Port Flashcards
What is Port?
Sweet, fortified wine from the Douro Region in Portugal
What are some of the famous Port houses that got started around the same time Port came to fame?
- Taylor’s
- Kopke
- Croft
- Warre
- Quarles Harris
What are Lodges?
Port wine cellars or warehouses
How did the practice of fortifying wines during fermentation come about?
It started when two British merchants visited the Abbot of Lamego and found the sweet wines made there were higher quality than the dry wines they had seen anywhere else and shipped the entire stock to England
What helped insure Ports rise to fame in England?
The Methuen Treaty in 1703 as it gave Portuguese wines preferable duties compared to other countries.
What was an unintended consequence of Ports rise to fame?
Large amounts of poor quality Port, made from thin wines that used cheap spirit and colored with elderberry juice, started being produced and lead to over supply and falling prices
What action was taken to correct the slump that Port was beginning to see in the 1700s?
In 1756, the Port vineyards were officially demarcated (boundaries were made) and production regulations were made by Prime Minister Marques de Pombal
What challenges did Portugal face at during the 19th century?
The Peninsular Wars followed up by the Portuguese Civil War in the beginning.
By the late 19th century vineyards were being hit with both mildew and phylloxera
What were the shippers doing during all of the challenging times in the 19th century?
They took advantage of the low prices, bought up vineyard land and started their own Quintas
What is the IVP, and when was it created?
The IVP is the Instituto do Vinho do Porto with is responsible for the administration and supervision of the Port Industry. It was created in 1933
What does the Casa do Douro, and when was it created?
They are a secondary authority which supervises the growers within the Port region. It was created in 1932
What financial assistance did the World Bank offer to growers in the Douro in the early 1980s?
They offered low interest loans who could plant or replant up to 10 ha (provided that the vineyards were classified as A or B grade) and that only five prescribed varieties were used.
When did Portugal join the EU?
1986
What was one unexpected consequence of Portugal joining the EU?
In 1991 Port producers were permitted to source and buy their own aguardente on the open market. This lead to a rise in quality of spirit used and Port overall.
Before this was controlled by the IVP and Casa do Douro
What is aguardente?
It is the spirit used to fortify Port
What did the Casa do Douro do in 1990?
They (controversially) bought a 40% stake in one of the largest shippers at the time, Royal Oporto. Originally, this was thought to allow growers to trade their own products.
However the venture was not a success, and the Casa do Douro went bankrupt.
After the Casa do Douro went bankrupt, what organization was created to fill its role?
The Vinhos do Porto e do Douro (IVDP), which supervises both the Port and Douro producers.
Where is the Douro located?
In north east Portugal.
How many ha are covered by the Douro appellation?
250,000 ha
How many of the 250,000 ha covered by DO Douro are registered to DO Porto?
32,000 ha
What is the climate in the Douro?
Warm continental climate with temperatures reaching 40°C/104°F during the summer.
What mountain range protects the Douro Valley from the influences of the Atlantic?
Serra do Marão
What are the three sub-regions of Porto?
- Baxio Corgo
- Cima Corgo
- Douro Superior
Which Porto sub-region tends to be the coolest and wettest?
Baxio Corgo
What wines are typically created from the grapes grown in Baxio Corgo?
Inexpensive Ruby and Tawny Port
Which Porto sub-region do most of the well-known producers source their fruit for their high end bottlings/
Cima Corgo. Fruit from this sub-region are used to produce Age-Indicated Tawny Port and Vintage Ports.
Which Porto sub-region is the hottest, driest and most sparsely planted?
Douro Superior
What are the soils like in the Douro?
- They are free-draining and poor in nutrients, which helps limit vigour.
- The underlying bedrock is schist, which is a rock that crumbles into layers.
- Due to ancient tectonic movement, the schist in the splits vertically, instead or horizontally, making it easier for roots to penetrate deeper into the bedrock to find water
Is irrigation permitted in the Douro?
Only in the most extreme circumstances.
What are they three different types of vineyard layouts in the Douro Valley?
- Socalcos
- Patamares
- Vinha ao Alto
Describe what a Socalcos is
It is the traditional method for vineyard layout, which is narrow terraces, supported by walls of dry rock. Typical planting densities of ~6,000 vines per ha. Vine densities is kept low so small tractors can enter the terraces to reduce manual labor needs.
This layout is not suitable for mechanisation, and for this reason Socalcos are usually not considered when planting new vineyards.
Socalcos are also UNESCO protected, so they cannot be converted to another layout and must be maintained.
What is a Patamares?
This another vineyard layout which are terraces supported by a steep earth ramp instead of a stone wall.. Small tractors are able to run up and down by using tracks that run diagonally up the slope.
Patamares are cheaper to implement and maintain the Socalcos, but erosion and the growth of weeds on the ramps can be problematic.
True or False,
There are two different kind of Patamares?
