Port And Fortified Muscats Flashcards
Describe a quality Tawny Port
Pale tawny in colour, high in alcohol, sweet, walnut, coffee, chocolate
Name the three methods used to rapidly extract colour and tannins from Port grapes
Foot Treading
Autovinifiers
Piston plungers and robotic lagares
How long must a Reserve Tawny Port be aged?
Min 6 yrs in wood
From lowest to highest what is the correct order of price, for these different Port styles? Vintage Port LBV Ruby Reserve Tawny
Ruby, Reserve Tawny, Late Bottle Vintage Port, Vintage Port
What is the criteria for a Port grape?
List the 5 varieties used
Thick skinned, High tannin, Black fruit and floral notes
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional
Tinta Roriz, Tinta Baroca, Tinta Cão
What is the topography of the Port subregions and how can Vine growers make the most of it?
Quite extreme
Baixo Corgo and Baixo Cima Planted on steep slopes
Temp diff bottom to top - altitude
Some N face slopes used as face away from hot sun
What is the name of the terracing system used in Port than can only be used on gentle slopes?
Vinha ao Alto
Briefly summarise how an autovinifier works
Crushed grapes in sealed vat
Ferment pressure forces wine into holding tank
Pressure reached, wine floods back down over cap
Process repeats every 15~20 mins
Describe the Douro Superior subregion and what it produces
The hottest and most easterly of the subregions
Sparsely planted but produces top quality wine
What is the single biggest difference between Ruby and Tawny styles of Port?
Ruby Ports are matured protectively to minimise oxidation
Tawny Ports are deliberately oxidised
Give an example and simple tasting notes for a fully developed aged Muscat
How is it made?
e.g. Rutherglen, Australia
Amber~brown. Sweet~luscious, oxidative aromas but still retaining varietal aromas.
Grapes picked ripe and healthy, some raisining permitted, fermentation on skins. If luscious ferment stopped at 2% abv then oxidative ageing in old wood
What must be shown on the label of a bottle of Tawny with an indication of Age Port? Why?
The year of bottling
Because they start to lose their freshness after bottling
What’s a ‘Socolos’?
A traditional narrow terrace supported by Stone Walls
What is a ‘Patamares’?
A newer type of terrace used in the Port region that allows some mechanisation (tractor access) by not having retaining walls.
What is the style of Ruby, Reserve Ruby, LBV and vintage Ports and how are they aged?
Deeply coloured with primary fruit flavours avoiding oxygen
Aged in large Oak vessels or S. Steel for a relatively short period
What is ‘Tawny with an indication of age’ Port?
Long oxidative ageing in Pipes
Labelled 10, 20, 30, 40 years old
Age is the average age of the wine in the bottle
Label must state year of bottling as lose freshness soon after
Finest of all Tawny Ports
Why is rapid extraction so important in making Port?
Fermentation V. Short, 24~36hrs because fortified with grape spirit when just 5~9% abv
What is ‘Vintage’ Port?
The most concentrated and tannic of Ports
Usually a producers flagship Port
Only produced av 3 times per decade, up to producer not consensus
Consumer can drink young or age in cellar
Throws heavy deposit
What is the soil on the Port subregions and how does it help vines?
Shist bedrock, fractures vertically helping vine roots to dig down deep to water reserves
What is the labelling term for Ruby and Tawny Ports that are of a higher quality and has been approved by an official tasting panel?
Reserve / Reserva
Traditionally which Port style might be matured in the Douro and why?
Tawny Port because they are oxidatively aged so heat is a benefit
In what is Port matured?
Small~large Oak vessels
S. Steel also used now