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.