Everything you always wanted to know about Port (but were afraid to ask) by Michael Brown, Vintner Select Revised 9.7.12 What is Port? True Port (or Porto) is a sweet fortified wine produced in the north of Portugal. The name comes from the city of Oporto on the Atlantic coast which was the original center of the Port wine trade. The demarcated area for growing grapes for Port is along the steep slopes of the Douro River and is approximately 535,000 acres (250,000 hectares) with little more than 10% under vine. How has history shaped the region and the wines produced? Up until the 17 th Century, simple red and white table wines were made in this area and shipped mostly to the Dutch and British. Usually a small amount of brandy was added for stability in transport. There was an evolution towards keeping the wines sweeter through this fortification process and control the harshness of the deeply-colored and highly-tannic wine. This also helped to popularize the wines. To assure consistent quality of supplies, British merchants, and others including German immigrants like the Kopkes, took over the winemaking in the region and established local companies, some of which remain in business today. In 1703 due to conflict, the British placed large tariffs on French wine, robbing the local British trade of access to their favored Claret (Bordeaux), and British wine merchants sought other sources of wine. Duties were lowered on imports from Portugal and popularity of Port wine in Britain soared even more. The city of Oporto (which gave the wine its name) was abandoned over time due to an increase in taxes (and facilities were moved across the river to the Vila Nova de Gaia where they stand today). In 1777, the Vila Nova de Gaia was declared the exclusive center for the production of Port wine in Portugal. The terrain of the Douro River valley is rugged with steep hillsides ranging from 1200 to 1800 feet framing the river valley. Many of the vines are quite old and have developed deep tap roots to reach the water table. The soil in this makes it very difficult to fashion the steep mountainsides into the traditional wine terraces. Often, dynamite and bulldozers are the only option. All in all, the Douro Valley is a surprisingly hostile birthplace for wines of such flavor and beauty. By law the fermented and fortified Port wine is taken by boats called, rabellos from the fermentation facilities sixty-two miles (100 km) downriver to the banks of the Douro River, where it meets the Atlantic. On the south bank is the previously mentioned Vila Nova de Gaia, an area approximately one kilometer square. This is where all true Port wine is aged and blended prior to shipment. True Port wine (also called, Porto) originates in the Douro River Valley of northern Portugal. The wine is shipped downriver to age near the coastal city of Oporto
2 How is Port made? Port Wine, at the start, is vinified in a similar way to table wine but then some major differences occur The grapes are harvested from the steep hillside vineyards in the Duoro Valley of Portugal, generally manually, sometimes mechanically, in late September, early October. After a light crushing, the must (juice and skins) is placed in tanks. The traditional method of vinification, still used by some producers, uses granite stone tanks (lagares) where the maceration and extraction of color is carried out softly by human foot. The larger producers use large stainless steel tanks and the must is constantly pumped over so that the tannins and color are extracted. There is much debate whether this latter method is too severe and draws out too many harsh tannins. Once the fermenting must achieves a certain alcohol level, around 6%, the fermentation process is abruptly stopped by the addition of distilled wine brandy, clear in color. This fortification process allows the wine to retain its sweetness and raises the alcohol level to 20%. The wine is then transferred to wooden casks, shipped in cask downriver to the Vila Nova de Gaia and aged for designated amounts of time depending on the Port type. After aging, the wines are blended to create the various types of Port, such as Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), Colheita, Tawnies, etc. Vintage Ports will complete their aging in the bottle while Colbeitas and Tawnies and others will do it in cask before bottling occurs. Each Quinta has its own blend of grape varieties which contribute to the characteristics of the house style. There are over 80 different varieties approved for Port Wine production but five dark grapes are dominant: Touriga Nacional Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) Tinta Barroca Tinta Cão Touriga Francesa (aka Touriga Franca) The predominant white grape varieties are Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Viosinho, and Codega. Blending is an essential part of Port wine production, be it putting together the best wines from one year for a Vintage Port and Colheita or blending from different years to produce a consistent house style Ruby, Tawny, Reserva or fine aged Tawny. The house style is achieved both from the source of the grape supply and the blender s skill. What are Quintas? The port vineyards are part of wine estates or farms called quintas. These are similar to chateaux in France. A Port house may own one or more quintas but will also purchase the yields from other quintas. The harvest from the various quintas is generally blended into the house port without distinction. Some outstanding quintas may be kept separate in good vintages and a vintage-dated Port is specially bottled under the quinta name. These special quintas usually have individual characteristics that make them outstanding, and in a declared vintage year, these special quintas will form the backbone of the house s Vintage Port. The Quinta of São Luíz is located in the left bank of the Douro River, near Pinhão in the parish of Tabuaço. It was acquired by Kopke in 1922 and in 1999, an investment of $2 million made the estate one of Porto s most modern facilities.
