Liquor & SpiritsFortified & Dessert WinePort
Portugal's greatest wine Is Port. Port Is made by running off partially
fermented red wine into a barrel which is a quarter full of brandy, while
it still contains at least half of the grape sugar. The brandy stops the
fermentation so that the resulting mixture is both strong and sweet.
Port is a fortified blended wine made from grapes grown in a strictly defined
part of Northern Portugal's Upper Douro River Valley. The fortification
is in the form of grape brandy which stops the fermentation, leaving the
wine at the desired level of sweetness. After this, the wine is stored in
pipes (116 gallon oak casks) in the Upper Douro lodges, until the following
spring.
Since 1933, the Portuguese government has regulated the authenticity of
Port production by establishing the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (The Port
Wine Institute).
Some of the grapes used in Port production are Mourisco, Tinta Francisca,
Tinta Amarelo, Tinto Cao, and Touriga Francesca. These are the varieties
most in use today.
The main differences between domestic port and Port (Porto) are the grape
varieties, the sun and rain ratios, the soil, and the fermentation processes.
Ficklin uses the Tinta Madera grape, which is heavy and sweet. In their
vintage port ('83), they also use the Touriga, the Souzao, and the Tinta
Cao. Most California producers of a port-style wine (Beringer for one) use
varietals such as Carignane, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are basically two categories of Port:
1) Wood Ports
Ruby or tawny ports matured in oak casks and ready to be consumed when bottled
and shipped.
2) Vintage (and vintage style) Ports These Ports continue to mature in the
bottle, after having spent a few years in wood casks.
WOOD PORTS
a) RUBY PORT is considered a young port. It is aged in the oak cask for
an average of three to eight years. It is full-bodied, comparatively sweet,
and has a rich ruby color.
b) TAWNY PORT is older than Ruby Port and is aged in wood for ten years.
During this time, it loses body but gains softness and becomes increasingly
pale in color (attaining a browned edge) and slightly drier. Voluptuous!!VINTAGE
PORTS
The wines of an outstanding year. About 18 months after the harvest, when
the wines have already been in casks and questions regarding the quality
have been answered, the shipper (maker/seller) determines if the wine is
worthy of vintage appellation. A vintage is declared about three times each
decade.
The best wines of the harvest are matured for 2 to 3 years in wood, blended
only with Port wines of the same vintage, and then bottled. These wines
are not ready for drinking until at least 8 - 10 years have passed. 15 -
20 years is considered the time needed for the wine to reach its full character.
A fine Port will maintain its peak in bottle for 30 - 50 year.. While in
bottle, vintage Ports produce a sediment, so before serving they need to
be decanted.
a) Late Bottled Vintage Where a true vintage Port is aged in wood for 2
- 3 years before bottling, a wine marked "of the vintage", or
"late bottled vintage" ("LBV") may rest in wood for
10 years or more. That amount of time creates a soft, well-rounded wine,
yet lacks the body and richness or a true vintage Port. LBV is a great restaurant
wine because it is relatively clear in the bottle and doesn't have to be
decanted.
b) Vintage-character Port Blended from grapes of several harvest years,
these wines are matured in wood longer than traditional ruby ports, but
for a shorter length of time than an LBV. An important point: when the age
of a port: is mentioned on the label (age, not date), it means the average
age. Consider Pedro Domecq Quinta do Noval Tawny 20 year old. There is a
proportion of wine in this blend older than 20 years and some younger than
20 years. It is the final blend and average age that counts.