Port Flashcards
Vineyard area of Port
- Baixo Corgo (lightest wine)
- Coma Corgo (top vineyard found)
- Douro Superior (top-quality wine)
Climate in Douro Valley
- Warm continental climate, spring frosts disrupted flowering, daytime in summer very hot, rainfall is low in growing season
- shielded from cooling rain-bearing Atlantic winds by Serra do Marao
- Baixo Corgo in west is coolest
- Schist bedrock allow vine root to access deep water reserves by winter rains
Socalcos
Vines traditionally planted on narrow terraces that supported by stone walls
Patamares
New style of terraces that allow mechanisation
Grape varieties of Port
- vast majority of red are complex blends (thick-skinned, high tannin, black fruit and floral aroma
- Touriga Franca
- Tints Roriz
- Tinta Barroca
- Touriga Nacional
- Tinto Cao
Fermentation of Port
Stop by fortification once reach 5-9 abv to create sweet wine (lasts for 24-36 hrs process)
Foot treading
Traditional method of extraction, large team of workers tread grapes in shallow granite troughs (lagares) for 3-4 hours
Autovinifiers
Earliest method used to automate extraction
Piston-plungers
- designed to imitate foot treading
- a round shallow open topped stainless steel vats where the cap is pressed down with robotic pistons
Definition of Port
It’s made by adding grape spirit to fermenting juice to create an alcoholic sweet wine
Aguardente
The spirit (no stronger than 77 abv) used for fortification to kill yeast to create sweet wine with between 19-22 abv
Maturation of Port
Transported to Vila Nova de Gaia since it has cooler coastal climate that well suit to slow maturation of Port wine
Tawny Port
- stored up the Douro since there is higher temperatures result in faster ageing and loss in colour
- long oxidative maturation in Pipes
- brown in colour, walnut, coffee, chocolate, caramel
Ruby Port
- age short period of time in very large oak vessels / stainless steel tanks to retain primary fruit character and minimise effect of oxygen
- blend of 1-3 years old wines
Types of Port
Inexpensive:
- Ruby
- Tawny
Special categories:
- Reserve / Reserva
- Late Bottled Vintage (LBV)
- Tawny with an indication of Age
- Vintage
Reserve / Reserva
A labelling term for Ruby and Tawny that higher quality than basic version, must be wood aged for minimum of 6 years
LBV
- a vintage wine aged 4-6 years before bottled in large oak vessels
- fined and filtered
- early drink, rarely benefits from bottle ageing
Tawny with indication of Age
- long oxidative maturation in pipes
- can labelled 10,20,30,40 years old (average age)
- must state the year of bottling
- finest of Tawny
- consistent with characteristic typical of wine of that age
Vintage
- producer need to register their intention to release Vintage Port in 2nd year after harvest
- wine must bottle no later than 3rd year
- matured in large oak vessel or stainless steel tanks
- unfined and unfiltered
- most concentrated and tannic Port
- will throw heavy sediment after bottle ageing
- blend of finest wine in best vineyard of producer
- 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011 should be declared
Single Quinta Vintage Ports
- Product of single estate / Quinta
- High-quality wine