3 How do I understand the various styles of Port? Most of us think in terms of the color hue ruby and tawny, but according to the Port Council, Port actually falls in two categories: bottle-aged and wood-aged, and for storing and serving it is important to understand the difference. Bottle-aged Ports Bottle aged Ports are bottled with purpose of completing their aging process in the bottle. These ports are normally bottled in heavy dark bottles with a long driven cork. They will throw sediment after some time and should be stored lying down. Vintage Ports will age 15-30 years, sometimes longer. Before serving bottled aged Ports should be stood up for at least an hour and then decanted. These include: Vintage Ports Single Quinta Vintage Ports Late Bottled Vintage Ports (LBV) Those that are traditionally made Crusted Ports Wood-aged Ports Crusted is a port usually made for the British trade that is a port of good quality that has been aged for 3 years in cask and then bottled unfiltered (developing a crust over time). Very rare in the US. Wood aged Ports are bottled ready for drinking. The purpose of the bottle is purely as a carrying vessel. Wood aged ports are easy to identify as they normally arrive with an easy-to-remove stopper cork (or T cork). There is no advantage to further aging these ports in the bottle. About three-four years following the bottling they start to lose their freshness, although if the port in question is a fine aged Colheita, it will start to lose their freshness after four-five years, but still be enjoyable for quite a long time following bottling. On Aged Tawny Ports the bottling date will be indicated on the front or back label. These include: Fine Ruby Ports Fine Tawny Ports Aged Tawnies (10, 20, 30, 40 year Tawny Ports) Colheita Ports (single year ports aged for a long time in cask and bottled to order) Reserva or Reserve (formerly, Vintage Character) Late Bottled Vintage Ports (LBV) Modern Style White Port LBV Ports fall under both categories depending on how they are made. You can tell the style of the LBV by the cork style. It is a T-cork it is the modern style and if it is a straight cork it should be a traditional style and will therefore have sediment in the bottom and need decanting.. Reserva or Reserve is a new designation (as of Nov. 22, 2002). It is a good quality ruby port that is defined by the respective port house with variable cask aging. This designation replaces Vintage Character Port, which always confused consumers and has been phased out of usage.
What are aged tawnies? These are Port wines of very high quality which, following careful selection, are blended and subsequently matured in seasoned casks for a number of years until desired level of maturity is attained. These are among the most demanding and challenging styles of Port to produce requiring the winemaker s great skill and years of experience. Legally, when bottled, these will be labeled 10 Year, 20 Year, 30 Year or 40 Year. This means that the average cask age of the wine blended into the final cuvee is more than the designated number of years. These are ready to drink upon release and should include a bottling date. Aged tawnies will start to lose their charm 4 years after the bottling year indicated on the label. And what are Colheita Ports? Colheita (Col-yeh-tah), the Portuguese word for harvest, is used for special single year designated Port aged for a lengthy period in large wood casks until completely mature and tawny color. Sometimes called, Single Harvest Reserve or, in former times, Port of the Vintage, a term now outlawed, these wines are left in cask indeterminately in the aging cellars of the winery and bottled as ordered (a bottling date should appear somewhere on the label). Colheitas are immediately enjoyable upon release and need no further aging. These wines can be stored and aged, but they are best consumed within four years after bottling. Colheita Ports are lighter and more delicate than vintage ports with delicious multidimensional layers of aromas and flavors. They can be enjoyed once opened for a few weeks, but Colheitas older than 20 years should be consumed within 2 days after opening. What are Vintage Ports? Special vintage Ports are made in the greatest of vintages. Referred to as declared vintage ports, these are the hallmark of each Port house. A vintage is declared by each individual house (not by the government or the Port Council). However, approval must be granted by the Port Council. Generally each Port house will limit itself to no more than three vintage declarations per decade. A declared vintage Port is aged a minimum of two years in cask then bottled to finish its aging process in the bottle. These wines will age in the bottle 15-30 years if properly stored, some vintages even longer. They will throw sediment after a few years and should be decanted. Recent vintages generally declared by all Port houses (although most did not make both a 