Transport Port wine on a traditional boat on the Douro River
What exactly is Port? You may have come across this spirit that is often drunk after meals, but how did it come about?
Port is a Portuguese wine that is distilled on top of wine, usually brandy. High-alcohol wines are added to stop fermentation and "fortify" the wine. Only wines produced in Portugal's Douro Valley can be labeled Port. All grapes must be grown and vinified in this appellation.
The soil of the Douro Valley consists mainly of schist and granite. The area is divided into three zones, from west to east: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Upper Douro Superior. The western part of the valley has a Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and overall abundant rainfall, however, when you head inland to Haute-Douro, the climate becomes drier and drier.
A sub-region of port wine
Map of the Port wine region
The Douro Valley stretches from the village of Barqueiros to the Spanish border. Baixo Corgo, the westernmost of the three subregions, has the heaviest rainfall and the coolest temperatures. Grapes grown in Baixo Corgo are mainly used to make brown and ruby red port wines.
In Upper Korgo, east of Lower Korgo, the average temperature is higher and there is not as much rainfall. Grapes grown in Upper Korgo are generally considered to be of better quality than those grown downstream.
The easternmost douro Superior has the smallest grape yields, in part because of its turbulent rivers and challenging geography. The region is the warmest and driest of the three subregions, capable of producing some of the best quality grapes.
Three port wines in a glass
Grape varieties of Port wine
There are more than 80 grape varieties that can be used to produce Port wine. Grape varieties mainly used to make port wines include the domestic Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca.
Potter's vineyards
Doriga Franca is the easiest to grow and therefore the most widely grown variety. Although the domestic Dorega is the most difficult to manage in the vineyard, it is regarded as the most ideal variety.
There are more than 30 grapes available for the production of white port wines, including Codega do Larinho, Malvasia Fina, Esgana Cao, Gouveio, Rabigato and Verdelho.
How is port wine produced?
The basis of port wine is made like other wines. The grapes are harvested and pressed and fermented with yeast, converting the wine's natural sugars into alcohol. However, there is an extra step in the production of fortified wines. Before all sugar is converted to alcohol, a neutral grape spirit is added to the wine. This process is called "reinforcement."
For port wine, this neutral wine is often called aguardente in Portugal, which translates to fiery water. Aguardente kills the remaining yeast and stops fermentation. The resulting wine retains some residual sugar, resulting in the final port wine generally being dried to sweet and having a high alcohol content, usually around 20%. Wine is stored and aged in oak barrels before being bottled.
How the Port wine region was formed
Named after porto, a seaport city in portugal's Douro region, Port became an official appellation in 1756 and is the third oldest wine region in Europe. But viticulture and wine production in Portugal, especially in the Douro region, began thousands of years ago.
The Treaty of Windsor of 1386 laid the foundation for a reciprocal relationship between Portugal and England. By the 15th century, Portuguese wines were regularly exported to England, sometimes in exchange for salted cod. By the 1670s, people began to refer to this wine shipped from the seaside city of Porto as Port.
Since the vineyards of the Douro River are far from the Portuguese port of Porto, the quality of the wine is often affected. Sea transport also takes a toll, as the heat in the barrels and the rocking of the boat spoil the wine. To counteract this effect, winemakers began adding brandy to wine to extend its shelf life.
What are the styles of Port wine?
When it comes to port wine, there are six main styles.
The first, Ruby Port, is the cheapest and most productive Port wine. It is stored in stainless steel or concrete tanks, and compared to wooden containers, it minimizes contact with oxygen and maintains a ruby-like color. These wines are best enjoyed at a young age.
The two subcategories of Ruby Port are Collector's Grade Ruby Port and Rosé Port. The Collector's Ruby Port is considered to be of better quality. Rosé Port was only introduced to the market more than a decade ago and is made in a manner similar to traditional rosé wines. It has less contact with the grape skin, which gives it a pink hue.
Brown port wine is made from wine aged in wooden barrels. Oak barrels are breathable, causing the wine in the barrels to evaporate and oxidize, which changes the color of the wine. They appear brown or yellowish brown instead of red. Oxygen also gives these wines a caramel, nutty flavor.
The highest quality brown port is aged in oak barrels and marked as 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old. The age difference is not the same as how much time the port has been aged, it means that the final blend has reached the quality of the official number of years. A single vintage of khaki port wine is called colheitas.
Garrafeira port is very rare and is generally vintage port, which matures in oak barrels but also spends at least eight years in bottles. The aging process in the bottle creates a unique aroma and taste.
White port wine is made only from white grapes and is available in dry, non-dry and sweet forms. In Portugal, it is often used for an iconic cocktail, port tonic. It is made from white port wine, tonic water and a twist of citrus peel.
Late bottling vintage port wines (LBVs) are wines from a single vintage that are always bottled four to six years after harvest. The unfiltered, late-bottling vintage port, labeled Envihecido em Garrafa, has been in the bottle for at least three years.
Vintage Port wine
Vintage Port is the most expensive and popular style. These wines must be aged in barrels and bottled within two to three years of harvest. These wines can be aged for 40 to 50 years.
Due to the shorter time in barrels or cans, these wines are not as oxidizing as brown port wines. Wines must be made entirely from grapes from the vintages on the label, but not every year can be made with a vintage port. Each Port winery decides whether to declare a year Porter. Single-vintage port wine comes from a single plot.
In years where no year has been declared, many large port distilleries produce port wine on a single plot with a vintage label attached.
The most reliable and famous Port distilleries include Broadbent, Cockburn, Quinta do Noval, Ferreira, Taylor's, Graham's, Cockburn's and Warre's.
Article source wine enthusiast, asked to translate
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