10 Things You Should Know About Portuguese Wine
1. There is more to Portuguese wine than just port. While port is what put Portugal on the world wine map, today there are many winemakers producing dry wines -- red, white, rose, and even sparkling wine.
2. A Portuguese dry wine is not port. Even if a traditional Port producer makes a dry wine.
What's the difference between port and dry wine? Port is what's called a fortified wine, meaning it has been beefed up by adding a wine spirit, such as brandy, during the fermentation process that turns grape juice into wine. The brandy stops the fermentation cold, before all of the sugar in the grape juice is converted into alcohol. This is why ports are sweet, and a dessert wine. Even though fermentation is halted, the brandy increases the alcohol level of the port, and a fortified wine is the result. The dry wines are fermented dry and are not sweet. No wine spirit or brandy is added. They are made just like any other dry wine.
3. Portuguese wine equals value. One advantage to Portuguese wines flying under the radar is that prices are reasonable. Considering that the reds, somewhat tannic when young, have great aging ability, if you like to lay down your wines, seek out Portuguese red varietal and blends.
4. Most grape varietal for wine grown in Portugal are native, and you've probably never heard of them. Start learning. Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Baga for reds. Encruzado, Alvarinho, Maria Gomes. If you're bored with the same ol' Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, look to Portugal for variety. Blending is very common in Portugal, although you can find single varietal wines. Each wine region in the country is known for a particular blend.
5. Vinho Verde is a wine region, not a grape varietal. This white is most likely the one wine, besides port, that you may have heard about. Vinho Verde translates as green wine, and the wine does have a slight pale yellow green tint. It is light, crisp, refreshing and low in alcohol (9%-10% abv). It is a blended wine, and by law winemakers can use 47 varietals, although the most common are Arinto (Pederna), Loureiro, Alvarinho and Trajadura. You might find Vinho Verde also has a little pétillance (fizz).
6. Port comes only from the Douro region, and the Alto Douro is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wine has been made in the Douro for 2,000+ years. The Douro valley runs along the Douro River, from Spain to the port city of Oporto, on the Atlantic coast. Through the years, the wineries have carved amazing steep terraces for grape growing along the banks of the Douro, and there is a unique soil called schist. But schist doesn't look like soil at all; it's layers and layers of flinty rocks. Plus it gets wicked hot in the summer. A wonder anything grows there.
7. Portugal is the 11th largest wine producer in the world. In a country that's 575 miles long and 138 miles wide, 500,000 acres are planted to grapevines.
8. Portuguese wines carry an authenticity seal. Look on the back label for the seal. Each wine region issues its own version.
9. Quinta on the label means wine estate. This is similar to Bodega in Spain or Chateau or Domaine in France.
10. Tinto on a label most likely means that's a red wine in the bottle. Tinto translates as tinted or coloured, which for wine usually means red. You may also see this term on bottles of Spanish red wines.
Port Wine History
We can thank the English for port’s present popularity, as they found it an apt substitute for French wines during the tumultuous 1700s, when they were unable to purchase the grape juices of their wartime enemy. The Methuen Treaty of 1703 reduced import duties on Portuguese wines, enabling English merchants to have their fill of grape-induced reverie. The treaty also paved the way for English entrepreneurs, as can be seen on the Anglican labels of port wines from Sandeman to Taylor Fladgate.Port was initially fortified to keep it from spoiling during the rough sea voyage from Portugal to France, but at that time its alcohol content was much lower (3% compared with today’s 19-22%). Quality unfortunately varied a great deal, however, prompting the creation of theCompanhia Geral dos Vinhos do Alto Douro in 1756 by the Marques do Pombal. The organization was founded to oversee production qualities and prevent fraudulent activities among port producers. Today that duty is overseen by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.
Types of Port
Tawny Port
Tawny ports are made from fortified red wines aged in oak barrels, a process that exposes them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. As a result, they gradually mellow to a golden-brown colour. The tawny develops a nutty, complex flavour, and the resultant wines are blended to achieve the signature style of the winemaker.
Tawny ports are made from fortified red wines aged in oak barrels, a process that exposes them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. As a result, they gradually mellow to a golden-brown colour. The tawny develops a nutty, complex flavour, and the resultant wines are blended to achieve the signature style of the winemaker.
To be called Tawny Reserve, the port must be a blend of wines spending at minimum seven years in oak barrels. Tawny “with an indication of age” is a blend of several vintages, with the average years in wood stated on the label. These ports can be labelled 10 year, 20 year, 30 year, and over 40 years.
The cheapest forms of Tawny Port are young wines made from a blend of red and white grapes. Unlike Tawny Reserve and Tawnies with an indication of age, they may have spent little or no time maturing in wood. Tawny ports from a single vintage are called Colheitas(pronounced col-YATE-ah, meaning harvest).
Garrafeira
Garrafeira is an intermediate vintage dated style of Port comprising grapes from a single harvest (therefore it is not a blended port). Garrafeira is the result of some time spent in barrel and the remainder in large glass containers called demijohns.
Garrafeira is an intermediate vintage dated style of Port comprising grapes from a single harvest (therefore it is not a blended port). Garrafeira is the result of some time spent in barrel and the remainder in large glass containers called demijohns.
