Port Flashcards
In what year was the Douro demarcated?
1756
What organization supervises the wines made in Douro?
IVDP-Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto
Douro Port Wine Institute
What is the ‘Law of the Third’?
A decree that restricts sales of Port to 1/3 of a house’s inventory annually.
What does the IVDP do?
It supervises the promotion, production, and trade of all Porto and Douro wines.
Each year it sets a grower’s Beneficio authorization which dictates how much wine may be fortified in a given year.
How many points are there in a Beneficio matrix scoring system for rating Port vineyards?
What score means an ‘A’
2361
over 1200
How many tiers are there to the Beneficio Matrix?
Which Beneficio rating tiers may not fortify any Port at all?
Nine, A B C D E F G H I
G, H, & I
What is the name of the method used to score Port vineyards?
How many factors are there in each category?
Moreira da Fonseca Method
7 for soils and climate
5 for the vine
What are the factors for evaluating a vineyard in regards to soil and climate for Port production?
Location, Altitude, Exposure, Bedrock, Rough Matter, Slope, Shelter
What factors are considered in evaluating a vine for Port production?
Type, density, yield, training system, age
What 8 red grapes can be used for Port production?
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Francesa
Tinta Roriz
Tinta Cao
Tinta Barroca
Tinta Amarela
Bastardo
Mourisco Tinto
What 6 grapes can be used for white port production?
Gouveio
Malvasia Fina
Viosinho
Rabigato
Esgana Cao
Folgasao
What is a lagare?
A traditional granite trough for foot stomping grapes in the Douro.
Like the ones you saw at Quinta do Noval
How will fermentation take place for Port?
Over the first couple days, the grapes are destemmed, crushed, and stomped, attempting to maximize color extraction and flavor before fortifying.
What is used to fortify the must?
What is the name for this process in Porto and also in France?
Aguardente, neutral grape spirit (77%)
Beneficio or Mutage
By what method are rose ports produced?
Maceration.
To what ABV will a Port be fortified to?
19-22% ABV
What is the key factor when describing a Ruby Port versus a Tawny Port?
bottle age versus barrel age
A ruby port starts off in barrel, very large ones to minimize oxidation, but is transferred to bottle after 2-3 years.
How common is a vintage ruby Port?
Not very. It will be 1-3% of production and only in exceptional vintages. Must be authorized by the IVDP.
What is a Single Quinta Vintage Port?
A vintage Ruby that is from 1 estate (quinta). declared for specific estates when their harvest was much more promising than the general vintage itself.
What is a Late Bottle Vintage Port?
A Ruby that ages longer than the 2-3 years before bottling, typically 4-6, and has some Tawny notes to it.
What does ‘Envelhecido em Garrafa’ mean?
Used to designate a Superior LBV Port, unfiltered, with a minimum 3 years bottle age.
While a basic Tawny Port won’t age extensively, the next step up, a Reserve Tawny, has aged for how long?
minimum 7 years in cask, blended with several other vintages when released.
A bottle of Tawny Port with age indicated, is telling you exactly what about the juice contained within, when a ‘10 year’, ‘20 year’, label is applied?
That the wine tastes like it should for that age designation. It doesn’t mean the exact age or average age.
How are Tawnies produced?
Aged in smaller casks than Rubies are, to highlight the oxidation over time, they are racked and refreshed once annually with more wine and spirit.
Blended prior to bottling.
