Port

Question 1

What is the ABV of the aguardente added to Port?

Answer 1

77% ABV.

Question 2

Approximately what residual sugar and abv is the resulting final wine after aguardente is added?

Answer 2

~70g/L and 19-22% abv

Question 3

How long must Vintage Port be aged in barrel?

Answer 3

2 years. Must be bottled by July 30 the 3rd year after harvest.

Question 4

How long must Late bottle vintage port be aged in barrel?

Answer 4

LBV must be aged 4 years in barrel and 6 total (must be bottle by Dec 31 the 6th year after harvest).

Question 5

How long must Colheita Tawny port be aged in barrel?

Answer 5

7 years

Question 6

Who produces Quinta dos Malvedos?

Answer 6

Graham’s

Question 7

Who produces Quinta de Vargellas?

Answer 7

Taylor’s

Question 8

What is special about Quinta do Noval’s Nacional vineyard?

Answer 8

Noval’s Nacional Vineyard is ungrafted Touriga Nacional.

Question 9

Who made the first LBV port and when?

Answer 9

Quinta do Noval produced the first Late Bottle Vintage port in 1958.

Question 10

What size barrel is a pipa?

Answer 10

550L barrel, the smallest for port production

Question 11

What is the cadastro?

Answer 11

The cadastro is the ranking of quintas in the duoro for port production from A (best) to F (least).

Question 12

Name 3 white grapes used for port production.

Answer 12

Arinto, Codega, Goveio, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Voisinho

Question 13

Name 3 red grapes for port production.

Answer 13

Touriga Nacional
Touriga Franca
Tinta Barroca
Tinta Cao
Aragonez (AKA Tempranillo)
Castelao
Bastardo (AKA Trousseau)

Question 14

What are 3 vineyard designs / terracing options for porto vineyards?

Answer 14

Socalcos - old stone terraces cut into the hillside
Patamares - wider terracing that fits a tractor. cheaper, but has erosion issues.
Vinhos ao Alto - vertical vineyard rows going up the hill, but can’t be done with super steep (more than 30% grade) vineyards.

Question 15

What is the ‘beneficio’?

Answer 15

Adding of brandy to halt fermentation in Port

Question 16

What are the 2 main soils of the Douro valley?

Answer 16

Schist & Granite

Question 17

Where is port traditionally aged and why?

Answer 17

Traditionally shipped downstream to Vila Nova de Gaia BEFORE summer heat to avoid being baked

Question 18

At what point does aguardente get added?

Answer 18

Approximately 36hrs into ferment, or when 1/2 the sugars have fermented.

Question 19

What does envelhecido em garrafa indicate on a bottle?

Answer 19

Aged in BOTTLE

Question 20

What vintages have been declared in the 2000s?

Answer 20

2000, 2003. 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017

Question 21

What is a split vintage? What were the 3 most recent?

Answer 21

back to back declared vintages. 2016+17, 1991+92, 1982+83

Question 22

What is special about Quinta do Vesuvio?

Answer 22

Quinta do Vesuvio produces a vintage port EVERY YEAR

Question 23

Which winery produced the first table wine of the Douro and when?

Answer 23

Ferreira pioneered the style in 1952 with Barca Velha.

Question 24

If ‘lagrima’ is on a bottle of white port, what style is it produced in?

Answer 24

Lagrima indicates the sweetest of wine styles, Muito Doce, of 130g/L sugar and above.

Question 25

What are the sweetness levels for port?

Answer 25

Extra Seco: 17.5-40g/L RS
Seco: 40-65g/L RS
Meio Seco: 65-85g/L RS (normally wines are ~70g)
Doce: 85-130g/L RS
Muito Doce: 130g/L RS+

Question 26

Where would you find the Pinhao, Tedo, & Tavora Rivers?

Answer 26

Cima Corgo, in the Douro