The Douro River flows through the northern part of Portugal, on the territory of which the wine-growing region of Alto Douro is located with a historical status and a rich history dating back two thousand years. In the 18th century, a trade war began between England and France, which led to certain consequences: the import of wines from the province Bordeaux was banned. For England, it was urgent to find a replacement for French drinks, as a result of which they turned their eyes to sunny Portugal, which is located almost in the neighborhood.
This is where the story of the appearance of porto begins. A trade agreement with the British was signed, after which the Portuguese began to actively produce wine for export. The King of Portugal legislated the boundaries of the wine region, the first such case in history. The British appreciated local drinks, but it was not without technical problems - the wine spoiled during transportation.
The producers realized that a higher degree of the drink could solve this situation, after which they began to add alcohol to wine barrels. The fortress of port wine was originally due to this. This is how a fortified wine drink appeared, which later became known as portuguese port or port wine.
Only a select few have access to the sacrament of creating fortified wines in Portugal. This process begins with manual grape harvest at the end of September. Traditionally, the juice from the berries was obtained by crushing in special vats made of stone, but much has changed in 2000 years, and today this is mainly done by machines. The resulting wort ferments just a couple of days and this is quite enough for fortified wine, since in the future the sweetness and viscosity of the drink may be lost. Immediately after fermentation, the fortification process follows, in which it is very important to keep the proportions correctly and not to exceed the degree, otherwise the port wine will spoil the taste.
It is very important that the Portuguese port is aged in oak barrels. The holding period is set by law and ranges from 3 to 6 years. During the first few months, the wine is poured between containers to eliminate sediment. Depending on the type of port wine, the rules that apply to aging can vary greatly.
Classification and types of port wine
Varieties of port wine There are several in Portugal. Each of the types has its own unique characteristics, so only the taste preferences of the buyer can influence the choice of port.
Popular port brands
Offley Port
History of Porto Offley has been around for almost 300 years. It began with the fact that one eccentric and enterprising English gentleman named William Offley thought about getting into the production of liquor. He had a passion for fine wines and willingly shared this craving with his comrades, often spending time with them talking and drinking their favorite drinks.
The desire to engage in this business appeared in William in his youth, but he decided to realize it, already being an experienced and wealthy person. Offley achieved a lot in the field of fortified wines, and despite the fact that he was an Englishman, his influence and success spread primarily to Portugal. No wonder, because he decided to start a business it was here, in a country whose customs and mentality in many ways impressed him more than English ones. Currently, Offley port wine is very popular among lovers of fortified wines. What is most surprising is that even now recipes are used in the manufacture, which were the basis of drinks at the very beginning of the company's life.
Porto Quinta do Noval
The name of the drink received in honor of the estate, which is located in Alto Douro. The history of this brand has more than 300 years and originates in 1715. The Rebello Valente family has owned this estate for almost a hundred years. The initiator of his transfer to the family was the Marquis of Pombal, who played a key role in the development of winemaking in Portugal. It was he who, as prime minister, consolidated the monopoly on the production of fortified wines. It was within the walls of this Quinta do Noval estate that the concept of Aged Tawny was born, in which the aging time must be indicated on the bottle.
How to drink port wine correctly
Choice of dishes and preparation
First you need to write about the dishes. In the minds of many people there is a distorted idea of this drink for a number of reasons. Few people know that real, noble port wine should be drunk only from special glasses in order to reveal its true taste and aroma. Moreover, drinking many expensive alcoholic beverages without proper utensils loses its meaning.
The main task of glasses for port wine is to reveal the unique aroma of the drink and direct it to the desired areas of the oral cavity. Port glass capacity usually elongated, and the edges are slightly narrowed. High-quality crystal or glass is best as the material, as in these cases there is less chance for defects. The volume can be from 120 to 140 ml.
In order to mitigate the unwanted smell of alcohol and bring out fruity notes, it is better to choose a tulip-shaped glass. Fill the dishes should be no more than half, otherwise the drink will not be able to saturate with oxygen to the right extent. Different colors of glass are best avoided.- it should be transparent in order to better transmit light.
Also, in addition to purchasing dishes, you need to prepare for the consumption of port. Before drinking, the bottle must be in an upright position for 2 to 7 days (depending on exposure). The temperature of red port should ideally be about 18 degrees, white - about 10. Then the port is uncorked and poured into a decanter using a special funnel. In the decanter, the drink is saturated with oxygen for 15 minutes, after which it can be poured into glasses.
How to drink port
Young red port, as well as its white counterpart, is very often used when added to cocktails and mixes. But we strongly do not recommend mix the drink with Coca-Cola, lemonade or beer drinks, as this is against any rules. For mixtures, it is best to use still mineral water, lime juice or tonic water. Also, you should always take into account the fortress and a rather big degree of port wine.