True!
- There is a large, wide Patamares that supports two rows of vines on each terrace. These are the original form of Patamares which were constructed when bulldozers used to create the terraces were large and bulky. Though this method has better land usage, uneven ripeness can be an issue due to one row having better sun exposure
- The more modern version or Patamares are more narrow, and only support one row of vines which make use of more modern technology.
What is the typical planting density of Patamares?
3,000 to 3,500 plants per ha
How are Vinha ao Alto vineyards laid out?
Vines are planted in vertical rows up the slope.
What are some pros and cons for Vinha ao Alto vineyards?
Pros:
- It is the least expensive option to plant and maintain
- Allows for relatively high plantings (5,000 vines per ha)
- Efficient use of land
Cons:
- Above 40% incline mechanisation is not usable
- Water run-off and erosion can cause significant problems
How are the vines for Vinha ao Alto vineyards trained?
Cordon-trained and spur-pruned, or head-trained and cane-pruned. VSP trellised to promote even sun exposure and ripening. This also helps with mechanisation where viable.
What are some of the vineyard management choices made for Vinha ao Alto vineyards?
- Summer pruning of leaves may be carried out to ensure sun exposure throughout the growing season, especially for late-ripening varieties.
- Drought tolerant rootstocks are also widely used (110R and 1103P, which are hybrids of V. rupestris and V. berlandieri)
What is the maximum yield permitted for Port wine production?
55 hL/ha, but due to limited water and some vineyard hazards and diseases, yields may be closer to 30 hL/ha
What are some of the hazards and diseases that can plague vineyards in the Douro Valley?
- Spring Frost
- Cool and wet weather may disrupt flowering and fruit set
- Downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot
How is most of the harvest in Port carried out?
By hand. However due to an ageing and fleeting population throughout the Douro Valley, mechanisation is becoming more important.
How many grape varieties are permitted for the production of Port?
Over 100
What are the 5 prescribed varieties that have been the focus replanting efforts and clonal research in the Douro Valley?
- Touriga Franca
- Tinta Roriz
- Tinta Barroca
- Touriga Nacional
- Tinto Cão
Are the vineyards in the Douro planted to single varietals, or more likely to be a field blend?
Field Blend
What is a key part of the blend for premium and super-premium Port wines?
Vinha Velha, or old vines, with some shippers making wine exclusively from old vine fruit
What are the most important black grape varieties for Port?
- Touriga Franca
- Tinta Roriz
- Tinta Barroca
- Touriga Nacional
- Tinta Amarela
- Tinto Cão
- Sousão
What are the key white grape varieties for Port?
- Malvasia Fina
- Moscatel Galego Branco
What are some of the characteristics of Touriga Franca?
- Late ripening
- Tight bunches w/thick skins making it relatively resistant to fungal diseases
- Can be vigorous so summer pruning may be needed
- Contributes color, tannin and acidity
- Contributes red and black fruit flavors, as well as floral aromas
It is very popular with producers and growers so it is by far the most grown variety
What are some of the characteristics of Tinta Roriz?
- Early ripening
- Grows best in relatively cool sites or else it can suffer from water stress
- Lends body and color to the blend
- Can be produced in high yields, but can also lack concentration
What are some of the pros and cons of Tinta Barroca?
Pros:
- Early ripening
- Does best in coolest sites (high elevation of north facing slopes)
- More earthy notes
- Capable of producing high yields
Cons:
- Can lack acidity if planted in warmer sites
- If planted in warm sites it is prone to heat damage and shrivel
What are some of the characteristics of Touriga Nacional?
- Mid-ripening
- Thick skinned grapes
- Deep color intensity and high levels of tannin
- Retains acidity well
- Concentrated flavors of black fruit and floral aromas
- Can suffer from excess vegetation so summer pruning may be required
- Susceptible to coulure, which can lower yields and cause vine imbalance
What are some of the characteristics of Tinta Amarela?
- Prone to fungal disease due to its tight clusters
- Produces full bodied wines
- Concentrated black fruits and spicy notes
What are some of the characteristics of Tinta Cão?
- Low yielding
- Small thick-skinned grapes make it resistant to fungal disease
- Late ripening
- Heat tolerant
- Produces concentrated wines with high acidity
What are some of the characteristics of Sousão?
- Thick skinned variety
- Deep intensity of colour
- Ability to retain high levels of acid
It is becoming popular among producers
What is another name for Malvasia Fina?
Boal
What is the range of residual sugar found in Port?
80-120 g/L
How long does maceration last for Port production?
Two days maximum, therefore extraction techniques need to be very effective
What are the key methods used for extraction in Port wines?
- Foot treading in Lagares
- Modern Lagares
- Pump overs
- Stainless-steel pistons
- Autovinifiers
What is a Lagar?
It is a shallow (80cm/31.5in deep) square tanks, allowing a large surface area between the must and grape skins