Pulling into Port
High points of the Port category
An introduction to Port
Welcome to Portugal! Hopefully the journey wasn’t too long.
Portugal’s Douro Valley is a large area in northern Portugal that stretches from a bit west of Porto inland almost to Spain. The region, named after the Douro River, has some amazing scenery as the river bends through steep, terraced vineyards. This somewhat isolated, rural area has a long viticultural history, with some of the oldest vineyards holding status as UNESCO heritage sites. What are all those grapes used for? Port of course (and non-fortified wines too)!
For the next several issues we’ll be exploring the Douro and styles of Port produced here. In this issue, similar to the intro issue for Sherry, I’ll be going over some high level details on Port. To keep things brief there won’t be any wine tasting this time, but by all means don’t let me stop you from doing so on your own. It’s time for our tour.
Regulation, Grape, Vine - Welcome to the Douro
The Port industry is split into two primary areas, one of grape growing and one for maturation and shipping. The rural growing area is inland, along the steep banks of the Douro River. It is split into three areas, which are from west to east Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superior. All of these areas are quite warm, but the climate tends from cooler and wetter in Baixo Corgo, to hotter and drier (it still rains quite a bit) in Douro Superior. Only until recently, around the 1970s, has electricity been available in the region and several of the practices in both viticulture and production have been influenced by these.
In Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo, the banks of the Douro River are very steep and nearly all covered in vineyards. To make grape growing viable here, terraces were built into the hillsides. The oldest of these, the socalcos, are made of stone walls and too thin for mechanization so all work is done by hand. Remember those UNESCO heritage sites I mentioned? That would be the socalcos, which you can just make out on the opposite bank in the distance of the photo below. Interestingly enough, the vineyard layout in foreground, called Vinha ao Alto, is a modern introduction where vines are planted perpendicular to the slope rather than parallel to it. For completeness, the layout on the neighboring slope of the right bank is called patamares, which uses dirt walls to terrace instead of stone.
Moving further inland, we arrive in Douro Superior. This region is flatter and much warmer. Though more often used for still wine, the grapes here do fine themselves in some inexpensive styles of Port as well as White Ports. Of the three, Douro Superior has lesser plantings, but this is changing as more land is purchased by producers for vineyard area and production facilities.
So here’s where things get complex. Unlike the relatively small number of grapes used to make Sherry, Port can be made from a blend of over one hundred different varieties! Don’t worry, I couldn’t name them all if I tried, and I’m not going to. Of those varieties, however, only a handful are used in the majority of Port. Five are the primary focus: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão, and Tinta Barroca. These five are thought to make the highest quality Port. With that said, many producers are looking to new varieties like Sousão as promising alternatives especially in the face of a warming climate in the region. Note that these are all black varieties for Ruby and Tawny Ports. White Port has its own set of (white) grape varieties which we’ll get to in more detail in another issue.
Walking the grapes
Following harvest, historically grapes were crushed via foot treading in large concrete vessels called lagares. This isn’t so common anymore as cheaper, faster, and easier to clean alternatives have become available. I’ll discuss some of the alternatives in more depth when I talk about Ruby Port in another issue, so far now enjoy this video of a crowd marching away on the grapes:
Looks like hard work? Well it is. Grapes are heavy it turns out, and though I have only done this with my hands during my own winemaking adventures, I can say it was still a serious workout. I can only imagine what it’s like walking through something akin to thick, red, sugary mud.
The reason that producers go to such measures is to extract every last bit of color and tannin in a very short time period. Port is typically only vinified for three days or less. That’s really not a lot of time, especially for a wine that could age in bottle for decades. Interestingly enough, Port is one of the few red wines which does not go through a process called malolactic fermentation, which typically occurs after alcoholic fermentation and softens the acidity in a wine. Maybe you’ve heard of it with those buttery California Chardonnay? This process is halted because the Port is fortified before alcoholic fermentation finishes, leaving a fairly large amount of sugar in the wine.
Finishing the journey
The newly fortified Port will spend at least its first year in the Douro. More recently, some producers keep the wine at inland facilities longer now that electricity is more widely available. Eventually though, the Port will be shipped to the cooler climate of the coast and aged in Port warehouses, called lodges, in and around Vila Nova de Gaia for maturation. How much time the Port stays here is dependent on style, ranging from several years to a decade or more. Eventually these bottles find their way to people like you and I through a vast export business.
Style overview
I mentioned the three major styles of Port briefly already: Ruby, Tawny, and White. Ruby and Tawny are both made from black grape varieties, whereas White is made from, well, white grape varieties. The primary difference between a Ruby and Tawny is that the Tawny sees extensive, intentional oxidative aging, namely in barrels, before release. There are some exceptions with inexpensive Tawny though. Ruby Ports may see a short period in barrel or in another vessel like a stainless tank before a potentially longer period of bottle aging (technically still oxidative, just much less so). White Ports may not be aged in barrel at all, resulting in a fresh, light colored wine, or they may spend significant time in barrel, take on oxidative characteristics, and be brown. Note that the oak barrels themselves don’t add flavor to the wines as their oak flavor has long faded. Flavor development comes from the slow oxidative aging process of being in barrel rather than the wood itself.
While that may seem straightforward, going a step deeper things start to get complex fast. Within each of the three major styles there are many sub-categories. You’ll typically see these on the label, each with distinct character and price points. We’ll be looking at these in more depth when exploring each of the styles in later issues.
Note there is also Rosé Port. It is a relatively new development and not very common.
Wrapping up
That was a serious whirlwind tour of Port. There’s much more to be said, which fortunately means more content for you. One thing I didn’t call out, that could really be it’s own issue, is just how large the shipping industry is for Port. For centuries Port has been shipped globally in much greater quantity than is consumed in the domestic market. Historically, due in no small part to a trade agreement dating back to the 17th century, England has been the largest export market. Port can be found internationally and is perhaps the widest spread category of fortified wine. The logistics and business aspects of the Port market at this scale are awesome.
Next time we’ll dive into Ruby Port. I have a special bottle that I’m looking forward to sharing with you all.
Further reading
Can’t wait to hear more about Port? Check out some drinking suggestions (translated to English) from the IVDP, the governing body for Port or Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto. That’s Institute for Douro Wines and Port in English by the way. They also regulate still wines made in the Douro.