Wine Styles

Question 1

How old is most white port

Answer 1

3 years

Question 2

What wood is used for maturation vessels

Answer 2

Portuguese oak

Question 3

Wines intended to be old tawnies are matured in what

Answer 3

‘Lodge pipes’ of 600l - this enhances the oxidative character of the wine

Question 4

Which ports are a blend of years?

Answer 4

All wood aged ports except LBV and Colheitas

Question 5

How old is a typical ruby

Answer 5

2-3

Question 6

Describe a typical ruby

Answer 6

Fruity
Not too tannic
Medium bodied

Question 7

What does maturing a basic tawny in the Douro achieve

Answer 7

Accelerated ageing process- speeding up colour change- wines look older

Question 8

Describe a basic tawny

Answer 8

Pink, rather than brown

Can be achieved by blending ruby and white

Question 9

What is a reserve tawny

Answer 9

Aged over 7-8 years

No precise age indication

Question 10

What is a tawny with a vintage date called

Answer 10

Colheita

Question 11

What is an indicated age tawny

Answer 11

‘10 year old tawny’ etc etc

Question 12

What is premium/reserve tawny

Answer 12

Blended from better vineyards
Matured for longer (4-6 years)
Fuller and more complex

Question 13

Give an example of a brand of premium ruby

Answer 13

Graham’s 6 grapes

Warre’s worrior

Question 14

What is an LBV

Answer 14

From a single vintage
From better vineyards
Matured in cask 4-6 years

Question 15

Who introduced LBVs

Answer 15

Taylor’s (1965 launched in 1970)

Question 16

When are LBVs bottled

Answer 16

Between 1st July of the 4th year after harvest - 31st December 6th year

Question 17

How does maturation of LBVs occur

Answer 17

Large vats - preventing oxidation

Question 18

What prevents formation of sediment

Answer 18

Fining/ filtering

Cold stabilisation

Question 19

What contributes to the colour change of a tawny with indicated age

Answer 19

Long cask ageing

Frequent Racking

Question 20

The age indication on a tawny refers do an average age or the youngest age?

Answer 20

Average

Question 21

Which wines are used for age-indicated tawnies

Answer 21

‘Left overs’ from vintage or single Quinta ports

Usually from A/B vineyards

Question 22

What are age indicated tawnies ages in

Answer 22

Small casks (400-600 l)
- gradual process of oxidation

Question 23

When is a colheita bottled

Answer 23

8th year after harvest (can be longer)

Question 24

What is the style of a Colheita

Answer 24

Secondary aromas
Lose colour
Gain weight/intensity the longer they are in wood
Do not generally improve in bottle

Question 25

Which are the 3 bottle-matured port styles

Answer 25

Vintage (ruby) LBV Crusted

Question 26

What 2 kinds of vintages can be declared

Answer 26

``` Full Part (single Quinta) ```

Question 27

When do shippers have to decide on declaring a vintage

Answer 27

Within 2 years after the vintage

Question 28

What does a full vintage mean

Answer 28

A shipper makes a vintage port by blending wines from across its vineyard

Question 29

What does a single Quinta vintage mean

Answer 29

A vintage wine is made from a single vineyard

Question 30

What happens to vintage ports when they mature in bottle

Answer 30

Throw a sediment ‘crust’ Tannins mellow Develop aromas of chocolate, coffee, pepper etc

Question 31

Why is vintage port good for cash-flow

Answer 31

Sold rapidly after bottling

Question 32

How does a shipper go about declaring a vintage

Answer 32

Sample sent to IVDP

Question 33

What is the timeline of a typical vintage port in bottle

Answer 33

Burst of youth 10-15 years of shutdown Re-emerging

Question 34

What is a traditional LBV?

Answer 34

From better years than LBV Requires bottle age before drinking Fuller bodied Bottled without filtration

Question 35

What is crusted port

Answer 35

Made from several vintages Requires time in bottle (Basically a very high quality ruby) No filtration/stabilisation

Question 36

When are crusted ports released

Answer 36

After 3 years in bottle

Question 37

Which port shows date of bottling on the label

Answer 37

Crusted

Question 38

Which style port is closest to a vintage but a fraction of the price

Answer 38

Crusted