Portugal: Northern + Port Flashcards
Which treaties between Portugal and England established a long lasting trade agreement, and preferential tariffs for Portuguese wines? When were they signed?
1386 Treaty of Windsor: diplomatic alliance
1703 Treaty of Methuen: preferential tariffs
when did the English “discover” port? Where?
1678, in Lamego, a mountain town in the Douro Valley.
What spurred the creation of the Douro Wine Company? What is it now?
Lots of English demand for Port wines lead to producers turning to fraudulent practices (added sugar, alcohol, color, aromatizing). The English stopped buying as much, and the Douro Wine Company was created to eliminate fraud and establish regulatory measures. It demarcated the Douro appellation, and rated the top vineyards
It survives as the Royal Oporto Wine Company, but is no longer regulatory
What is feitoria?
(Portugal, Douro Wine Company’s vineyard ratings)
best vineyards were feitoria, and they were marked with stones, and set aside for the english market
What is rama? (portugal)
(Portugal, Douro Wine Company’s vineyard ratings)
lesser vineyards, provided domestic wines
What is the names for the Portuguese wines that made the trip across the atlantic? Name of the trip? Name of wines matured on the island?
Vinhos ao Roda - wines on trip
Torna Viagem - round trip
Vinhos Canteiro - mature on island, in estufagem
What were Portuguese DOP originally?
DOC: Denominação de Origem Controlada. DOPs were established in 2009 to line up with EU standards. The DOC may still be used within the country.
What are the 3 quality levels of Portuguese wine?
DOP/DOC
IGP (IG) / Vinhos Regional
Vinhos de Mesa
List the aging requirements for garrafeira wines Portugal
“private wine cellar”
tinto: min 30 months, including 12m in bottle
branco & rosado: min 12 months, including 6m in bottle
port: 4-8 years in cask, min 15 years in bottle
What does the term reserva indicate for Portuguese still wines? for Sparkling?
still: .5% higher alcohol than minimum
sparkling: min 12 months on lees
What does the term Colheita Seleccionada refer to for Portuguese wines?
1% higher alcohol than minimum
What is the Portuguese word for grape varietal?
Casta
sometimes Uva
Most planted red and white grapes Portugal?
red: Aragonez (aka tinta roriz / tempranillo)
white: Ferñao Pires (aka Maria Gomes)
Top red grapes Portugal
Aragonez
Touriga Nacional (Bical Tinto, Mortagua Preto)
Castelão (sometimes Perequita)
Jaen (Mencia)
Touriga Franca
Alfrocheiro
Tricadeira
Baga
Top white grapes Portugal
Fernão Pires (Maria Gomes in Bairrada)
Encruzado
Arinto
Antão Vaz
Alvarinho
Sercial (Esgana Cão - “dog strangler” on mainland)
Which IGP and DOP share the same geographical boundary in Northwestern Portugal?
Minho IGP and Vinho Verde DOP
What was the traditional type of vine training used in Minho / Vinho Verde? Why?
Enforcado - a trelissing system that keeps vines high off the ground. Vines would grow on tree trunks, telephone poles and stakes, creating an overhead canopy. Helped combat grey rot (area is cool, rainy, Atlantic influenced)
What rivers flow through Vinho Verde?
Minho River - separates part of Vinho Verde from Rias Baixas
Douro in the South
smaller: Lima (just south of Minho), Cavado
Styles of wine made in Vinho Verde DOP? Grapes?
red, white, rose, late harvest and sparkling
White: Loureiro*, Trajadura (Treixadura), Avesso, Pedernã (Arinto), Alvarinho
Red: Vinhão, Espadeiro, Borraçal, Alvarelhão
Subregions of Vinho Verde DOP?
Subregions: Monção e Melgaço- varietal Alvarinho, still and sparkling
Lima, Cávado, Basto, Ave, Amarante, Sousa, Baião, Paiva
Vinho Verde - climate? viticultural threats?
Cool, rainy, Atlantic influenced. Grey rot
Vinho Verde - soil types?
shallow, granitic soils
Transmontano - where is it? What is the climate?
Northern Portugal, east of Minho, along Spanish border. Dry, hot, mountainous.
