PT: Port Flashcards
The Douro features what type of climate?
Continental
Which of the Douro’s subzones is the most densely planted?
Cima Corgo
Which of the Douro’s subzones has the most plantings by hectares?
Cima Corgo
Which of the Douro’s subzones is the most sparsely planted?
Douro Superior
What styles of fortified wine can be released as Douro DOP?
Licoroso - Moscatel do Douro
What is the preferred soil type for Port?
Schist
(Xisto)
Where was Port required to be aged and shipped from historically? What year did this regulation end?
Vila Nova de Gaia
1986
What is the minimum required residual sugar level for all styles of Port?
17.5 g/l
Vintage Port aging/bottling requirements
EARLIEST SALE: May 1 of the 2nd year after harvest
BOTTLED BY: July 30 of year 3 after harvest
What is the aging requirement for LBV Port?
MIN 4 years in cask
BOTTLED BY December 31 of 6th year after harvest
What term designates that an LBV Port has been aged in bottle for an additional 3 years?
Envelhicido em garrafa
(“bottle matured”)
Colheita Port - type, aging, labelling requirements?
Single vintage tawny
*Ages in cask at least 7 years
*Must show vintage and bottling year
*will not improve with age
(cole-YATE-a)
What is the aging requirement for a bottle of Port labelled “Garrafeira”?
4 - 8 years in cask followed by a minimum of 15 years in glass container
(translates to “private wine cellar”)
How long must a Garrafeira Port age in glass?
Min. 15 years
A Port labelled “VVO” will be at least how many years old?
80
What styles of Port can be “reserve” and what does it mean?
It doesn’t carry any minimum aging requirement for Ruby - it just implies that it is of higher quality.
For Tawny or White styles - it indicates that the wine was cask aged for at least 6 years
What is the ABV range for all styles of Port?
19-22% (except Porto Branco Leve Seco, which has a min. 16.5%)
What 3 vintages were declared by the IVDP between 2010 and 2020?
2011
2016
2017
What 3 vintages were “widely declared”for port between 2000 and 2010?
2000
2003
2007
(11, 16, 17)
What vintages were declared by the IVDP between 1990 and 2000? (4)
1991
1992
1994
1997
What 3 vintages were declared by the IVDP between 1980 and 1990? (6)
1980
1982
1983
1985
1987
1989
**most IVDP declared vintages of any recent decade
2 evens, 4 odds
What vintages were declared by the IVDP in the 1970’s?
1970
1975
1977
1978
Quinta do Bomfim is owned by _______?
Dow’s
Dow’s is owned by ________?
Symington
Ferreira is owned by ________?
Sogrape
Fonseca is owned by ________?
Fladgate’s
Symington owns what Port brands? (6)
Graham’s
Dow’s
Quinta do Vesuvio
Warre’s
Cockburns
Quinta do Ataide
Quinta dos Malvedos
Graham’s
*owned since 1890
*SQVP
Quinta do São Luiz
Kopke
(do not make SQVP; use the name for Douro DOP wines tho)
What years were Vesuvio A Capela produced?
2007, 2011, 2016, 2017
Quinta da Vesuvio is located in which of the Douro’s subzones?
Douro Superior
What was the first Single Quinta Vintage Port on the market?
Taylor Fladgate’s Quinta de Vargellas - 1958
Lei dei Terco
“Law of the Third”
a decree restricting Port sales to 1/3rd of a house’s total inventory
6 functions of the IVDP?
- declare vintages
- guarantees label integrity
- enforces age declarations
- samples all appellation wine for authenticity
- regional promotion
- grants beneficio authorization
What is the Port’s beneficio?
IVDP regulated
The max. amount of wine that can be fortified in a given year, based on a matrix of 12 factors aka
*The Moreira da Fonseca Method”
(also the term for fortifying wine)
How many total points are in the beneficio?
2361
What is the min. score needed to score Grade A with Port’s Beneficio?
1200 (of 2361)
What is the lowest Beneficio grade that can produce Port?
F - - 201 to 400
(G cannot produce)
What soil/climate factors are considered in Port’s beneficio? (7)
- Location
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Bedrock
- Rough Matter
- Slope
- Shelter
What vine-related factors are considered in Port’s beneficio? (5)
- type of vine
- planting density
- yield
- training system
- vine age
Port’s max. yields?
