Port Styles Flashcards
What wines comprise the category ‘Ruby Port’?
Ruby Late Bottled Reserve Crusted Vintage Single Quinta
What wines comprise the category ‘Tawny Port’
Colheita 10 Year 20 Year 30 Year 40 Year
What is the general character of basic Ruby Port?
Medium bodied
Medium tannins
Red and black fruit aromas
Slightly harsh alcohol
Are basic Ruby Ports suitable for aging? Why?
Generally not. They are made using protective winemaking with grapes that are low in tannins and other structural components. These wines are intended for early drinking.
Are basic Ruby Ports vintage or nonvintage? Why>
Nonvintage to ensure consistency
How are basic Ruby wines matured? Why?
Usually in stainless steel or concrete for a maximum of 3 years. This method protects the color and aromatics of the wine.
What is the general quality and pricing of basic Ruby Ports? Why?
Acceptable to good, due to the limited aging and use of cheap fortifying spirit
How are basic Tawny Ports produced? Why?
With light extraction during fermentation and up to 3 years of oak aging. The lighter extraction will give the wines a color reminiscent of age, though the aging process doesn’t have a great effect on the wine’s color.
How might color and flavor be added to basic Ruby Port?
By draining the must used for a basic Tawny Port early, thereby concentrating the remaining juice.
What is a Reserve Ruby or Reserve Tawny Port?
A Port that had been made in either the Ruby or Tawny style with a minimum of seven years of aging. The wine must be tasted my the IVDP for approval.
What is a Tawny Port with an indication of age?
A Port wine made in an oxidative style with an average barrel age that is indicated on the bottle.
What are the ages that can be indicated on Tawny Port wines?
10 Year
20 Year
30 Year
40 Year
What type of barrel are used to mature afe indicated Tawny Port?
Pipes, a barrel that is typically 620-640 liters
What happens to the wine used in Tawny Port as they are matured?
The tannins soften, alcohol become more integrated, and primary aromas turn to tertiary aromas. Clarification and stabilization occurs naturally in the barrel over the aging process.
Do Tawny Ports with an indication of age need to be filtered prior to bottling?
No. Sedimentation and clarification occurs in the barrel.
How is the indication of age validated in Tawny Port?
Since the wines may be an average of different barrel ages, the IVDP tastes the wine to determine if it possesses the character of a Port with such an age indication.
What makes age indicated Tawny Port production more expensive than other styles of Port?
The evaporation in the barrels, as well as the sedimentation, requires racking and topping up which increases labor costs.
Have sales of age indicated Tawny Port increased or decreased in recent years? What has been the effect on producers’ wine stores?
Sales of increased, causing a drain on the wine producers have in their stores.
What subcategory of Tawny Port has emerged in recent years? Why?
Tawny Port with extremely long aging periods that can not indicate their age on the label. This started with Taylor’s Scion Port (150 years of age). The demand for long aged wine created this category and the prices are super premium.
What is a Colheita Port?
A Tawny Port made from a single vintage with seven years of aging in small barrels
What must be indicated on the label of Colheita Port?
The year of the vintage
The year the wine was bottles
True or False
A Port producer may bottle part of their Colheita stock in one year, and then bottle more of the same vintage in a later year.
True. Producers may determine market demand before bottling all or some of their Colheita Port.
How do Colheita Port producers avoid issues with evaporation in their barrels?
By topping up the barrel with other wines or spirit
Are Colheita Ports less expensive, as expensive, or more expensive than Vintage Ports?
Generally less expensive, though some producers will withhold small stocks of very old Colheita Port that can be sold at very premium prices.
When must Port producers declare their intention to make a vintage Port?
In the second year after harvest. They must provide a sample of young wine to an IVDP tasting panel for approval.
Are vintages likely do be declared frequently in the Douro?
No. The grapes must be exceptionally ripe and the young wines must be of extremely high quality.
Is the decision by Port producers to declare a vintage typically universal?
No. Some producers may declare a vintage while others will not. Quality of grapes is the key.
What factors come into play when deciding to make a Vintage Port?
Quality of grapes
Quality of wine
Market availability of Vintage Port. If the producer recently released a vintage, they may decide to hold back so as not to take sales away from their previous product.
Are old vines common in the production of Vintage Port?
Not common, though a category started by Quinta do Noval’s ‘Nacional’ uses grapes from old vines (some ungrafted)
Which grapes typically comprise the key elements of Vintage Port? What do they offer?
Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional
They provide color, tannins, and flavor concentration suitable for long-term aging
What winemaking techniques are used to ensure Vintage Ports are prepared for long-term aging?
Heavy extraction during maceration
Slow maturation in very large, old oak barrels
What happens to wine that is set aside for use as Vintage Port but doesn’t qualify through tasting?
It can be used as Single Quinta Port, Late Bottled Vintage, Crusted Port, or some form of Tawny Port
How long do Vintage Ports spend maturing in oak barrels?
The maximum amount is 3 years, though most are bottled in the second spring after harvest (18-20 months)
What ensures the stability of color in Vintage Port?
The limited oxygen exposure the wine receives in large oak barrels for 18-20 months. Anthocyanin-tannin bonding during maturation facilitates color retention over time.
Are Vintage Ports fined and/or filtered? If so, how?
They are not.
True or False
Vintage Ports have a thick sediment
True. They are unfined and unfiltered.
What are the characteristics of young Vintage Port?