What is the DOP of Transmontano IGP? Subregions?
Tras-o-Montes DOP
subregions: Chaves, Valpaços, Planalto Mirandés
Rivers in Transmontano?
(Northern Portugal)
Douro, Sabor, Tua and Tameg
Which IGP encompasses the Douro River Valley? Which DOPs are there?
Duriense IGP. It includes Douro and Porto DOPs.
Which mountains surround the Douro valley?
Marão and Montemuro
What is the preferred soil type for Port?
Schist
What are the subzones of the Douro?
when does each harvest?
Baixo Corgo - to West. highest density of plantings. late sept - early Oct
Cima Corgo- highest total vineyard acreage. “heart of douro” - mid sept
Douro Superior - stretches to Spanish border, largest, hottest, driest. - mid august
coolest / rainiest subzone of Douro
Baixo Corgo - influenced by the Serra de Marao. most fertile subzone
What styles of wine are made in Douro DOP?
Vinho: Branco, Rosado, Tinto
Vinho Espumante (sparkling)
Colheita tardia (late harvest)
Vinho Licoroso: Moscatel do Douro (fortified)
Douro DOP important red grapes
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão, Tinta Barroca
Douro DOP important white grapes
Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Rabigato, Gouveio
Douro vinho tinto reserva requirements
(red wines)
min 12% alcohol (regular is 11%)
min 1 year aging
Douro vinho branca reserva requirements
(white wines)
min 11.5% alcohol (regular is 10.5)
min 6 months aging
What does Grande Reserva indicate on a bottle of Douro wine?
The wine meets reserva requirements and scored exceptionally well in blind tasting analysis
Where were Port wines required to be aged and shipped from until 1986?
Villa Nova de Gaia, a suburb of Oporto, near the Atlantic coast - it is south of IG Minho, and west of IG Duriense. Traditionally, port casks were shipped from Pinhão in the Cima Corgo downriver to Villa Nova de Gaia for maturation at their lodges.
Removing this restriction allowed a new generation of small quintas to produce and ship their Port from their premises in the Douro.
Port houses leading table wine production in the Douro
Barca Velha, Niepoort, Quinta do Crasto, Ramos Pinto, Quinta do Vale Meão
Which IGPs make up the former Beiras province in Northern Portugal?
Terras do Dão
Terras de Cister
Terras da Beira
Beira Atlântico
Which DOPs are in Terras do Dão IGP?
Dão DOP and Lafões DOP
(south of Duriense, Beira Atlantico to west, Terras do Dão to east
Which DOP is within Beira Atlantico?
Bairrada DOP
subzone: Terras do Sicó
Which DOP is within Terras de Cister IGP?
Távora-Varosa DOP - a center of sparkling wine production
Which DOP is within Terras da Beira IGP? Subzones?
Beira Interior DOP
subzones:
Beira Castelo Rodrigo
Cova da Beira
Pinhel
between the Douro and Tejo rivers
In which IGP is the Dao DOP located? Styles of wine made?
within Terras do Dão IGO
Branco (may be labeled Nobre, Reserva and/or Garrafeira)
Tinto (may be labeled Nobre, Reserva, and/or Garrafeira)
Rosado
“Novo” Tinto (nouveau)
Vinho Espumante (sparkling)
Dão DOP recommended red grapes
Touriga Nacional, Jaen (Mencia), Touriga Franca, Alfrocheiro, Aragonez, Bastardo, Rufete, Trincadeira, Tinta Cão
Dão DOP recommended white grapes
Encruzado, Bical, Cercial
What does garrafeira indicate on a bottle of wine from the Dão DOP in Portugal?
regular garrafeira aging requirements (red 30m, incl 12 in btl, white and rose 12 incl 6 in btl)
PLUS higher min alcohol- 11.5%
What does reserva indicate on a bottle of wine from the Dão DOP in Portugal?
red: min 2 years aging
white: min 6 months aging
What does “nobre” refer to on a bottle of wine from the Dão DOP in Portugal?
