Port production

Question 1

Port: production until fortification (exluding fortification and extracting methods)

Answer 1

Fermentation & Pressing in Stainless Steel (SS)

• Stainless Steel

Temperature Control

• Can be cooled to prolong extraction period.
• Heat exchangers help start fermentation and prevent overheating.
• Residual Sugar (RS)
  • Typical RS: 80–120 g/L.
  • Malolactic fermentation (malo) does not occur (yeast can’t tolerate high alcohol after fortification).
• Yeast and Fermentation
  • Often use ambient yeasts, sufficient to start fermentation and complete to dryness.
  • Fermentation temps:
    • Reds: 28–32°C (warm enough to extract, but not too fast).
    • Whites: 17–22°C.
• Stems
  • Often included since mostly ripe.
  • Stems retained to aid drainage during pressing.
• Fermentation Stop & Fortification
  • Fermentation stopped at 5–7% alcohol depending on desired RS level.
  • Must drained before fortification—important as must continues fermenting otherwise (risk of AQAP).
  • Traditional lagares take hours to drain.
  • Must drained into vat already about 1/5 full of grape spirit.
• Pressing
  • Two juice types: Free run juice and press juice.
  • Free run juice drained off, stems retained.
  • Grape pomace pressed and fortified separately.
  • Press juice is more astringent and deeply colored.
  • Free run and press juices can be blended to add color and tannin, especially for wines destined for ageing.

Question 2

Port extraction

Answer 2

• Maceration: max 2 days, requires speedy and effective extraction
• Foot treading in lagares:
  • Shallow rectangular tanks, 80 cm deep, filled up to 60 cm (large juice/skin surface)
  • Usually 10–15 pipes, each 5500–8250 L
  • 1–2 people per pipe
  • Traditionally granite
  • Foot extracting efficient, avoids seed crushing → no bitter seed tannins
  • Rhythmic knee-lifting march, led by rogador (orders: corte = forward/backward/left/right)
  • Takes a couple of hours
  • Used by few premium/super-premium producers, \~2% of production
• After fermentation starts: macacos (monkeys) use mantas (sticks) to keep cap moist, prevent drying, volatile off-flavors, encourage color extraction
• Modern lagares:
  • Robotic, used since 2000
  • Silicone feet attached to stainless steel gantry
  • Used over traditional granite or steel lagar
  • Advantage: less labor, good for depopulated regions
  • Disadvantage: expensive to buy
  • Quality equal to traditional; some premium producers still use foot
• Pumping over:
  • Same as non-fortified wines
  • Produces deep color and concentration
  • Less efficient than foot or modern lagares
• Stainless steel (SS) pistons:
  • SS vats with pistons punching down, programmed schedule
  • Can be combined with pumping over for more extraction
  • Almost as effective as lagares
  • Quality similar to lagares
  • Expensive
• Autovinifiers:
  • Introduced in 1960s when electricity rare, area depopulated
  • Sealed concrete or stainless steel tanks
  • Rising CO2 pushes must up pipe to upper holding tank; valve releases must spraying over cap
  • Advantages: no electricity, little labor, cheap
  • Disadvantages: relies on CO2 (needs fermentation), little extraction before fermentation → lighter color, body, flavor
  • Typically used for basic Tawny, White, Ruby Ports

Question 3

Port extraction pros and cons

Answer 3

Question 4

Port fortification: timing and spirit

Answer 4

• Fortify at 5–7% alcohol
• Aguardente:
  • From grapes/grape products
  • Historically from Portugal (Estremadura), now mostly imported (S. France, S. Italy)
  • Min. 77% ABV (±0.5%), lower than other spirits → more character
  • Spiritous aromas due to high volume (1L per 4L for 20% ABV)
• Style/quality of aguardente greatly affects final wine
• History:
  • 1967–76: bought only from Casa do Douro
  • 1976+: IVP tenders, lower quality (cheap S. Portugal/France alcohol)
  • 1991+: producers source independently, better style control
• Current aguardente styles (≥77% ABV):
  • Neutral (show wine character)
  • Aromatic (fruity esters)
  • Quality/prices vary: premium to cheap
  • May add herbal notes
• Fortified wines usually 19–22% ABV
• Basic Ruby, Tawny, White, Rosé Ports require min. 18% ABV