Ruby Port
Ruby port is the most common type of port, and therefore the cheapest. Unlike Tawny and Garrafeira ports, Rubies are aged for only 3 to 5 years, and are not aged in oak, so they do not develop the oxidization characteristic of tawny port. They are aged in stainless steel tanks after the fermentation process, preserving their bright red or claret color (hence the name). The wine is also fined and cold-filtered to remove sediments and particulates before it is bottled.
Ruby port is the most common type of port, and therefore the cheapest. Unlike Tawny and Garrafeira ports, Rubies are aged for only 3 to 5 years, and are not aged in oak, so they do not develop the oxidization characteristic of tawny port. They are aged in stainless steel tanks after the fermentation process, preserving their bright red or claret color (hence the name). The wine is also fined and cold-filtered to remove sediments and particulates before it is bottled.
White Port
White port is made from white grapes, and can be used as the basis for a cocktail, or served on its own. White ports range in style from dry to very sweet, and should always be served cool or cold.
White port is made from white grapes, and can be used as the basis for a cocktail, or served on its own. White ports range in style from dry to very sweet, and should always be served cool or cold.
Vintage Port
Vintage port has the smallest production, hence is the most coveted. The most highly prized of Portuguese wines, vintage ports are only made in exceptional years declared as such by the port house. Much as with Champagne, due to the need for highest quality, not all years are declared as vintage years; the decision is made in the spring of the second year following the harvest, when the quality of the wine can be determined. Vintage ports are aged in barrel for a maximum of 2 ½ years before they are bottled, and are usually aged for another 10 to 30 years in bottle before they are at the ideal point for drinking.
Vintage port has the smallest production, hence is the most coveted. The most highly prized of Portuguese wines, vintage ports are only made in exceptional years declared as such by the port house. Much as with Champagne, due to the need for highest quality, not all years are declared as vintage years; the decision is made in the spring of the second year following the harvest, when the quality of the wine can be determined. Vintage ports are aged in barrel for a maximum of 2 ½ years before they are bottled, and are usually aged for another 10 to 30 years in bottle before they are at the ideal point for drinking.
Unlike tawnies, vintage ports are only in barrel for a short time, and thus retain their deep colors and fruit structure. Older vintage ports are some of the most expensive wines in the world, because they can continue to improve with the years. (In Portugal, it is considered a great honor to purchase a vintage port from a baby’s birth year, to be drunk when they, like the wine, are mature.)
'LBV',
Late Bottled Vintage Port starts life in exactly the same way as a true Vintage Port and can provide an excellent, earlier-drinking alternative.
Late Vintage Port is made entirely from grapes harvested in a specific year from a variety of vineyards but is then left to age in barrel for 4 to 6 years before bottling, compared to around 18 months for Vintage. LBV does not have the grandeur, intensity and concentration of Vintage Port, but the finest examples boast mature, well-rounded velvety fruit and a rich, smooth finish.
On the label, both the vintage and the bottling date must be shown, and `Late Bottled Vintage' must be clearly stated so as to avoid any confusion. There are two distinct styles of LBV: `Traditional' LBVs tend to be the best and are usually from a good vintage that has not been declared. They are unfined and unfiltered, and can age and improve for several years after bottling. They throw a sediment so require decanting before serving.
Most LBV, however, is filtered and cold stabilized. These may lack the power and structure of `Traditional' LBVs but are at their peak as soon as they are released and do not require decanting. Excessive filtering can strip LBVs of their character, however, and poorer examples are little better than a standard
Late Vintage Port is made entirely from grapes harvested in a specific year from a variety of vineyards but is then left to age in barrel for 4 to 6 years before bottling, compared to around 18 months for Vintage. LBV does not have the grandeur, intensity and concentration of Vintage Port, but the finest examples boast mature, well-rounded velvety fruit and a rich, smooth finish.
On the label, both the vintage and the bottling date must be shown, and `Late Bottled Vintage' must be clearly stated so as to avoid any confusion. There are two distinct styles of LBV: `Traditional' LBVs tend to be the best and are usually from a good vintage that has not been declared. They are unfined and unfiltered, and can age and improve for several years after bottling. They throw a sediment so require decanting before serving.
Most LBV, however, is filtered and cold stabilized. These may lack the power and structure of `Traditional' LBVs but are at their peak as soon as they are released and do not require decanting. Excessive filtering can strip LBVs of their character, however, and poorer examples are little better than a standard
Serving Port: A Quirky Tradition
If you really wish to embrace tradition in serving your glasses of port, the English have (of course) developed a particular standard of etiquette for service, which goes way back to British naval officers.
Traditionally the wine is passed “port to port,” where the host pours a glass for the person seated to his right, then passes the bottle or decanter to his left (his port side). This process continues around the table.
If the port becomes forestalled at some point, it is considered poor form to ask for the decanter directly (and we know how the English feel about poor form). Instead, the thirsty person must ask the person with the bottle: “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” (said Bishop was apparently quite stingy). If the keeper of the port is unaware of the ritual (and so replies in the negative), the querent will remark “He’s an awfully nice fellow, but he never remembers to pass the port.”
A technical solution to the potential problem of a guest forgetting their manners and ‘hogging’ the port can be found in a Hogget Decanter which has a rounded bottom, which makes it impossible to put it down until it has been returned to the host, who can rest it in a specially designed wooden stand known as “the Hogget”.
In other old English traditions when port is decanted, commonly at the dining table, the whole bottle should be finished in one sitting by the diners, and the table should not be vacated until this is done
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