90 and a 91): 1966 1970 1975 1977 1983 1985 1990 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2007 What are Single Quinta Ports? During good vintages, not great, most Port houses will produce a vintage-dated port from a single quinta that the house owns. The name of the quinta will appear on the bottle. And some producers now choose to produce these in all but the worst years: This would include every recent year with the exceptions of 1993 and 2002. In the great vintages, these special quintas form the backbone of the blend released as the Port house s declared vintage port. So then, what are Late-Bottled Vintage (LBV) Ports? These are Ports produced from a single good vintage (not the great vintages) aged longer in cask than declared vintage ports (hence the term, late bottled ). The modern style of LBV is to age the Port in cask over six years while the traditional method is to bottle after only four years in cask. The modern-style wines are ready to drink upon release and are finished with a T cork, while the traditional, generally, will require further aging. Traditionally-made LBV Ports are finished with a conventional cork and will throw sediment after just a year in bottle and will age from 8-12 years. They should be decanted. 4 "Kopke holds a very special place in the history of the Port trade. It was founded in 1638, three decades before any other Port firms were established Kopke is one of my ultimate favorites when it comes to Colheita producers, so I have enjoyed many of them over the years." - Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port
5 How do I store and serve Port? back label. Each type of Port Wine has distinctly different characteristics. Ports labeled Fine Ruby or Fine Tawny are meant to be enjoyed soon after shipment. There is also no great advantage to further aging these bottles. Be sure to keep them in a cool area away from heat and sunlight. Aged tawny ports with indication of age 10, 20, 30 or 40 year old and Colheitas, although they will not improve with age, can be kept well in a cellar or dark, cool place, but will begin to lose their charm about 6-8 years after bottling. The aged Tawnies and Colheitas from Kopke will have the year of bottling indicated on the On the other hand, Vintage Ports can age for a long time due to their severe tannins. In effect, these wines are not ready for drinking until they have reached anywhere from 8-30 years of age. Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Ports will mature between 8-12 years while Single Quinta Ports are generally ready 8-15 years after vintage date. Bottles of Vintage Port should be stored laid down on their side so as to ensure that the long corks do not dry out. All Port wine should be protected during storage from direct sunlight, heat, and vibration. The popularity of Vintage Ports in past years has been challenged by the advantages of tawnies, especially vintage Colheita tawnies, for pure enjoyment upon release. Lighter and more delicate than vintage ports, Vintage-dated Colheitas are immediately understandable and enjoyable to the novice port drinker and an ongoing pleasure to the experienced. And where vintage ports have immediate air shock upon opening the bottle and have a shelf life of only a few hours to a week depending on the age of the wine; tawny ports have had air working on them through the cask during all the years of aging, giving them a open-life of a month or longer. The corks on very old bottles of Vintage Port must be removed with great care as the effects of time and the sugars in the wine may make it stick to the bottle and make it friable. Port may be served chilled except for Vintage Ports (including single quinta and Late Bottled Vintage), but never on the rocks. Never serve any Port Wine warmer than cool room temperature (65ºF). Bottled-aged Ports should always be carefully decanted to separate the wine from the sediment. These Ports will start throwing sediment a year after bottling. Some prefer to use a decanting funnel to help control the sediment. Ideally, a bottle of Vintage Port should be drunk within a week after it is opened or else it will lose many of its fine qualities. On the other hand, other Ports, like aged Tawnies may be drunk over longer periods of time (4-6 weeks) as long as they are carefully stoppered and kept in a cool, dark place, and longer if refrigerated after opening. Colheitas can be enjoyed once opened for a few weeks, but Colheitas older than 20 years and 30 Year and 40 Year Tawnies should be consumed within 2 days after opening. What is the ideal Port glass? The best glasses for serving Port are those that enable the wines to show the full potential of their bouquets: tulip-shaped stem glasses, not too small, wider at the base than at the rim, are perfect. Fill about one-third of the glass (2-3 oz.), grasp the stem between your fingers and gently swirl the wine around to release the aromas, then sip, savor and enjoy.
