Today, again two interesting facts to learn about port. The first three issues of these series were published yesterday, the day before that and last Sunday.
7. The grape varieties that are used for port are multiple, some say more than 80! The five most important are touriga nacional, tinta barroca, touriga franca, tinto roriz and tinta cão (all for red ports). In former days, all the grapes were planted in the same field, and producers wouldn’t even know what was what. Nowadays, that holds true for a lot of older plots, but single-varietal vineyards are more common for younger fields. Blends between grape varieties can therefore occur in several ways: in the vineyard, after harvesting, during fermentation and after fermentation. The only thing that is sure about this aspect of blending, I learned: port is ALWAYS a blend, never a single varietal wine! There are exceptions, but they remain just that.
8. Lots of people get confused by the different types of port that are around. At Quevedo’s Tasting Room in Vila Nova da Gaia, across the river from Porto, I learned a simple rule. Ports that age in bottles are Ruby. They are mostly dark red in colour, and fruit characteristics prevail. Ports that age in wood are Tawny. They are more brown in colour and taste of nuts and the wooden barrels they age in. Top of the Ruby’s are the Vintage Ports. Top of the Tawny’s are the Colheita’s and 10, 20 and even 40 Year Olds. With these few rules in mind, you are able to indicate the style that you like in a shop: Ruby or Tawny, and the staff can help you further.
Everyone knows port, right? Or at least, knows about port. Port comes from Portugal, from the city of (O)porto. As simple as that. But of course that is not the whole story. There is so much more to learn about this great and historic wine. Especially after a visit to the city the wine takes its name from and the area where it is produced, you come back with loads of new knowledge. Here are two more things I think are worth sharing. Facts 1-6 were published in the last three days. And tomorrow, there will be two more!
