Port Styles Flashcards
What are the two broad, fundamental styles of Port?
- Ruby Ports - bottled-aged
* Tawy Ports - cask-aged
When did aging in Port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia cease to be mandatory?
1986
Ruby Styles
- Ruby Port
- Ruby Reserve Port
- Vintage Port
- Single Quinta Vintage Port
- Late-Bottled Vintage Port
What term replaced “Vintage Character”?
Ruby Reserve Port
How long must Ruby Port be prior to bottling?
2 years
What is “Premium Ruby” Port?
Another Name for Ruby Reserve Port
When must Vintage Port be bottled by? When may be they be sold?
- Bottled by July 30 of the 3rd year following harvest
* May be sold from May 1 of the 2nd year after harvest
What is a “split vintage”?
Back-to-back declared vintages
What is single quinta vintage port?
The product of one estate’s harvest
How long does an LBV Port typically spend in cask?
4-6 years prior to bottling
How many vintages may be blended to produce a LBV Port?
None - it is always the product of a single vintage
Do you need to decant LBV Port?
Not typically - they are usually filtered prior to bottling
•However, superior styles (labeled “Envelhecido em Garrafa”) may achieve quality near that of true Vintage Port and improve with bottle age, but always mature sooner than Vintage Port
•Envelhecido em Garrafa = MIN 3 years additional bottle age
Where are you most likely to find “Envelhecido em Garrafa”? What does it mean?
Late-Bottled Vintage Port of superior quality
•It indicates an additional minimum 3 years of bottle aging
What are the styles of Tawny Port?
- Tawny Port
- Reserve Tawny
- Tawny with Indication of Age
- Colheita Tawny
How are basic Tawny Port wines paler in color?
NOT due to extensive cask aging, but due to the provenance of grapes, a less thorough extraction, or the addition of white Port to the blend.
What are lesser vineyards and vintages most likely destined for in Port wines?
Tawny Port (basic quality)
How long must Reserve Tawny be aged?
•MIN 7 years prior to bottling
What age indications may Tawny be labeled?
10, 20, 30 or 40 years old
Which port requires a pronounced rancio state?
Tawny 40 year
Describe the aging for Tawny with Indication of Age.
These wines show a progressively more concentrated and developed character, reaching a pronounced oxidative, rancio state by 40 years.
•Typically, such Ports are racked once annually, often freshened with additional spirit or wine as evaporation takes its natural course, and are finally blended together prior to bottling.
What does the age indication of Tawny port mean?
An approximation of taste. Regardless of the wine’s actual age
What is Colheita Tawny Port?
A vintage-dated Port that spends a MIN 7 years in cask–many stay for decades
What Port may be labeled Colheita?
Tawny Port that has spent a minimum of 7 years in cask
Name a producer that specializes in Tawny Port.
Calem - they will not bottle Colheita Tawny Ports until an order is received
Why might vintage-dated tawny port vary from bottle to bottle?
Different bottling dates–some producers will not bottle a tawny port until an order is received
What styles of Port may be produced?
Vinho Licoroso: Tawny, Ruby, White, Rosé
What is the alcohol range for Port?
16-22%
•Except Porto Branco Leve Sec, which has a MIN 16.5% abv
What wines may be labeled “Velho”?
Tawny 10-30 years old
•40 may be labeled “Muito Velho”
What is “Crusted” port?
A term indicating that the wine has matured and has left sediment in the bottle
•Generally a blend of at least two or more vintage years that age in wood up to four years, bottled, and then ideally aged another 3 years in bottle
What is the minimum age for Ruby Reserve?
This term implies greater quality when used for “Ruby” Port but it does not carry any minimum aging requirement
•Tawny Reserve must be cask aged for a MIN 7 years
What is the minimum residual sugar level for all port?
MIN 17.5 g/l for ALL port
Who produces Garrafeira Port?
Niepoort family is the only producer
•3 to 6 years in wood, then transferred to glass demijohns (“bon bons”) which can vary (in the Niepoort Lodge) from 7 to 11 L.
