port wine
Port wine ( port. Vinho do Porto [ ˌviɲuduˈpoɾtu ]), or port for short , is a red, rarely white sweet wine . It comes from the Alto Douro region in the Portuguese Douro Valley. It is named after the Portuguese port city of Porto , to which it was traditionally shipped from Peso da Régua via the Douro downstream after its production for ripening, storage and international distribution .
Depending on the quality and equipment it is by various methods expanded , resulting in different styles, maturity levels and levels of quality result. Vintage Port is regarded as the highest quality port wine. In an outstanding vintage, it can be one of the most diverse and long-lasting wines in the world in terms of taste . Through a long aging process and subsequent bottle storage, it develops a special aroma and complexity.
history
With the Romans, viticulture and winemaking first gained importance in Portugal.
In the 11th century, Henry of Burgundy planted new grape varieties in some areas. In the 13th century new vineyards were planted in the Douro valley and the Vinho de Lamego - the predecessor of port wine - was produced ( Lamego is a town about 8 km from the southern bank of the Douro). In 1373 the Portuguese signed a trade agreement with the English that gave them the right to fish for cod off the British coast for deliveries of Vinho de Lamego .
The designation "Porto" for wines from the Douro Valley was first documented in 1678 in old customs documents. Due to the increasing British demand for wine and the poor relations with France at the time , English merchants sought exportable wine in Spain and Portugal towards the end of the 17th century . However, the quality and hygienic conditions were poor, and only the monks were then able to produce drinkable and storable wine. English merchants are said to have discovered the so-called “Priest Port” in a monastery. The secret of the “Priest-Port” was to add neutral alcohol to the wine during fermentation , which stops the fermentation process. The non-fermented residual sugar of the grapes gives the port its sweet taste. The wines produced in the Douro Valley were then transported to the trading ports by small ships that could be navigated through the Douro, the barcos rabelos .
Port wine experienced a further upswing through the Methuen Treaty between Portugal and England in 1703. The skyrocketing demand was followed by a drop in quality, due to which the Prime Minister Marquês de Pombal initiated a society to guarantee quality criteria in 1756, an early type of regional quality seal . The statutes provided, among other things, that a cadastre should be created for the banks of the Douro. The vineyards were classified into six classes on the basis of a point system with the factors climate , soil , slope , altitude, yield and age of the vines. The grape varieties were also divided into three categories.
production
Growing regions
As mentioned at the beginning, a “real” port always comes from Portugal. The name "port wine" is protected under international trade agreements. Only a wine that meets the criteria of the Port Wine Institute ( Instituto do Vinho do Porto ) receives the official seal and is allowed to call itself "Port Wine". According to the regulations, the grapes may only be harvested from vines in a precisely defined area ( Região Demarcada ) in the northern Portuguese Douro Valley, which covers a total of around 250,000 hectares, of which around 46,000 hectares are planted with vines.
The vines come from three areas:
- The Baixo Corgo around the town of Peso da Régua in the western part of the Douro Valley. It covers approx. 28% of the DOC area. In the vicinity of the Atlantic, rainfall is higher than inland and temperatures are lower. The vineyards are less steep and the layer of soil on the slate is deeper and more fertile. About half of all port wines come from here, especially the lighter ruby and tawny grades.
- In the Cima-Corgo around the city Pinhao in circles Alijó a third of the port wine is produced about. The climate is hotter and drier, the slopes are steep, rocky and barren. The famous quintas (wineries) of top producers are located here.
- The Douro Superior stretches from São João da Pesqueira to the Spanish border. The climate is extremely dry. Base wines for port are produced here only in a few places.
Grape varieties
Over 80 grape varieties can be found in the Douro region today. Around thirty are approved for the production of port wine and divided into the categories “recommended”, “permitted” and “tolerated”.
The most important grape varieties for the production of the red port wine are Touriga Nacional (it is considered the highest quality port wine variety ), Tinta Barroca , Touriga Francesca , Tinta Roriz , Tinta Amarela and Tinto Cão . However, the varieties Bastardo , Cornifesto Tinto , Donzellinho do Castello , Mourisco Tinto , Sousão and Tinta Francisca are also permitted .
The main grape varieties used for white port are Malvasia Fina , Codega and Rabigato . The varieties Donzelinho Branco , Esgana Cão , Folgasão , Gouveio , Malvasia Rei , Moscatel and Viosinho are also permitted .
Fermentation and spraying
After the grapes have been handpicked, they are first pressed like any other wine and the must is set for fermentation .
