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Comprehensive Guide To How Port Wine Is Made

Comprehensive Guide To How Port Wine Is Made

Port wine is one of the most beloved fortified wines in the world, produced exclusively in Portugal’s Douro Valley. From the intricate winemaking process to the diverse styles available, port offers a unique experience for every wine lover.

How Port Wine Is Made

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how port is made and dive into each distinct style, giving you a full appreciation of this iconic wine.

The Grapes And Terroir

Port wine is made exclusively in the Douro Valley, where the steep, terraced vineyards are planted with native grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca. These grapes thrive in the hot summers and cool winters of the region, creating the bold flavours port wine is known for.

Harvesting And Crushing

Harvesting in the Douro Valley typically takes place in September, with many vineyards still harvesting by hand due to the steep terrain. Once picked, the grapes are either crushed mechanically or using the traditional method of foot treading in granite troughs called lagares. Foot treading is often reserved for high-quality port, as it gently extracts the juice and tannins without crushing the seeds, which can make the wine bitter.

Fermentation And Fortification

Once the grapes are crushed, the fermentation process begins. Unlike most wines, where fermentation continues until all the sugars are converted to alcohol, port wine fermentation is halted early by adding a grape spirit called aguardente (similar to brandy). This process, known as fortification, preserves the natural sweetness of the wine while increasing its alcohol content (usually around 19-22%). Fortification is what sets port apart, giving it its rich, sweet character while also ensuring its longevity.

Ageing And Maturation

After fortification, port wine is aged in a variety of vessels, including wooden casks or stainless steel tanks. The ageing process and the vessel used determine the style of port produced: Wood ageing leads to tawny style ports, which develop nutty, caramelised flavours as they oxidise over time. Bottle ageing leads to vintage style ports, which are bottled after only a few years in barrels and develop complex aromas as they age in the bottle.

How Each Style Of Port Is Made

After the general production process, the next step in creating port wine is deciding how it will be aged and finished, which directly determines the style of port. Here's a closer look at how each style of port is made:

Ruby Port: Fresh And Fruity

Process:

  1. Short Aging: After fortification, ruby port is transferred into large, inert tanks made of stainless steel or concrete. These tanks limit the wine’s exposure to oxygen, helping it retain its vibrant red colour and fresh fruit flavours.
  2. Blending: Ruby ports are typically blends of wines from multiple vintages. The wine is aged for a short period, usually 2-3 years, before it is filtered and bottled.
  3. Bottling: Ruby ports are bottled young to preserve their bright fruit characteristics, such as flavours of blackberry, cherry, and plum. They are ready to drink immediately upon release.

Key Characteristics:

  • Short aging (2-3 years)
  • Bright red colour
  • Fresh, fruity flavours

Tawny Port: Nutty And Caramelised

Process:

  1. Extended Barrel Ageing: Tawny port is aged in smaller oak barrels (pipes) where the wine has more contact with oxygen. Over time, the wine’s colour evolves from deep red to a tawny or amber hue, and its flavours develop complexity, moving from fresh fruit to caramel, dried fruit, and nutty tones.
  2. Oxidation: The ageing process allows the wine to slowly oxidise and evaporate, concentrating the flavours.
  3. Blending By Age: Tawny ports are often blended to achieve a consistent flavour profile, with bottles typically labelled as 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years old. These numbers refer to the average age of the wines in the blend.
  4. Bottling: Once the desired complexity is achieved, the wine is filtered and bottled.

Key Characteristics:

  • Long aging in oak (10-40 years)
  • Amber or tawny colour
  • Caramel, dried fruit, and nutty flavours

Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port:  Vintage Character Without The Wait

Process:

  1. Single Vintage: LBV port is made from grapes harvested in a single year, much like vintage port, but it is aged longer in barrels before bottling. This additional time in wood gives the wine more developed flavours while maintaining some of the fruitiness of a ruby.
  2. Extended Barrel Ageing: LBV ports are aged in oak barrels for 4 to 6 years, which softens the tannins and adds complexity.
  3. Filtering: Unlike vintage port, most LBV ports are filtered before bottling, which makes them ready to drink immediately and avoids the need for decanting.
  4. Bottling: After the extended ageing, the wine is bottled and ready for consumption, offering a structured, yet approachable wine.

Key Characteristics:

  • Single vintage 4-6 years in oak barrels
  • Rich fruit, with some oxidative complexity
  • Ready to drink upon release

Vintage Port: The Crown Jewel

Process:

  1. Exceptional Harvests: Vintage port is only made in the best years when the grapes reach the highest quality. Each bottle comes from a single vintage, which is declared by the producer after assessing the harvest.
  2. Short Barrel Ageing: After fortification, vintage port spends just 2-3 years in large oak barrels to limit oxidation. This preserves the wine's intense fruit and tannins. Bottling For Long Term Ageing: After the brief ageing period, vintage port is bottled unfiltered, where it will continue to age and evolve in the bottle for decades. It develops secondary and tertiary flavours like chocolate, leather, and spice.
  3. Decanting Required: Since vintage port is unfiltered, it throws a significant amount of sediment as it ages, so vintage port needs to be decanted before serving.

Key Characteristics:

  • Made from a single exceptional vintage
  • Short ageing (2-3 years in barrels, decades in the bottle) Intense, concentrated fruit and tannins
  • Requires long ageing in the bottle and decanting before serving

Colheita Port: Single Vintage Tawny

Process:

  1. Single Harvest: Like vintage port, Colheita is made from grapes harvested in a single year. However, instead of bottling it early, colheita is aged in oak barrels for extended periods (often 10 years or more), similar to tawny port.
  2. Long Barrel Ageing: The wine stays in barrels for many years, where it oxidises and takes on the characteristics of a tawny port, such as caramel, spice, and dried fruit flavours.
  3. Bottling: Once it has developed the desired complexity, colheita is bottled and released with the vintage year clearly marked.

Key Characteristics:

  • Made from a single vintage
  • Aged in barrels for a minimum of 7 years (often longer)
  • Combines vintage specificity with Tawny-style oxidation

White Port: Fresh And Versatile

Process:

  1. Grapes: White port is made from white grape varieties such as Viosinho, Gouveio, and Malvasia Fina.
  2. Fermentation: The production process is similar to red port, with fermentation halted early by fortification.
  3. Ageing Options: White port can be aged in stainless steel tanks for a fresher, fruitier style or in oak barrels for more complexity and oxidative character.
  4. Styles: There are different styles of white port, ranging from dry to sweet, depending on the sugar levels left after fermentation.

Key Characteristics:

  • Made from white grapes
  • Can be aged in stainless steel or oak barrels
  • Ranges from dry to sweet, often with floral, citrus, and nutty notes
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