High intensity dark fruit and sometimes floral aromas
Deep color, full body, high tannins
What are the characteristics of older Vintage Port?
The gradual development of dried fruit aromas
Integration of tannins and alcohol
What are the typical quality and pricing of Vintage Port?
Very good to outstanding
Premium to super premium
True or False
Vintage Ports do not tend to be especially profitable for Port producers
False. The short maturation time and early release from the winery, coupled with their premium pricing, makes them highly profitable
What is a Single Quinta Port?
A Port made from the grapes of a single property (estate) that is either of insufficient quality to meet the standards of Vintage Port or is not released as a Vintage for other reasons.
What are the requirements to produce Single Quinta Port?
It must be a vintage wine with grapes that come from a single property. Both must be listed on the label.
What is a Crusted Port?
A non-vintage Port aged in wood for up to two years before being bottled without fining or filtration. The deposit found in the bottle is the “crust”
What are the labeling requirements for Crusted Port?
The bottling date must appear on the label
If the bottle is held by the producer for three years before release, it may be indicated as “Bottle Matured”
When can Crusted Port be released from a winery?
At any time after bottling, though three years of aging at the producer will qualify it for a “Bottle Matured” designation
Compare the quality and aging potential of Crusted Port to Vintage Port.
They can be similar in both style and aging potential.
What are the typical quality and pricing of Crusted Port?
Good to very good
Mid-priced to premium
What is a Late Bottled Vintage Port?
A Port from a single vintage that is bottled between four to six years after harvest
Is the fruit used for LBV Port typically of lesser, equal, or greater quality than that used in Vintage Port?
It is typically of lesser quality
How long can LBV Port age after release? Why?
The lower quality of grapes and longer aging in barrel tends to mean LBV Ports are bottled ready for consumption.
What is the typical quality and pricing of LBV Port?
Very good quality
Mid priced
How does LBV Port compare to Ruby and Ruby Reserve Ports?
LBV Port tends to have more intensity, body, and tannin than Ruby and Ruby Reserve Ports.
Are LBV Ports filtered or unfiltered?
Most are filtered, though some are unfiltered and as such have an “Unfiltered” designation on the label.
How do unfiltered LBV Ports compare to filtered versions?
The unfiltered LBV Ports are typically fuller bodied and benefit from some bottle aging. Some are matured for several years in the bottle after five years of oak maturation.
Can LBV Port be labelled as “Bottle Matured”?
Yes, provided they are aged for three years in the bottle before release.
What is the typical quality and pricing of LBV Port?
Very good
Mid priced
What is Rosé Port?
A category of Port invented by Croft in the late 2000s. It is made from grapes grown in the cooler sites (high altitudes or Baixo Corgo) and undergoes a short maceration.
What winemaking techniques are used to produce Rosé Port?
A short maceration (2-3 hours)
Use of free run juice and clarification
Cool fermentation temperature (15-16°C)
The use of an absolutely neutral aguardente
How long does Rosé Port spend maturing?
No time. It is bottled shortly after fermentation and released within a year
Why does Rosé Port production require the use of aguardente that has no additional flavor?
The wine does not have the structure or aromatic intensity to support the addition of flavors from the fortifying spirit
What is the the typical character of Rosé Port?
It depends on the producer and the amount of extraction
What is the typical pricing of Rosé Port?
Inexpensive to mid priced
What is White Port?
A Port made from white grapes that are typically coplanted with black grapes in vinyards throughout the AO.
When are the grapes for White Port harvested?
In vineyards where white grapes are coplanted with black grapes, they will be harvested at the same time. In separated parcels, they will be harvested earlier.
In what style is White Port produced?
It can be made in a range of styles with differing sweetness and oxidation.
What are the key grapes in the production of White Port?
Muscatel and Malvasia
Which grape tends to be used the key varietal used in the production of sweet, unoxidized White Port?
Muscatel
What characteristics does Muscatel offer to White Port?
Highly aromatic fruity and floral aromas
How is Muscatel destined for White Port treated at the winery? What is the typical winemaking process?
The grapes are crushed and dosed with SO2. Maceration occurs over a couple of hours at chilled temperatures before the must is drained and fermentation begins at less than 18°C to maintain aromatic freshness
Is fruity, unoxidized White Port stored for maturation?
It can be stored for a short time in stainless steel or very large, old oak barrels.
What is the typical character of fruity, unoxidized White Port?
Lemon color
Medium body
Stone fruit and floral notes
Which grape tends to be used the key varietal used in the production of oxidized White Port?
Malvasia
What makes Malvasia suitable for use in oxidized styles of White Port?
It maintains subtle flavors in youth but develops honeyed and nutty aromas with age
True or False
The maceration process for oxidized White Port is shorter than that for unoxidized White Port
False. Phenols are extracted from the skin of Malvasia grapes that will support the aging process
How are oxidized White Ports matured?
In small oak barrels in a similar method to premium Tawny Ports
What is the typical character of oxidized White Port?
Amber or brown color
Aromas of caramel, citrus peel, dried stone fruit, and nuts
What labeling terms can be added to White Port?
Any that is used for Tawny Port. This includes
“Reserve”
Age Indication
Colheita
What does ‘Reserve’ indicate on a Port label?
The wine has been aged for a minimum of seven years
What does ‘Colheita’ indicate on a Port label?
The wine has been aged for a minimum of seven years and is made from a single vintage
What are the age indications permitted on a Port label?
10 Year
20 Year
30 Year
40 Year