The actual process that turns wine into port is "fortification", ie the sprinkling of the fermenting must with high percentage ethyl alcohol . The fermentation of the port wines - both red and white - is stopped by adding approx. 77% wine distillate. The desired remaining sugar , i.e. the sweetness of the port wine, is determined by the point in time at which it is stopped. The more the wine is fermented, the less brandy is added. As an end product, port wine may have an alcohol content between 19 and 22 % by volume . Due to the high alcohol and sugar content, it can be stored for a long time.
maturation
After vinification , the wine usually remains in the Douro Valley for six months and is then transported by truck (previously on ships, the rabelos , which are anchored in Porto for decoration purposes ) to the large port wineries in Vila Nova de Gaia , on the banks of the Douro located across from Porto, where the actual aging process of at least two years begins.
Each port wine is initially stored for at least two, a maximum of six years in "large barrels" (tanks made of wood or recently also stainless steel , sometimes with a capacity of over twenty thousand liters, see picture), in which it comes into contact with air to a small extent and slowly ages / matures.
After two years at the earliest, a first tasting is carried out in order to decide on the quality and further use of the wine, from which the further type of maturation (see below) is derived.
As a rule of thumb, the better a vintage, the more its quality will be refined and improved through long storage, especially bottle storage:
- An average vintage would quickly flatten its taste if stored for too long and should be drunk young, as "Ruby". Such a wine remains in the large barrel for a short time and is then bottled ready to drink. At best, if blended and aged in the “pipe” (see below) for a few years, it is suitable for a tawny or fine tawny .
- An above-average vintage becomes better through storage. Such vintages remain in the large barrel for some time and are then either poured into the pipe ( Old Tawny , Colheita , Reserva , ...) or the bottle ( LBV, Crusted Port , Vintage Character ) for further maturation .
- A top vintage, if it has been recognized as such and officially declared as “Vintage” (see below), should be bottled as early as possible and mature for a long period of time, at least ten years, before consumption. Such wines usually only reach their peak taste after decades of storage.
In addition to the quality of the vintage, the time of decanting, the type and duration of further storage determine the character of a port wine:
- In the pipe ("small barrel", see picture), the wine ages and matures faster due to oxidative expansion (since the barrel is always somewhat air-permeable). In addition, the wine always takes on a bit of the taste of the wood. The color quickly becomes lighter; "Tawny" (English " tan ").
Since wine that has been stored in the pipe for a long time is already oxidized, it is quite stable in relation to the air and can be drunk from an opened bottle for a long time (days, weeks or even months) without significant loss of taste. - In the tasteless, almost airtight and as dark as possible bottle, the wine ages / matures much more slowly. Without any direct influence from the environment, the ingredients gradually transform, the wine precipitates color and over the course of years and decades a deposit ( crust ) slowly forms . A port stored in the bottle must therefore usually be carefully decanted to prevent the depot from ending up in the glass.
Since wine that has been stored in the bottle for a long time is less oxidized, it is more sensitive to atmospheric oxygen. Once the bottle has been opened, the wine may lose its taste within a few days and should be drunk faster than a tawny.
The taste and color of the port change as it matures. While a young wine still has a strong taste of red wine grapes and fruits, the aroma changes with age and becomes finer and more complex, with flavors of spices, nuts, dried fruit, dates, caramel, vanilla, citrus fruit peel, but also mocha and tar notes u. v. a. m. are possible. The color changes from a strong ruby red color and becomes lighter to brown and gold tones (see differentiation according to color .).
Trade and distribution
Originally, the cultivation, cellar and trade of wine were strictly separated. While the cultivation in the Douro area was firmly in Portuguese hands, the export trade in Porto was largely taken over by foreigners from the sales areas in the north. The names of many traditional port wine houses clearly show their origins in Great Britain (Graham's, Forrester, Warre's, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman, Cockburn Smithes, ...), Germany (Köpke, Burmester, Andresen, etc.) and the Netherlands (Niepoort, etc.).
Over time, producers and traders mingled. Traders bought wineries and winemakers started to sell themselves. Most port wine houses are now owned by larger groups such as Sogevinus , Symington or Sogrape . There are only a few independent family businesses left. Well-known port wine companies are: Graham's, Kopke , Niepoort, Fonseca, Cálem, Ferreira , Messias, Barros, Quinta do Noval, Sandeman , Taylor’s and Offley .
The largest port wine buyer today is France. According to statistics from the Port Wine Institute, France had a share of 29.6% in 2017. This was followed by Holland and Belgium with a total of 25.1%, the producer country Portugal itself with 16.7%, Great Britain with 7.4%, USA / Canada with a total of 6.5%. In Germany it was 3.2%. The markets in the above-mentioned countries are oriented differently: While in France and Benelux mainly ports of standard quality are consumed, in Great Britain and North America higher quality predominates.
