Port Flashcards
What is Port’s climate?
The natural hazards?
Warm Continental
Serra do Maoro range mountains protect vineyard areas from rain bearing Atlantic winds.
Westerly regions have more Atlantic influence and are therefore cooler and wetter. Inland climate becomes more extreme with excessive hot and dry summers.
Spring frosts and heavy downpours can disrupt flowering and become a problem at harvest.
In Port, during the summer, day temperatures are very high and rainfall is very low. Given these challenges, explain the natural factor making viticulture possible there.
Schist bedrock fractures vertically down, allowing vines’ roots to penetrate deep water reserves built up by winter rains.
How do grape growers cope with hot climate of Port?
Vineyards are planted at steep slopes moving away from the heat as altitude rises. North aspect can be preferred to escape from the heat.
Describe three main vineyard designs in Port
1) The vineyard on very steep slopes are planted on narrow terraces (socalcos) supported by stone walls.
2) A new style of terraces are built without the walls and are wide enough to allow mechanisation. (patamares)
3) On low angle slopes, vines are planted vertically in line with the slope and winches are used as mechanisation. (vinha ao alto)
Which is not preferred in premium Port blends?
a) Touriga Nacional
b) Touriga Franca
c) Tinto Cao
d) Tinta Roriz
e) Trincadeira
f) Tinta Barocca
e) Trincadeira : A drought tolerant grape with spicy red berry flavours and high levels of tannin. Typically blended with Aragones in Portugal.
Why are normal extraction techniques not suitable for Port production?
Port fermentation is stopped by fortification once the alcohol reaches 5-9% abv. This implies that fermentation lasts for only about 24-36 hours. Given the limited amount of time, maceration process should be as vigorous as possible to extract the level of color and tannin expected of Port.
What are extraction techniques particular to Port production?
1) Foot Treading. Once fermentation starts, treading stops and regular punch down begins
2) Autovinifiers. A type of pump over using Co2 pressure released during fermentation. More vigorous when fermentation is very active (15-20 min cycles)
3) Piston Plungers & Robotic Lagares. Piston Plungers press cap down with robotic pistons in an open stainless steel vat. Robotic Lagares imitate foot treading in a shallow rectangular tank and continue with regular punch downs.
What are the common characteristics of grape varieties used in Port production?
Most of the varieties have relatively small thick-skinned berries high in tannin, which produce the dense concentrated must needed to make Port.
Black fruit and floral aromas.
How is Port made?
From the vineyard to the cellars.
Port is a sweet red wine, mostly a blend of many different varieties, which are picked and fermented together.
The classical terraced vineyard sites on steep slopes mean that grapes are hand harvested.
Depending on the extraction method, de-stemmed grapes go into lagars or special tanks for crushing and vigorous extraction of color and tannin before the short fermentation begins. Fermentation is stopped by adding a grape spirit named “aguardente” to the fermenting wine at about 5-9% alcohol abv. Fortification kills the yeast and create a sweet wine btw 19-22% alcohol abv.
Maturation of Port will depend on the style:
1) Ruby Port styles will be matured in old oak vessels or stainless steel tanks for a relatively short period of time. With the exception of Vintage Ports and some LBV, Ruby Port will then be fined, filtered and bottled for consumption. Some LBV and all Vintage Ports are not filtered and undergo long bottle ageing.
2) True Tawny Ports will undergo long oxidative maturation in barrels called pipes. Primary fruit fades, becomes raising, adds walnut, coffee, chocolate and caramel notes. During the prolonged wood ageing, Tawny Ports will throw their deposit and require little treatment before bottling. Once bottled, Tawny is fully developed and do not benefit from any extra bottle ageing.
What is the max alcohol level Aguardente?
77% abv
Why is the quality of Aguardente important in Port production?
Since it makes up about 20% of the wine, Aguardente’s contribution is sigificant.
It is important that the spirit is fine, clean, and neutral in order to allow for expression of fruit aromas from the underlying wine.
Briefly describe a Ruby Port
Ruby Port is a blend of 1-3 year old wines. They lack the concentration, complexity or tannins of more premium styles.
Briefly describe a Tawny
They show a browning in color but they do not undergo a long oxidative ageing and therefore are not older than Ruby Ports.
How do producers achieve the browning color in Tawny?
1) Using less heavily extracted wines or lighter wines from Baixo Corgo
2) Blending in White Port
3) Period of hot maturation in Duoro
4) Heavy fining to remove color
How long a Reserve Tawny must be aged?
Must be wood aged for a min of 6 years
