Port General Flashcards
What ingredient is essential for quinquinas?
cinchona bark
What are the three general methods for fortification?
- Addition of spirit while sugars remain (Port)
- Fortification after the fermentation has concluded (Sherry)
- Fortification prior to fermentation (mistelle)
What does the EU define all fortified wines as in France? Name the type for each region: •Champagne •Cognac •Armagnac •Jura •Calvados
vin de liqueur •Champagne - Ratafia •Cognac - Pineau des Charentes •Armagnac - Floc de Gascogne •Jura - Macvin du Jura •Calvados - Pommeau
When was the Douro first demarcated?
1756
Who oversees the the production of port?
Douro Port Wine Institute (IVDP; aka Commissão Interprofessional da Região Demarcada do Douro, since 2003
Who is the most recent, former governing body of Port?
Casa do Douro, a syndicate of growers’ guilds established in 1932 and oversaw the regulation of viticulture until 1995–when it purchased controlling shares in Royal Oporto
What is Royal Oporto?
The surviving remnant of the Companhia Geral dos Vinhos do Alto Douro: the original oversight “company” est. in the Douro in 1756
What does the IVDP in Portugal supervise?
Supervises the promotion, production and trade of all Porto and Douro DOP wines
What is the “law of the third”?
Port houses must comply, restricting sales of Port to one-third of a house’s total inventory annually
Who guarantees label integrity and age designations for Porto and Douro DOP wines?
IVDP (Douro Port Wine Institute)
What is “beneficio”?
The maximum amount of wine that each grower may fortify in a given year–granted by the IVDP
•Based on a matrix of twelve factors, totaling 2,361 points
•A = 1,200+
•B = 1,200-1,001 and so on to “F”
What matrix is used to decide how much wine may be fortified? What are the factors?
“Beneficio”
•A matrix of 12 factors
•Seven soil and climate factors: location, altitude, exposure, bedrock, rough matter, slope and shelter
•Five vine factors: type of vine, planting density, yield, training system, and vine age
Porto and Douro DOP yields
- White - 65hl/ha
* Red - 55hl/ha
What is the minimum of preferred grapes for Port? What are the preferred red varieties?
MIN 60% of the blend •Touriga Nacional •Touriga Francesa •Tinta Roriz •Tinta Cão •Tinta Barroca •Tinta Amarela •Tinta Francisca •Bastardo •Mourisco Tinto
What is the minimum of preferred grapes for Port? What are the preferred white varieties?
MIN 60% of the blend •Gouveio •Malvasia Fina •Viosinho •Rabigato •Esgana Cão •Folgasão
What are the two types of plantings in the Douro? What are their respective yields?
- Vinhos ao Alto (4,000hl/ha): abandoning terraces in favor of planting vines in vertical rows leading directly up the slopes
- Patamares (3,000hl/ha): wide terraces that can be navigated by tractor; more common
**Grapes are harvested by hand
What are “lagares”?
Low, open granite troughs that grapes destined for port were foot-crushed and fermented in
What Algerian vinification technology is used by modern port houses today?
Autovinifiers - fermenting wine is pumped over the cap by virtue of its own buildup of gas
•Became more common during labor shortages in the 1960s and 1970s
Name four methods for crushing grapes for Port.
- By foot
- Using fermentation tanks adapted for Port wine
- Robotic treading machines
- Plunger tanks, which push the cap down into the juice below
What is the term for foritification in the Douro?
Beneficio
When does beneficio occur for Port? Explain the process.
When approximately one-third of the sugar content has been converted to alcohol
•Aguardente is added (77% abv neutral grape spirit)
•Fortified to 19-22% abv
•For most Port, aguardente will be add in a 1:4 ratio
Who pioneered white and rosé ports?
Croft
What is a traditional barrel used for both aging and shipping Port?
Pipe, although they vary in size: •Douro Valley - 550 L •Vila Nova de Gaia - 620 L •Shipping pipe - 534.24 L •Marsala - 423 L (shipping) •Madeira - 418 L (shipping)
Name 3 Port houses with English roots.
•Warre & Co.
•Croft
•Taylor’s
*All established by 1700
What are “feitoria”?
The best vineyards in Portugal that were classified in the 18th century and marked with stones, signifying fruit reserved for the English market
What were vineyards called in Portugal destined for domestic wines in the 18th century?
rama
What are the mountain ranges of the Douro?
Marão and Montemuro Mountains
What are the subzones of the Douro?
•Highest density?
•Largest, most sparsely planted?
•Most vineyard acreage?
- Baixo Corgo - highest density
- Cima Corgo - highest total vineyard acreage
- Douro Superior - largest, most sparsely planted
What ships were used to transport Port casks to Vila Nova de Gaia?
Barco Rabelo ships from Pinhão in Cima Corgo
What is Porto Branco Leve Seco?
AKA Light Dry White Port - lower abv of 16.5% and ages in oak between 5-10 years, losing its residual suagar as it ages
What is “Lágrima”?
The sweetest white port