In the meantime, more and more smaller wineries on the Douro are also starting to produce their own port wine. This happens either by not selling the grapes, the wine or the port wine already stored in barrels to large trading houses. In the last 20 to 30 years, some so-called quintas have become increasingly known for their port wine. These include, for example, Passadouro, van Zeller, Ventocelos, Vieira de Sousa, Crasto, Vale Dona Maria, Vale Meao, Estanho, de la Rosa, Noval, Infantado, Vallado, Portal, Tedo, Pacheca. While these partly very old quintas used to be the suppliers of the large port wine houses, these producers, which in some places still operate as family businesses, rely on their own treasures in the barrels. The old way from the grape producer as the basis of the port is followed more and more often.
Styles
The Port Wine Institute differentiates between two styles according to age:
- Ruby type: mainly bottle-aged port wine made from red grapes
- Tawny type: mainly barrel-aged port wine made from red grapes
And two more according to grape varieties:
- White Port
- Rosé Port
"Ruby" types
Port wines Ruby -type (English " Rubin ") are stored usually only two or three years in a large tank and then bottled in order to preserve their rich, fruity flavors. The further ripening varies and is described by the following official names in ascending order of quality.
"Ruby"
A port wine, which is only labeled Ruby , is mostly a blend of the most varied, relatively young vintages, which, after about two to three years of storage, were filtered directly from the large tank and bottled ready to drink. The strong ruby / cherry-red color indicates the low oxidation and the low ripening. Ruby Port is characterized by a young, fruity taste.
"Reserve Ruby"
Reserve Ruby (formerly: Vintage Character Port ) is a higher quality Ruby that is made from selected grapes and ripens a little longer. But it is also a blend of several years. The term Vintage Character Port has not been approved by the Port Wine Institute since 2002 because it suggests an inappropriate resemblance to the real Vintage Port .
"Crusted Port"
Crusted Port is a blend of good vintages that do not achieve the quality of a "real" vintage. The wine is bottled young (usually after two to four years) from the large tank, mostly unfiltered, where it matures for a few years and forms a depot. It must therefore be decanted.
"Late Bottled Vintage" (LBV)
Like the Vintage Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) is a blend of grapes from one vintage. However, it is stored in the barrel for four to six years before it is bottled. There is the filtered and unfiltered LBV. In contrast to vintages , filtered LBV is immediately drinkable, further storage does not help to mature or improve the taste. Unfiltered LBV is relatively rare and continues to mature in the bottle - just like vintages .
"Vintage"
Vintage Port is the rare and high quality port wine of the top class. Only outstanding vintages are declared vintage vintages. This declaration is not uniform; each house carries out its own examination and its own decision, which it officially reports to the port wine institute. The following vintages have been declared as vintage by most of the renowned wineries :
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s - 1950 (good)
- 1955 (excellent)
- 1958 (very good)
- 1960 (excellent)
- 1963 (excellent)
- 1966 (excellent)
- 1967 (good)
- 1970 (excellent)
- 1977 (excellent)
- 1979 (good)
- 1983 (good)
- 1985 (excellent)
- 1987 (good)
- 1991 (very good)
- 1994 (excellent)
- 1995 (good)
- 1997 (very good)
- 2000 (excellent)
- 2003 (excellent)
- 2007 (excellent)
- 2011 (excellent)
- Note: This table also gives a certain indication for the quality assessment of Colheitas.
If a vintage has been declared vintage , it is bottled and the further maturation process of the wine takes place in the bottle and can take many years (if not decades). As a result, every bottle has its “depot”, which the wine needs to develop further in the bottle. The vintage is ready to drink after ten years at the earliest , and a large vintage usually only reaches full maturity after half a century. The wine is carefully decanted and should be drunk within a few days.
"Tawny" types
Tawny- type port wine , like Ruby ports, is also stored for two to three years in a large tank, but is then poured into the small pipes . There the tawnies have more contact with the air, oxidize more and age faster. This gives them a taste that is reminiscent of dry fruits (nuts, almonds, etc.) and brightens them up. The color spectrum ranges from garnet red, chestnut red to an orange-red-brown to very light amber or gold-colored tones.
"Tawny"
A Tawny Port with no age information is a blend of port wine that has matured in piping for at least two years .