Branco: 65 hl/ha
Tinto: 55 hl/ha
Most important Port RED grapes? (6)
- Touriga Franca (most planted)
- Touriga Nacional (the finest)
- Tinta Roriz
- Tinta Barroca
- Tinta Cão
- Tinta Amarela
[others.. Bastardo, Castelão, Cornifesto, Donzelinho Tinto, Malvasia Preta, Marufo, Rufete, Tinta Francisa (not Franca)]
Name some Port WHITE grapes?
Verdelho,Viosinho
Códega, Rabigato
Sercial (Esgana Cão)
Malvasia Fina
Name for Portugal’s terraces?
Patamares
Portugal’s traditional crushing/fermenting troughs?
Lagares
Fortifying Port - when, what, how?
Beneficio aka mutage (the other one)
- fortified to 19 - 22% with aguardiente once about 1/3 of the sugars are fermented
- usually a 1:4 ratio
- fermentation typically lasts 2-3 days
Port’s Pipes?
- shipping
- general range
Shipping: SET at 534.24L
(vs Madeira 418, Marsala 423, Jerez Bota Chica 500L)
Production/Aging: 550 - 630L
*720 bottles or 60 cases - preferred increments of sale for English merchants
What is the aging requirement for Vintage Port?
BOTTLED BY July 30 of 3rd year post harvest
MIN AGING: May 1 of 2nd year after harvest is the earliest sell date
Do you need to decant an LBV Port?
No
Unlike Vintage, usually filtered
UNLESS
labelled Envelhecido em Garrafa (“Bottle Matured”) - has sediment
*Smith Woodhouse, Warre’s make this style
Age indications for Tawny Port?
10, 20, 30, 40, 50
Crusted Port?
Named for the deposit (crust) in the bottle. Poor man’s vintage Port - closer in style than an LBV
*2 or 3 harvests ages in wood for up to 2 years, bottled unfined and unfiltered
*must show date of bottling
When was the Douro Valley first demarcated as a region?
1756
What styles of Port can carry the term “Muito Velho” on the label?
“very old”
30, 40, 50 yr age indications
Name for the traditional boats used for shipping Port?
Barco Rabelo
(1870’s railway led to decline of use and then the river was dammed in 1960)
Portuguese term for the place where they store maturing Port?
Armazém
Lodge is the British term
Balseiro
Vertical vat capable of holding as much as 100k liters
*more gradual, controlled oxidation - used for things like Premium Ruby, LBV and Vintage (where primary fruit character should be preserved)
Port.. what are categorias Especiais?
“these are wines that are famous for their distinct characteristics”
Basically anything other than ruby, tawny, rosé and white Port (which makes up 80% of production)
Who initiated the Rosé Port category?
Croft, 2008
Toneis
Large wood cask with a capacity of between 20 and 60 pipa
*used for storing and aging wine
Abafado
General term for a wine fortified via mutage
Portuguese term for mutage?
Beneficio
Portuguese term for winery?
Adega
What is an Almude?
25.44L (22 almude = 1 pipe)
*standard measurement unit in the blending process
(Liquid measure determined by the quantity of Port a man can carry on his head)
Portuguese term for marc/grappa?
Bagaceira
(Bagaco is the spent skins, stalks, pips)
Portuguese term for grape variety?
Casta
Colheita translate directly to?
Harvest
(cole-YATE-a)
Portuguese term for schist?
Xisto
How did the LBV Port category develop?
by default - leans years 1930s to 1960s, the wines spent longer than normal in wood while waiting for a buyer
*Noval was the 1st to produce a modern (filtered) and labelled LBV, 1954 vintage wine
How does Port matured in the Douro different than Port matured in Vila Nova di Gaia?
Douro: more rapid maturation, higher evaporation rate at ~3%
* Lower humidity, Hotter temps = “Douro Bake”
Vila Nova: cooler, very humid; 1-2% evaporation rate
- water evaporates more slowly in humid environments as isn’t as much room for it in the air
3 types of vineyard systems in the Douro?