Question 5

Port blending

Answer 5

• Any points
• parcels, grapes, vintages
• Co-fermentation common
• Keep separate batches with different treatments for later blending
  
  • Example: range of young wines with varying sweetness to adjust final sweetness
• Many NV for year-to-year consistency
• Achieve house style (e.g., sweetness range)
• Produce different styles and quality levels
• Vintage wines need deep color, concentration, tannins, ageable = More batches allow varied styles and quality outcomes

Question 6

Port clarification, storage/maturation + vessels

Answer 6

Clarification
* Winter in Douro vineyard region: clarify before racking
* Rotary drum vacuum filter to extract from lees
* Spring: shipped to lodges in V.N. de Gaia after winter

Storage
* V.N. de Gaia climate: Atlantic, cooler, consistent temperatures better for maturation
* Traditional transport by boats ended after 1960s dams; now by tank trucks
* Due to congestion, occasional AC failures, tourism in V.N. de Gaia: some built insulated, humidity-controlled lodges at high altitude near vineyards

Vessels
* Currently mostly French; historically from Russia, N. Portugal, USA
* Made of old oak—no new aromas desired
* Sizes vary by oxidation needs:

• Balseiros (\~100,000L):
  fresh, early-drinking wines like Ruby Port
• Pipes (\~600L): gentle oxidation
• Racking to remove lees prevents off-flavors
• Oxidation managed by racking frequency and ullage level
• Vessels maintained and repaired over years
• New vessels first used for unfortified wines until neutral enough

Question 7

Beneficio characteristics

Answer 7

• Licensing system regulates annual Port grape must volume
• Douro parcels classified by potential for high-quality Port grapes
• Factors (12+):
  *location
  *altitude
  *aspect
  *soils
  *grape varieties
  *planting density
  *training systems
• Parcels scored -400 to 2031 points; assigned letters A–I (1200+ = A)
• Neighboring vineyards can have different scores/letters by variety
• A parcels: highest quality, licensed up to 600L/1000 vines
• I parcels: lowest quality, no Port license; G, H, I used for unfortified or distillation
• Must volume (“Beneficio”) set yearly by growers, producers, IVDP
• System unchanged since 1933 when only Port was made in Douro

Question 8

Aims, Effects of Beneficio

Answer 8

• Decisions based on market demand and stock levels
• Aims:
  
  • Control supply to balance demand, stabilize grape and Port prices
  • Regulate grape prices for Port production
• Effects:
  • Supply and price control helped small-scale growers
  • Average vineyard size: 2.2 ha
  • Top-class vineyard owners get good grape prices
  • Many growers sell grapes rather than produce wine/Port
  • Unfortified Douro wines in DOC since 1979; Port sales decline, unfortified production rises
  • Grapes outside Beneficio sold on open market at lower prices, not for Port

Question 9

Beneficio challanges

Answer 9

• Annual Beneficio card issued, sets must volume per parcel
• Trading legal: cards + grapes same score, but rules relaxed
• Grapes sometimes from different parcels than card
• Unofficial trading: substitute higher-quality grapes, keep volumes
• Example 1: Buy F-grade card + grapes, use own A-grade grapes for quality
• Example 2: Sell B-grade card + grapes, supply F-grade grapes, keep B-grade for open market
• IVDP monitors volumes match
• Debate over Beneficio system:
  • Some say no longer benefits industry
  • Demand drop → lower production limits
  • Vineyard expansion → unfortified grape oversupply → lower prices and lots of port grapes that cannot be used for port so must be sold for cheaper for unfortified = less profitable
  • Port producers claim subsidizing unfortified wine via high Port grape prices, usually higher than market rates
• trading undermines integrity
• old - don’t reflect whole market and unfortified - limits freedom and ways to adapt

Question 10

Arguments for and against keeping beneficio:

Answer 10

Arguments for Abandoning the Benefício System
• Free-market would allow prices and production volumes to adjust naturally, potentially improving efficiency and competitiveness.
• remove artificial distortions, letting demand and quality drive pricing.
• reduce bureaucracy and eliminate the opportunity for misuse and black-market trading of beneficio cards.
• support the unfortufied
wine industry,

⸻

Arguments for Keeping (or Reforming) the Benefício System
• economic stability to small grape growers
• control supply and maintain quality standards
• protecting both growers and producers in bad years.