"Old Tawny"
Old Tawny (or Aged Tawny ) Ports are stored longer in small wooden barrels. The name is usually only used in conjunction with one of the three ages: 10, 20, 30 years. The age specification results from the characteristics of the blend of the components used and is confirmed by the port wine institute. Old Tawnies are higher quality than standard Tawnies . An old tawny can be blended: for example, a 20-year-old tawny can consist of half a 10- and 30-year-old tawny.
"Very Old Tawny"
Very old Tawny is at least 40 years old on average.
"Colheita"
After at least seven years of storage in the barrel, these wines, which consist of different grapes from a single vintage, are bottled. Colheitas could also be called vintage tawnies , as Colheitas always have the date of the harvest year on the bottle.
What is particularly interesting about Colheitas is the different bottling year from quinta to quinta, which in most cases is also noted on the bottle. This is how a Colheita from the 1950 harvest tastes with z. B. bottling year 1975 completely different than with bottling year z. B. 1986 or longer. The reason: the longer the wine stays in contact with the barrel wood, the more it absorbs its ingredients. So there are z. For example, a wooden barrel from the harvest year 1863 at Wiese & Krohn in Porto, from which individual bottles are only withdrawn on very special occasions.
After bottling, Colheitas are considered ready to drink. Unlike vintages, they no longer increase their quality significantly, but also change their character over the years. Whether the clearly visible differences to the sapid and vintage ports have Colheitas own "fan base". The prices for very old Colheitas do not have to be significantly lower than for very good vintage ports .
Tawny ports and colheitas that have been stored for a long time are characterized by a color transition from brown or yellow-brown to olive, which can be observed from the center to the edge of an inclined glass. Young rubies that have been blended with white ports in order to appear artificially older do not show this color transition.
"White Port"
White Port is made from white grapes. The wine is stored for about three years. Like all undated port wines, it is then blended and bottled. There are also white ports that have been stored / matured for decades. These develop slightly medicinal notes and hints of nuts in the finish.
Only with white port wines one differentiates between different degrees of sweetness:
- Muito Doce / Very Sweet / Very Sweet
- Doce / Sweet
- Meio Seco / Semi dry / Semi dry
- Seco / Dry / Dry
- Extra seco / Extra Dry / Very dry
"Rosé Port"
In 2008, the Croft company added a rosé port to its range, which is made like a rosé wine until it is filled with water . Other manufacturers have since followed suit. This variant has been listed as an official variety by the IVDP since 2009 . The color varies from a pale pink to a bright pink . In terms of taste, rosé is somewhere between white and ruby ; mostly it is light and fruity. Like a white, rosé is usually served chilled or used to mix cocktails .
Other variants
- Reserva / Reserve : This addition generally designates a port of high quality (similar to "Fine"). The term is not regulated by the port wine institute and the use differs from house to house. It can be a Tawny , Ruby , Crusted, or White .
- Garrafeira : According to the regulations of the port wine institute , this rare species combines maturation in the barrel (three to six years, similar to an LBV) with a longer subsequent maturation (at least 8 years) in the bottle. The term Garrafeira means something like "bottle storage " in Portuguese and also describes non-port wines. Originally, this name simply denoted a high-quality wine that has been stored in the bottle for longer, which is why the term can also be found on the label of some older vintage vintages that do not correspond to the current definition. Only Niepoort currently produces Garrafeiras and sells them in large 11 liter bottles called demijohns .
- Single Quinta : In principle, this can be any of the above Be species; the most common are Vintage , LBV and Colheita . It is characteristic that the grapes come from a single quinta (winery), which is clearly shown on the label.
Color and aroma
| colour |
|---|
 Oenin |
 A pyranoanthocyanin |
| Aroma |
|---|
 β-ionone |
 β-demaskon |
 Sotolon |
 Whiskey lactone |
colour
The red color of port wines is mainly due to anthocyanins such as oenin. These are also found in the skins of grapes . The concentration of anthocyanins decreases with the maturation process . The orange color, in turn, can be traced back to the anthocyanins of pyranoanthocyanines. During the ripening process, these polymer-like pigments are formed, which can make the wine appear orange-brown after a certain time.
Aroma
The most effective odor compound in aged port is sotolon . The smell of Sotolon is characteristically sharp and nutty. In addition, many other compounds influence the aroma. Port wine aged in bottles develops aromas of flowers . With barrel-aged port wines, the resulting aroma depends on the barrel. Often lactones determine the smell of the wine.
consumption
storage
Only vintage and Garrafeira ports should definitely be stored longer in the bottle before consumption so that they can fully mature and develop their taste. All other types of port are sold ready-to-drink and benefit little or no further storage in the bottle. They are only bottled at a very young age and U. in the bottle still slightly. However, cheap varieties carry the risk of flattening out in taste after a few years. Normal qualities ( Tawnys , LBVs , ...) have a very stable taste and, if stored correctly, can be kept for many years or decades before they slowly degrade and flatten in taste.