Patamares: the original dry stone wall terraces in the Douro Valley, pre-phylloxera style
*vines used to go out the sides - holes called “pilheiros” so crops could cover the flat land
Socalcos: modern terraces, minus the stone walls.. slopes instead of walls. Post-phylloxera. Lower planting density - 2400 to 3500 vines/ha
Vinha ao Alta: north-south orientation. Most modern. Suitable for grades up to 30º/35º. Suitable for higher planting density.
When did Port first become fortified?
18th century - merchants added brandy to strengthen the wines for voyage
Two types of containers for transporting harvested grapes to the winery in the Douro?
Cestos: wicker or plastic; traditional; 75kilo capacity
Dornas: 1000-kilo bins
Stages of foot-treading Port?
Corte: “cut”; treaders link arms and march back and forth together. 2-3 hours
Liberdade: the later half where foot treading becomes more fun. Everyone can unlink arms and walk around however they want
Port production - manta and Macacos?
Manta = cap; skins and stalks rise to surface
they use a Macacos (“monkey stick”) to push it down
At what ABV is fermenting wine fortified in Port production?
5 - 7% aka around 7/8º Baumé
Baby Port will be about 19 or 20% ABV with 80 - 120g RS
Leve Seco
“Light dry” White Port
* min 16.5% ABV
* 17 - 65 gl RS
Ratio of fermenting must to Aguardiente for Port?
1:4
aka 115L of Aguardiente + 435L of wine to fill a 550L Pipe
In Port production, what is the “encuba”?
Running the wine off the must to then mix it with aguardiente
What is a Geropigas?
A very sweet white or red Port wine made via early fortification
* historically used to sweeten Port deemed “too dry”, now a rare practice
Churchill’s quintas?
Quinta da Gricha
(the flagship)
Quinta da Água Alta
(historic, agreement ended in 1999)
Quinta do Vale do Meáo
OG of the Douro dry table wine revolution
* Spiritual home of Barca Velha - supplied grapes for decades
* Ferreira family, but not the large company. 1st vintage as estate in 1999 after Francisco left leadership of A.A. Ferreira
1st single varietal Vintage Port on the market?
Quinta do Infantado - Touriga Nacional, 1991
What producer is known for Garrafeira Port?
Niepoort
Nacional Port
Quinta do Noval - Vintage Port
*the legendary ungrafted (NOT pre-phylloxera) Port
*~6k vines; name is a nod to the roots - “attached to the soil of the nation”
* vines up to 80yrs; avg 35yrs
Quinta de Vargellas
Taylor Fladgate
* SQVP - 1st commercialized SQVP on the market in 1958
* primary vyd of vintage port bottling
Quinta da Cavadinha
Warre’s SQVP
Terrible Port vintages
1993: very wet
2002: ok year ruined by harvest rain
2010: heavy winter rain, hot dry summer
2014: worst of the 2010’s
1993, 1995, 1996, 1999 - all poor
Quinta de Terra Feita
Taylor-Fladgate
Quinta do Bom Retiro
Ramos Pinto
* used for 20yr Tawny
(Roederer Group)
Quinta do Roêda
Croft
What treaty was a big deal for the English’s taste for Port?
Treaty of Methuen, 1703
*preferential tariffs for Portuguese stuff
What was the earliest grading system for Port vineyards?
Feitoria: best vineyards, marked with stones and destined for the English market
Rama: local consumption
Douro Wine Company
1758 - 1761
Pinhão
Major city in Cima Corgo from which the barco rabelo ships would depart from to head to Vila Nova di Gaia
Also a river
What event opened the door for smaller quinta Port production?
1986 Portugal joins EU and the coops have to give up monopolistic powers
3 Port houses with a solid offering of dry red table wine?
Ramos Pinto
Niepoort
Quinta do Crasto
Mortório
walled, terraced vineyard (Douro)
Portuguese clos… with terraces
Douro Bake
refers to the roasted/baked character in Port aged in the Douro’s heat. Accelerated/excessive oxidation.
Taylor-Fladgate SQVP
- Quinta de Vargellas
- Quinta de Terra Feita
- Quinta da Junco
Tributaries of the Douro in the Douro Valley
Tavora River
Pinhão River
Tua River
Corgo River
Sabor River
