
• Bottles must state when the wine was bottled.
• They lose freshness once bottled.
• Exceptional complexity and concentration.

Question 31

Vintage Port… what has to happen for the port to become ‘vintage’?

Answer 31

A port vintage must be declared (registered) in the second year after harvest.
Must be bottled in the third year after harvest.
Maturation in stainless steel or oak.
Unfiltered and unfined.
A blend of the best wines