Popular cocktails
Thoroughly mix the berries with a mortar in a special bowl, then add sugar, vodka and ruby port wine (these ingredients can be varied to taste, control the sweetness and degree), then mix thoroughly and, after filtering, pour into a glass in which you will serve. Garnish with mint and berries to wow your guests with a vibrant red cocktail.
What do they drink port wine with?
Let's talk about food pairing. Wine, port - these are the drinks that become an integral part of the meal. Sweet port is perfect for a dessert table. Many lovers of Portuguese port wine consume it along with fruit desserts, chocolate, fragrant candied fruits. If the drink contains less sugar, it can be consumed with cheeses, but it is extremely important that they have a rich and unobtrusive taste. White port with lots of sugar can go great with foie gras.
Attention, only TODAY!
Portuguese port wine is better known as port due to the name of the city in the vicinity of which it is produced. It is the symbol and pride of Portugal. This fortified wine is made in only one picturesque province of the country, located in the Douro Valley. Moreover, in accordance with international marketing law, only those drinks that are produced in a strictly designated area of the Douro Valley, using a special technology, are called port wine.
The history of the drink
Portuguese port has long earned the title of the greatest wine in the world. The history of its creation is rooted in the distant past. Grapevine in the territory of modern Portugal was grown by the Phoenicians before our era.
When the Romans invaded Portugal in 219, vineyard cultivation and winemaking flourished here. It is not surprising that the conquerors immediately took advantage of this, turning the region where grapes were grown into the main winery of the Roman Empire.
The cardinal turn in the history of port wine was, as always, due to chance. In 1667, the English king, having quarreled with the king of France, forbade the import of French wines into the territory of Foggy Albion. The English wine trade was forced to look for new sources of imports and turned their attention to the wines of Portugal, and it was precisely those that were produced at that time in the Douro province. So, in 1703, a trade agreement was signed between these countries on imports and preferential customs duties for Portuguese wines imported into England.
But the thing is that the wines from the Douro of that period were not perfect. They were very sour, rough and only red, with a strength of no more than 13 degrees. That is, they did not even remotely resemble that good Portuguese port wine, which this country later became famous for.
And the most unpleasant thing was that they did not withstand long sea voyages at all. And here again intervened the case. Someone whose name history has not preserved, it occurred to him to add brandy to the transported wines in order to stabilize them for the period of transportation. In the future, this became one of the stages in the preparation of wine, and this technology lasted until 1756.
Modern tendencies
In fact, the Portuguese port that we know today began to be produced after 1820 using a new technology. Its essence was that the process of fermentation of grape must was interrupted, as a result of which residual sugar was preserved in it. Since 1856, this slightly improved technology has become fundamental in shaping the final style of port.
Growing conditions for grapes
In addition to production technology, the climatic conditions and soils of the Douro Valley have a great influence on the taste and bouquet of port wine. From the humid winds of the Atlantic, it is closed by the mountain ranges of Marao. Summers here are unusually hot and dry with a prevailing temperature of +40 ºС, and winters are too severe.
Grapes in this area grow at high altitude, located on narrow terraces that encircle the mountain with steps. Surprisingly, since they are located at different levels, the quality of the grapes on each terrace is evaluated by certain points, and the higher the terrace, the worse the grapes. In this way, the Quality Control Institute regulates the required amount of grape wine obtained from a particular terrace, which is used to make port wine.
Beverage production
Despite the fact that modern technology is used to make most types of port wine, some wineries still use the old method, when grapes placed in granite vats are crushed with bare feet. This is a whole ritual - people climb into the vats and dance on the berries to the sounds of the orchestra for more than a day.
After carrying out a kind of ritual, the resulting mass is left in containers for 36 hours, where the process of arbitrary fermentation begins. After this time has elapsed, the wort is fixed by adding grape alcohol to it, the strength of which is 77%. The fermentation process is deliberately stopped in this way, since half of the natural sugar has already been converted into alcohol. It is at this stage that the foundation of the future port wine is laid, which creates a juicy and unique taste of wine. The ratio is considered ideal when 4 parts of grape must account for 1 part of alcohol. The result is Portuguese port wine, the strength of which is about 20 degrees, and the residual sugar is 70-90 g / l.
Then the wine is pressed, separating the pulp, and poured into oak barrels. In them, it is infused until the end of February, after which it is transported to the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. Here the wine begins to mature, it lasts for several years. Only the cellar master can say exactly how the wine in each barrel will be qualified in the future and when it will be ready. This cannot be determined immediately, which is why wine is tested every week for a certain number of years.
Categories of Port
Depending on where the maturation process takes place, ports are divided into two main categories:
- port wines aged in barrels;
- bottle-matured ports.
The first group consists of wines that are constantly kept in barrels (from 3 to 40 years), and their maturation process ends before bottling. Due to evaporation through the pores of the barrels, the wine decreases in volume, becoming more viscous and thicker.