If longer storage is desired or necessary, port - like almost every wine - should be kept in the darkest possible room at a constant, low, but not too low temperature (optimally approx. 10-12 ° C) in the unopened bottle, Let it rest lying down (so that the cork stays moist) and move it as little as possible.
to open
How to proceed after removing a bottle from the wine cellar depends on the type of wine:
- A bottle- aged port ( Vintage , Garrafeira , Crusted ) usually needs to be decanted before consumption . A port usually does not need to be "ventilated". On the contrary: once exposed to atmospheric oxygen, such wines should be consumed as quickly as possible. Accordingly, such ports usually do not have a resealable stopper, but a "normal" cork .
- A barrel matured port ( Tawny , LBV, Colheita ), on the other hand, is more stable to air and light, does not necessarily have to be decanted or decanted and can be stored for several weeks in the bottle in which it was sold after opening (after decades However, it also forms some deposits, so double decanting is recommended). Accordingly, such bottles are normally closed with a resealable stopper.
If the port has been stored in the bottle for a very long time, it may be difficult to get the cork out of the bottle without it dissolving into its components due to its brittleness. In addition, bottles made before 1970 often have a conical neck, which makes it almost impossible to uncork without crumbling. Here, one should brace corkscrew . It is also seldom possible to avoid stirring up the depot in the bottle. In the old days a special tool, the port wine tongs , helped. These tongs were made red-hot in the chimney and pressed around the neck of the bottle. Then the pressure point is quickly cooled with a damp cloth or a wet feather sprinkled with water and thermal shock breaks the glass, usually with a smooth, well-defined break point. This trick usually no longer works with modern bottles.
Serve
How you enjoy the port also depends on the type:
- White port is usually served chilled before eating . It is also often kept in the refrigerator. Serving it with tonic water as a long drink is rejected by purists. It is served in roughly equal parts with ice and a slice of lemon (so-called portonic ).
- Ruby Ports are more likely to be seen as dessert wines. They are served after meals, at room temperature, in the past only with cheese and nuts, today also with chocolate desserts or similar sweet dishes. The Hot-Port comes from Ireland , a relative of mulled wine: Ruby Port with hot water, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.
- Tawny Ports are probably the most versatile port wines. Traditionally they are only served as digestive wines after a meal.
Glasses
A typical port wine glass is similar to a glass used for liqueur or other southern wine types (e.g. sherry ). It holds approx. 80 to 140 ml gross (but is only filled to a third), so it is significantly smaller than a normal white or red wine glass. This takes into account the higher alcohol content. The shape should narrow slightly towards the opening (tulip shape) in order to be able to better absorb the aroma with the nose. Cylindrical or conical glasses are less suitable.
See also
literature
- Axel Behrendt, Bibiana Behrendt: Port wine The guide for connoisseurs and connoisseurs. Heyne, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-453-11527-9 .
- Angela Borowski (ed.), Hanjo Seißler (texts): Port wine. Culture and enjoyment. Hädecke, Weil der Stadt 2000, ISBN 3-7750-0339-8 .
- Leonardo Romanelli: Il porto. Precious dessert wine. Edition Spangenberg, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-426-27099-4 .
- Godfrey Spence: Port wine. The manual for connoisseurs. Taschen-Verlag, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-8228-7128-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon. Hallwag Verlag, Munich 2003, pp. 572-576.
- ↑ a b c Horst Dippel : The wine dictionary. 4th edition, Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2000, p. 368 f.
- ↑ Taylor's Port: Port wine grape varieties. Retrieved October 28, 2017 .
- ^ Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto. Retrieved October 28, 2017 .
- ↑ IVDP sales statistics 2011 (English; PDF; 54 kB).
- ↑ Port wine categories on ivdp.pt, accessed on September 26, 2015.
- ^ Symington: HOME · · Graham's. Retrieved October 28, 2017 (en-en).
- ↑ MASSIVE - Digital Interactive Agency: Crusted Port | Fonseca Port. Retrieved October 28, 2017 (UK English).
- ↑ Classification of the Vintages on ivdp.pt, accessed on February 17, 2015.
- ^ The Chemistry of Port. Retrieved August 30, 2019 .
Web links
- Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (in Portuguese, English and French)
- England and Portugal sign a trade agreement. Calendar sheet on the website of Deutschlandradio Kultur ( Memento from February 10, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )