Port Flashcards
How are ports made?
by adding grape spirit to a fermenting juice to create an alcoholic sweet wine.
how long has Port been being made in Douro?
since the 18th century
What are the twin coastal cities that the activities of the Port industry are divided between?
Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia - which lie on opposite sides of the mouth of the river Douro
The two regions in Douro are divided into how many sub regions? name them
three: Baixo Corgo; Cima Corgo; Douro Superior
What kind of wines does Baixo Corgo produce?
the lightest wines in Douro
What is Cima Corgo known for in Douro?
greatest number of top vineyards are found
Describe Douro Superior
although it is sparsely planted it is renowned as a source of top quality wine.
What is the climate in Douro>
generally speaking the vineyard area is warm continental as a result of being shielded from the cooling rain bearing Atlantic winds by the Serra do Marao. however not uniform
what is the climate in Baixo Corgo?
coolest and wettest of the sub regions of Duoro.
what happens to climate as you move east in Douro sub regions>
further east you go the hotter and drier it becomes.
What type of climate affects vineyards in the spring in Douro?
spring frosts and heavy downpours can disrupt flowering as well as harvest occasionally
What is summer like in Douro?
daytime temperatures can be very high and rainfall throughout the growing season is low.
How is viticulture possible in Douro
due to schist bedrock which fractures vertically allowing vine roots to access deep water reserves that are built up by the winter rains.
Where are the vineyards in Baixo and Cima Corgo built?
very tall and steep slopes that rise up from the banks of the Douro and its tributaries.
What are Socalcos?
narrow terraces which are supported by stone walls. this is what was traditionally used
what are Patamares
new style of terrace to allow for some mechanization. they are built without retaining walls and each terrace is wide enough to allow tractor access.
what are Vinha ao-alto
unterraced system where the angle of the slope is low. vines are planted up and down the slope and accessed by roads cutting across the slope from where machinery is operated by winches
Why is there clear temperature differences between the top and bottom of the slopes in Douro?
due to change in altitude
Why are some sites used that have a more northerly aspect in Douro?
because they face away from the full force of the sun
what are challenges around socalos?
each terrace can only support a few rows and no mechanization is possible. walls are also expensive to maintain.
what are both Vinha ao-alto and patamare systems prone to?
erosion especially Vinha ao-alto which is not viable on the steepest slopes.
what are the vast majority of red ports?
complex blends of many different varietals which in Douro tend to be thick skinned, high in tannin, with black fruit, and floral aromas.
what are the 5 varietals in Douro that are preferred for premium port?
Touriga Franca, Tina Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, and Tinto Cao.
When is port fermentation stopped?
by fortification once the alcohol reaches 5-9% abv in order to produce a sweet wine.
How long does fermentation typically last for a port?
only about 24-36 hours
What happens due to the minimal time in fermentation for a port?
the grapes do not have enough time to extract the level of color or tannin expected for a port. other techniques must be used.
What is foot treading?
this is the traditional method of extraction in port production and the benchmark against which all other methods are judged. large teams of workers tread the grapes for 3-4 hours in lagares
what are lagares?
shallow granite troughs
When does foot treading stop?
once fermentation is underway, then the cap is regularly punched down to extract more color and tannin
Why is foot treading not used widely now?
very labor intensive, but still used for premium wines.
What was one of the earliest methods used to automate extraction in Douro?
Autovinifiers - still widely used today
how do autovinifiers function?
Crushed grapes are put into sealed vats and the rising pressure of CO2 given off by the fermentation pushes juice up through pipes into a holding tank. When the pressure of CO2 reaches a certain level a valve is automatically released and the wine in the holding tank (no longer supported by Co2) floods down over the cap
What happens after the wine floods over the cap in the autovinifiers function?
the valve resets itself and the process starts again.
what is autovinifiers similar to?
pumping over - except the amount of contact with the skins and and wine are much higher because when the fermentation is very active a cycle will complete every 15-20 mins.
What systems are designed to imitate foot treading as closely as possible?
Piston plungers and robotic lagares
what are piston plungers
round shallow open topped stainless steel vats where the cap is pressed down with robotic pistons.
What does the robotic lagar involve?
the use of a shallow and rectangular stainless steel tank of the approximate size of the traditional lagar which is adapted to carry a self propelled gantry with robotic ‘feet’
How do the robotic feet used in Port fermentation work?
the gantry moves up and down the lagar with the feet copying the action of foot treading by actually squashing the grapes against the floor of the tank.
What happens after the “foot treading” phase is over in the robotic lagar method?
the machines carry out regular punch downs.
How are robotic lagar methods compared to traditional foot treading?
many consider these systems as good as foot treading and they are widely employed in the production of premium wines.
Fortification kills the yeast in port production to create a stable sweet wine with how much abv?
19-22%
describe the sweetness of Port
all port is sweet but some is sweeter than others and the producer decides based on their style
What will the timing of fortification depend on
the initial must weight and the required level of sweetness
what is the “aguardente”
the spirit used for port.
how strong can the abv be for aguardente
no stronger than 77% abv
what are alcohol levels like prior to fortification for a port wine?
low
What does low alcohol levels in a port and that fact that spirit can’t be higher than 77% means what?
significant volumes of spirit need to be used - typically ends up being an average of 20% of the bottle is spirit in a port
What is the percent of spirit in a Fino?
about 3.5% of total volume
Where are ports typically transported for maturation?
downstream to Vila Nova de Gala.
Describe the climate in Vila Nova de Gala
cooler coastal climate well suited to slow maturation of Port wines.
Why have some Ports been stored up in Douro >
the higher temperatures result in faster adding and a loss in color - Tawny Port typically
What has helped more vineyards to keep wine aging in the vineyard area?
air conditioned warehouses
where does post maturation typically take place for a Port?
traditionally in old oak vessels both small and very large. (stainless steel now used as well)
What is a characteristic that is not desired in any Port?
new oak flavors
What are the two broad styles among red ports that are a direct consequence of the type of vessel used?
ruby styles and tawny styles.
Describe a ruby style port when bottled
predominant primary fruit character. producers look to minimize the effect of oxygen on the flavor and will only age these wines for a relatively short period of time in very large oak vessels or stainless steel tanks
What type of Ports are aged in very large oak vessels or stainless steel tanks to preserve primary fruit character flavors?
Ruby, Reserve Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and Vintage Ports
Describe Ruby, Reserve Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and Vintage Ports
although quality and concentration will vary, wines will be deeply colored and have intense primary fruit flavors when bottled.
Which ports do not benefit from bottle aging and are typically fined and filtered before bottling?
Ruby, Reserve Ruby and some styles of LBV
Which types of ports are not filtered and can benefit from aging in the bottle.
some LBVs and all Vintage Ports.
What happens after LBVs and Vintage Ports are further matured in the bottle?
they have garnet color and tertiary cook fruit and vegetal (prune, leather wet leaves) flavors.
What type of maturation does true tawny port undergo?
long oxidative maturation in barrels called pipes.
if tawny ports and ruby ports are made in the exact same style what is the one difference?
how they are matured.
After Tawny Port goes through maturation what happens?
its turns garnet and then tawny and only the very oldest become brown. with age the primary flavors fade becoming raisiny and accompanied with walnuts, coffee, chocolate and caramel.
What happens to Tawny ports deposits while aging?
while wood aging they throw the deposit and need little extra treatment prior to bottling.
How are tawny Ports described on release
fully developed and do not benefit from aging.
What are ports can be made inexpensive ?
Ruby and Tawny
Describe an inexpensive Ruby Port
blends of wines that are typically between 1-3 yrs old. lack in concentration, complexity and tannins of more premium styles.
Describe an inexpensive Tawny Port
although they show a browning like other Tawnines they are no older than Ruby Ports and have not undergone oxidative aging.
How do producers achieve an inexpensive tawny port’s color
in a number of ways including use of less heavily extracted or lighter wines from the Baixo Corgo, blending in white port, a period of hot maturation in the Douro and/or heavt fining to remove color.
What is a labelling term that can be applied to both Ruby and Tawny ports that are of high quality than the most basic expressions?
Reserve/Reserva - determined by an official tasting panel.
what is the minimum age requirement for a reserve Tawny
wood aged for at least 6 years.
What are LBV (Late Bottle Vintage) Ports?
vintage wines that have been aged for 4-5 years before they are bottled - typically in a large oak vessel. they are fined and filtered (majority)
What are LBV Ports similar to in style?
high quality Ruby ports
When should LBV be drank?
immediately and rarely benefit from extra bottle aging.
Small number of LBV are unfiltered what is their style similar to?
Vintage Port and they can benefit from age in the bottle. form a sediment and often need to be decanted prior to drinking.
What type of maturation does Tawny Port with an indication of age under go?
long period of oxidative maturation in pipes.
What does the port need to do to qualify to be labelled 10,20,30 or 40 years old?
they have to be consistent with the characteristics of a wine of that age.
What does the age on a Vintage port actually mean?
its the average age rather than the age of the youngest component of the blend.
What else must the label of a Vintage port state
the year it was bottled which is important because these wines lose their flavor in the bottle
What are the finest of all Tawny ports?
Vintage Ports and the best are complex and concentrated.
when must a producer register their intention to release a Vintage Port
in the second year after the harvest
to be a vintage port when must the wine be bottled by>
no later than the third year after harvest
for a vintage port where does all aging take place?
prior to bottling in either large oak vessels or stainless steel tanks and the wines are unfiltered and unfined.
What are the most tannic and concentrated ports on release?
Vintage ports - some enjoy them young while others let them age in the bottle for decades
on average how frequently are vintage ports produced?
three times in a decade
what are vinatge ports made up of?
a blend of the finest wines from a producer’s best vineyards
what years are general consensus as vintage port?
2000, 2003, 2007, and 2011. 1991 and 1992 are still up for debate
What are single Quinta Vintage Ports
product of a single estate or quinta - the name of the quinta appears on the bottle
compare Single Quinta Vintage POrt to a Vintage Port
single quinta vintage port are less prestigious, but still high quality wines.