Red: min 15% Touriga Nacional (with other recommended); min 3 years aging, min 13% alcohol
White: min 15% Encruzado, max 15% Cercial, Bical, Malvasia Fina, Verdelho; min 1 year aging, min 12% alcohol
What is the climate of Dão DOP? Soil?
hot dry growing season
rainfall in colder months
protected by mountains from coastal humidity
mountains: Sierra de Estrella, Montemuro, Marao
granite
What are barros?
clay soils found in Bairrada DOP (in Beira Atlantico, Northern Portugal)
What are the main red and white grapes of Bairrada DOP?
red: Baga (in clay / barros soils)
white: Maria Gomes and Arinto (in sandy soils)
Historically, where have the best sparkling Portuguese wines come from?
Bairrada
When was the Douro first demarcated?
1756- one of the world’s oldest wine appellations
What is lei do terço?
the law of the third
restricts sales of Port to one third of a house’s total inventory annually
What is beneficio in terms of Port production?
fortification of wine with spirit.
beneficio authorization: the maximum amount of wine that may be fortified in a given year. the amount is determined by a score based on 12 factors
What is the Moreira da Fonseca method?
the 12 factors used to determine a Port house’s beneficio, or amount of wine they may fortify in a given year. the factors are based on the soil, climate, and conditions in the vineyard.
Max 2,361 points based on these factors. Vineyards that score over 1200 are given an ‘A’ grade, ‘B’ vineyards score between 1001 and 1200, etc. A-level sites are allowed to vinify the most Port
Moreira da Fonseca - soil and climate factors? (7)
location, altitude, exposure, bedrock, rough matter, slope, shelter
Moreira da Fonseca - vineyard factors? (5)
type of vine, planting density, yield, training system, vine age
What are the preferred red grapes for Port production?
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Franca
Tinta Roriz (tempranillo)
Tinta Cão
Tinta Barroca
Tinta Amarela
Tinta Francisca
Bastardo
Mourisco Tinto
What are the preferred white grapes for Port production?
Gouveio
Malvasia Fina
Viosinho
Rabigato
Esgana Cão
Folgasão
What are patamares?
wide terraces in the Douro that can be navigated by tractor- more modern. reduces planted area by about half
patamares do not have retaining stone walls, instead relying on taludes (steep earth ramps or banks) with two or three rows of vines above on the sloping terrace. prone to collapse and erosion after heavy rain
what are estreitos?
narrow, single row patamares in the Douro
what are socalcos?
traditional terraces of the Douro made from intricate stone walls. not really workable by machine
What are lagares?
In Port- low, open granite troughs for foot-crushing grapes.
lagares and robotic lagares are considered best, but autovinifiers are also used
How long does Port fermentation take?
it’s short- two to three days. fortification occurs when around 1/3 of the sugar has been converted to alcohol
To what percentage is Port fortified?
Aguardente is added to the base wine, bringing it to 19-22% abv
What is a pipe in Port?
traditional barrel used for both aging and shipping, usually 550 liters in the Douro. pipes in Villa Nova de Gaia may be 620 liters
When must Vintage Port be bottled?
Vintage port is aged in barrel and must be bottled by July 30th of the 3rd year after harvest
What is a single quinta vintage port?
Vintage port from a single estate. A port house may not declare a vintage from the larger house, but choose to showcase one of it’s estates as a vintage wine.
List 3 examples of a single quinta vintage port
Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha
Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas
Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim
What is the name for the traditional cargo boat used to ship Port?
Barco Rabelo
How long does Late Bottled Vintage Port age?
Wines are aged in cask for at least 4 years and bottled before December 31 of the 6th year after harvest.
LBV wines additionally aged for 3 years in bottle may carry the designation “Envelhicido em garrafa,” or bottle-matured.
How long does reserve tawny port age prior to bottling?
At least 6 years
What is Colheita Tawny?
vintaged dated port that spends a minimum of 7 years in cask before bottling.
What is the regulatory body that oversees Port production?
the government run Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP) / Douro Port Wine Institute. Regulates both growers and shippers. Supervises the promotion, production, and trade of all Porto and Douro wines.
Douro- maximum yields?
red: 55 hl/ha
white: 65 hl/ha
How are vines traditionally planted in the Douro? What is Vinhos ao Alta?