How do I enjoy Port with food? At the table, the elegance and complexity of Port Wine enables you to create a multiplicity of harmonies. Dry white Port is the perfect aperitif: served chilled, it goes well with smoked salmon or trout, cold meats, shellfish and fresh goat cheese. Sweeter white ports can also serve as an aperitif or served with a light dessert. The other Ports can be the ideal accompaniment to dry fruits, smoked ham and game. They are superb with duck or goose paté, duck à l'orange or à la poire. They blend extraordinarily well with most cheeses, especially all blue cheeses (Roquefort, Stilton, Gongonzola, Maytag) and with an accompaniment of walnuts or almonds, the match is magical. Of course, the food matching versatility of Port wine also includes many desserts, such as fruit cakes, tarts and pies, cheesecake, light puddings, cakes and sherbets. Ruby Ports go well with chocolate truffles or any rich dark chocolate dessert. There is no doubt that Port wine's hour of glory generally comes late in the day, perhaps as the crowning point of a very special occasion. This is when one can savor an old tawny or an older vintage Port, and discover the delights of Port s many, fine characteristics. 6 So there you have it, you now know all you need to know about Port to start enjoying it And remember, a Port from Kopke should be THE Port of choice when Port is the choice.
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8 Kopke: the first & oldest Port House PORTO KOPKE (Cop-key) is universally recognized as the first Port house in Port wine history. Founded in 1638 by the Germans Cristiano and Nicolaus Kopke, it wasn t until 1675 that a shipment from the Douro to Holland was first called Porto and in 1678 that the Oporto customs office registered its first shipment of Porto to England. Present day, Kopke is the market leader for Colheita single year tawny ports, exceeding 25% in volume of the global share of this high quality classification of Port. In 2012, Porto Kopke is celebrating 374 years of continuous production of fine Porto with grapes from its famous Quinta São Luiz estate. No wonder that these vintage dated ports rank among the top releases, since grapes are harvested from very old vines of up to 100 years yielding small amounts of very intense fruit from Kopke s famous Font Santa vineyard at the Quinta São Luiz with its many gold-medal winning vintages. The quinta manager and viticulturist José Manuel Manso is shown on the left with one of the ancient Touriga Nacional vines. PORTS KEPT IN STOCK AT VINTNER SELECT: Dry White Rivals the best Fino Sherry as an aperitif or even dry dessert port but with long shelf life. Drinks like a spicy wine with rich, nutty character. Fine Ruby Port Bright plum and cherry fruit in a fresh, young ruby Port, a real crowd pleaser. Fine Tawny Port A true tawny, aged in casks to achieve a balance of still vibrant red fruit flavors enhanced by mellow dried fruits and nuts from aging. 10 Years Old Tawny 91 pts Fine nose of toasted almonds with butterscotch & honey. Smooth, unctuous and very tasty I liked this Kopke for the textural pleasure and pure nutty flavor that led to the persistent aftertaste. Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port 20 Years Old Tawny 92 pts Kopke draws on good stocks of (its own) aged tawnies. This wine certainly tastes all of 20 years, with its richness and dryness finely in balance, and with lemon jelly and intense ripe fruits shining through. Wine Enthusiast 30 Years Old Tawny 5-Stars Soft, rich but not unctuous. Lovely balance of dried apricots & nutty complexity. Good poise with an attractive nose, great age and perfect balance. Decanter Magazine Colheita Port Various years available by special order "Kopke holds a very special place in the history of the Port trade. It was founded in 1638, three decades before any other Port firms were established Kopke is one of my ultimate favorites when it comes to Colheita producers, so I have enjoyed many of them over the years." Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port Vintage Port Various Vintages available Review of the 2000 Vintage Port: 90-92 pts Inky purplish-black and fully opaque color. Concentrated plums, ripe cherry on the nose. Medium-bodied with flavors of plum and well endowed, dense, sweet blackberry fruit. Gentle tannins show up on the slightly raisiny finish that is long and lip smacking. A stylish, crowd pleasing Kopke. Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port Late Bottled Vintage Port Aged in large oak casks for 5 years, and bottled in 2007. Kopke s is an outstanding example of a Late-Bottled Vintage (LBV) port. Each of these Ports are available in full and half bottles. The hand-stenciled Kopke bottles express the traditional artisan quality and nostalgic appeal long associated with the enjoyment of the finest port. Every year in the fall, Vintner Select makes available a special DI offering of all the Ports from Kopke including numerous Colheita Ports and Vintage Ports.