Port

Question 1

In which year was the Douro valley demarcated?

Answer 1

• 1756

Question 2

Who controls the quality of Port in Portugal?

Answer 2

Instituto Do Vinho Do Porto with its tasting panel called Câmara de Provadores.

Question 3

What is the allowed yield for Douro?

Answer 3

Red grapes - 55 hl/ha

White grapes - 65 hl/ha.

Question 4

What are the red grapes for Port?

Answer 4

• Tourigo Nacional
• Tinta Baroca
• Tinta Cao
• Tinta Roriz
• Tourigo Franca
• Trincadera aka Tinta Amarela
• Bastardo
• Mourisco Tinto.

Question 5

What are the white grapes for Port?

Answer 5

• Arinto
• Donzelino Branca
• Gouveio aka Verdelho
• Malvasia Fino
• Rabigato
• Viosinho
• Esgana Cão
• Folgasão

Question 6

What is Vinhos ao Alta?

Answer 6

A new planting system abandons traditional terraces in favor of planting vines in vertical rows leading directly up the slopes.

Question 7

What is Patamares?

Answer 7

Wider terraces that can be navigated by tractor.

Question 8

What is Beneficio?

Answer 8

The fortification process (Beneficio) of wine with spirit which occurs when approximately one-third of the sugar content has been converted to alcohol.

Question 9

To what alcohol % is port fortified?

Answer 9

The wine is fortified to 19-22% abv by the addition of aguardente “burning water” a 77% abv neutral grape spirit.

Question 10

What does beneficio do to the wine?

Answer 10

The process of beneficio (known to the French as mutage) halts fermentation, killing the yeasts and preserving sweetness in the Port.

Question 11

What is the capacity of a “pipe”?

Answer 11

• 550 L

- 620 L (Vila Nova de Gaia)

Question 12

Name the two major types of Port.

Answer 12

• Ruby Ports

- Tawny Ports

Question 13

Name the various categories of Ruby ports.

Answer 13

• Ruby Port
• Ruby Reserve Port
• Vintage Port
• Single Quinta Vintage Port
• Late-Bottled Vintage Port

Question 14

Name the various categories of Tawny ports.

Answer 14

• Tawny Port
• Reserve Tawny
• Tawny with Indication of Age
• Colheita Tawny

Question 15

Describe Ruby port.

Answer 15

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 Port does not carry a vintage date.

Question 16

Describe Ruby Reserve port.

Answer 16

Ruby Reserve, or Premium Ruby, replaced the term “Vintage Character” and offers more complexity and character than a basic Ruby Port.

Question 17

Describe Vintage Port.

Answer 17

Vintage Port is the most expensive style of Port to purchase and constitutes approximately 1-3% of production.

Question 18

Who declares a vintage in Port?

Answer 18

A Port house will usually declare a vintage year only in exceptional harvests—often a given house will, on average, declare a vintage three years out of every decade.

Question 19

What is Vintage Port?

Answer 19

• Made in a declared vintage
• Matured for 2 years in cask then bottled
• Aged in bottle for 10-15 years
• 20-22% ABV
• Needs to be decanted.

Question 20

What is Single Quinta Vintage Port?

Answer 20

A single quinta Vintage Port is the product of one estate’s harvest.

Question 21

Name a few Single Quinta Ports. (part 1)

Answer 21

• Croft - Crofts do Rôeda
• Calem - Quinta do Foz
• Cockburn’s - Quinta dos Canalis
• Delaforce - Quinta da Corte
• Dow’s - Quinta do Bomfin / Quinta do Senhora da Ribeiro.

Question 22

Name a few Single Quinta Ports. (part 2)

Answer 22

• Ferreira - Quinta do Porto / Quinta do Seixo
• Fonseca - do Panascal
• Graham - dos Malvedos
• Niepoort - Quinta do Passadouro
• Sandeman - Quinta do Vau
• Taylor’s - Vargellas / Quinta de Terra Feita
• Quinta do Noval - Quinta do Silval
• Warre - Quinta do Cavadinha

Question 23

What is Late-Bottled Vintage Port?

Answer 23

• Single year ports.
• Matured in wood for 4-6 years.
• Year of the vintage and year of bottling is stated on the label.
• Can be filtered or unfiltered (bottle Matured)

Question 24

What is Envelhecido em Garrafa?

Answer 24

• Superior style LBV.
• Always reach full maturity sooner than a Vintage Port.
• Unfiltered LBV.
• Additional minimum three years of bottle aging.

Question 25

What is Tawny Port?

Answer 25

• Multi vintage blended port.

- Commercial Tawny port - Blended white & ruby port.

Question 26

What is Reserve Tawny Port?

Answer 26

• Multi vintage blended port.

- Aged for at least seven years prior to bottling.

Question 27

What is Fine Old Tawny Port or Aged Tawny?

Answer 27

• Oak matured wine which causes the colour to become tawny and loose some sweetness.
• Matured for 10, 20, 30 or over 40 years.
• The number on the bottle refers to the approximate age of the wine.

Question 28

What is a Colheita Tawny Port?

Answer 28

A Single vintage Tawny with a minimum 7 years in cask.

Question 29

Name a shipper who specializes in Colheita Tawny.

Answer 29

Calem; will not bottle Colheita Tawny Ports until an order is received. Thus, Colheita Tawny Port from a particular vintage may vary in character from bottle to bottle.

Question 30

What is the minimum residual sugar for all ports?

Answer 30

• 17.5 g/L.

Question 31

What are the sub-regions of Porto?

Answer 31

• Baixo Corgo (coolest & wettest)
• Cima Corgo
• Douro Superior (hottest & driest)

Question 32

Where are the best vineyards in Douro located?

Answer 32

Around the town of Pinhão which is 32kms upriver from Régua.

Question 33

What is the soil of Douro?

Answer 33

• Slate and granite. Schistose soils are best for Port grapes.

Question 34

What is Crusted Port?

Answer 34

• Blended Port (multi-vintage)
• Unfiltered and need decanting.
• Matured in bottle for min. 3 years.

Question 35

List the recent vintage years for Port.

Answer 35

70’s - 1970, 1975, 1977
80’s - 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985
90’s - 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997
00’s - 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011

Question 36

Which vintages were declared only by Quinta de Noval?

Answer 36

2004, 2008, 2012