Most vines planted on steep, terraced slopes
Vinhos ao Alta: newer system of planting vines in vertical rows directly up the slopes
What is garrafeira Port?
Wines that are aged in cask for at least 4 years, maximum 8 years, with an additional minimum 15 years of bottle maturing.
What do the terms Velho and Muito Velho mean on a bottle of Port?
Wines that are 10 or 20 years old may be labeled “Velho”;
wines that are 30/40 or 50 years old may be labeled “Muito Velho” (very old)
What does VVO indicate on a bottle of Port?
For wines over 80 years old (Cannot have an age statement on the bottle just VVO/W)
What is selo de garantia?
Portuguese term (also selo de origem) for the control seal that wines with DOC status bear on the neck of the bottle or as a back label
bagaceira
grape marc spirit (Portugal)
CVR portugal
Comissao Vitivinicola Regional - regional wine commission
late harvest in portuguese
colheita tardia
estágio
aging in bottle or cask
Portugal
IVV Portugal
Acronym for “Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho”, Portuguese public vine and wine institute. Vinho Licoroso – Liqueur wine, fortified wine.
Lagar (Portugal)
shallow fermentation vat, made of granite, marble, concrete or stainless.
Adega
winery or cellar in Portuguese
Herdade / Quinta
Wine estate or property. Quinta is a designation most traditionally used at the northern part of the country and Herdade is used in the South.
balseiros
(Portuguese) Immense wooden cask(s) built to stand upright, typically sized to hold thousands or even tens of thousands of litres. Used for ageing wines when we wish to minimise the effects of wood and micro-oxygenation.
pipas
small oak barrels for aging Port (i.e. Tawny)
550-630 l (production and aging)
534.24 l (shipping)
Tonel / Toneis
(Portuguese) Large wooden cask(s) which lie on their sides, usually over 1000 litres capacity. Graham’s has some beautiful old toneis in the Sala do Baptismo at our Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Caldeira
(Portuguese) A depression (s) created around the base of a newly planted vine, which will help channel any water towards the roots of the plant.
Caseiro
(Portuguese) The property manager or bailiff; Sr Arlindo is the caseiro at Quinta dos Malvedos.
Lote
(Portuguese) The batch(es) of wine as made at the time of harvest, which may be either single or mixed-varietal wines. Over the course of months or years after harvest, these lotes may be blended to create different styles of Port.
Mortórios
Walled terraced vineyards that were abandoned after phylloxera ravaged the Douro in the late 19th century. Some now support olive groves, others are just crumbling slowly after almost a century and a half.
Roga
teams of workers, either picking the grapes in the vineyards or treading them in the lagares. (Portugal)
Talude
sloped walls of patamares
Vinho ao Alto
Vineyards planted vertically on a smooth slope of up to 45°. Graham’s Quinta da Vila Velha has some vinha ao alto which are easily visible from the train line between Pinhão and Tua.
Vinhaço
(Portuguese) The grape solids left after pressing the wine, which will go to a distiller for making into aguardente.
general soil types Portugal
NORTH - GRANITE (Vinho Verde, Dao, Douro, Alentejo), SCHIST (Douro, Alentejo, Trasmontano)
CENTRAL - CLAY (Bairrada, Tejo, Lisboa, Setubal) LIMESTONE (Bairrada, Tejo, Lisboa, Setubal) SAND (Bairrada, Tejo, Lisboa, Setubal)
Largest DOC in Portugal?
Vinnho Verde
producers Vinho Verde
Soalheiro
Luis Seabra
Anselmo Mendes
Pederna
synonym for Arinto in Vinho Verde
Moncao e Melgacao climate
only subzone of Vinho Verde protected from direct Atlantic influence- both maritime and continental. produces fuller bodied wines with higher alcohol
largest wine producer in Portugal
Sogrape Vinhos, in the Dao. Known for Mateus rosé
grape for Douro sweet wines
Moscatel do Douro (Moscatel Galego)
what is a crusted port?
nonvintage wines that must be aged in wood for no longer than two years. fbottled without fining or filtration, leading to a crust forming in the bottle.
labeled “bottle matured” = 3 yrs in bottle
Very Very Old Tawny
new category created in 2022 for wines averaging over 80 years in cask