The second includes those that are constantly in sealed bottles. Since air does not enter there, the aging process is slower than in barrels. This leads to the fact that the original color of the wine does not change much, the taste becomes more subtle, and the astringency disappears.
Classification of port wine by color
By color, this drink can be divided into 4 types:
- Ruby is a Portuguese red port (pictured below). It has a rich ruby color. Due to the short technological processing, the drink retains its original style, which is distinguished by a juicy fruity taste.
- Tawny is a port made from red grapes. Its color can be either dark yellow or reddish-brown. Aged in barrels for at least 10 years or more. Prolonged contact with wood imparts nutty notes to the taste.
- Branco is a Portuguese white port made from white grapes. It can be dry, semi-dry and sweet, but even dry versions still contain sugar. It has a pronounced fruity taste.
Exposure classification
The minimum aging of Portuguese ports is 2-3 years. These include Ruby and Branco ports. They are considered the youngest, as they are aged in barrels for a minimum period, and then bottled.
Port wines, which are kept in barrels for 3 to 6 years before bottling, belong to the LBV group. Their style is thicker and spicier, rather complex in aroma.
Aged drinks include those whose age is 10-40 years or more.
A 10-year-old Portuguese port is usually Tawny. He matures all this time in barrels and "breathes" through their pores. Due to this, it loses the properties of young wines, and acquires a huge range of refined aromas. The bouquet has peanut and fruity notes.
Port Sandeman
Port wines produced by the Sandeman trading house, founded in 1720, can be distinguished into a separate group. The impressive label design - a mysterious black silhouette in a cape and a wide-brimmed hat - makes these wines recognizable all over the world.
Port wine Portuguese Sandeman has many awards, diplomas and prizes received at international competitions for its unique exquisite taste and unsurpassed quality.
The company produces white and red ports of various aging - from 2 to 40 years. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that the taste may contain notes of plums, cherries, mulberries, raspberries, wild berries, dried fruits or vanilla, and the aftertaste is incredibly long and memorable.
What goes well with portuguese port wine
According to the rules of etiquette, port wine does not apply to drinks for ladies. It was created for real men who prefer to drink it with a cigar and aromatic coffee. And speaking of food, what do they drink Portuguese port with? It is ideal for almost any dish, but, of course, preference is given to various types of cheeses, which help to reveal the taste even more. Also, the drink is good in combination with chocolate, dates, nuts or fruit desserts.
Sweet port is usually served with raspberries, strawberries or other berries.
Subtleties of serving and serving
Almost all types of port are considered digestifs, that is, drinks that are usually served at the end of a meal. The only exceptions are dry white wines served as aperitifs.
To open a bottle, especially for aged brands, special tongs are required. They are heated to redness, and then they cover the neck around the cork, hold for 5 minutes, after which the glass is cooled with a damp cloth. Changing temperatures expands it, and the cork comes out without difficulty.
The bottle should be kept open for a while. This period can last from several hours to a day, depending on the type of port. Then, carefully, since there is sediment at the bottom, the wine is poured into a decanter, from which it is poured into glasses. They should have an elongated shape with edges expanding upwards, which will enable the port wine to reveal its unsurpassed taste and delicious bouquet.
True gourmets and connoisseurs of fine drinks will appreciate porto, which combines an inimitable bouquet of aromas, pleasant taste and strength. A good Portuguese port wine is perfect for a friendly male company.
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine that is produced in the Douro Valley. This sweet wine is often served as a dessert or along with desserts. Since in Russia the attitude towards port wine is very skeptical, since the vast majority of citizens associate it with the names “777” and “Agdam”, the purpose of this post will be to tell you what types of port wine are and how they differ. I hope this will help you in choosing this truly divine drink.
So, ports are divided into two main categories:
- ruby(“ruby”), which are aged in bottles and
- more expensive Tawny(“reddish”), which is poured into oak barrels.
Of course, this is just the beginning.
Ruby Ports
Common to this type of port are dark ruby color and rich fruity bouquet with blackcurrant and plum dominants. According to the degree of quality increase, the ports of this group are divided into:
- Ruby (Ruby),
- Ruby Reserva (Ruby Reserve),
- Crusted (“crusted port”),
- Late Bottled Vintage (vintage port late bottling),
- Vintage Single Quinta (vintage one-kint port wine; port wine, from grapes of one farm (“quint”). Same as in Single Vineyard wines)
- Vintage (Vintage).
ruby: the most common and most budgetary port wine. It is a mixture of port wines of several vintages, the average age of such a mixture is about three years.
Ruby Reserva: In the event that a batch of Ruby is recognized as promising in terms of taste and aroma, Ruby Reserva is produced from it; The label might say something like “Vintage Character”, “Special” or “Finest”. This means that they saw a perspective in it. As a rule, such a port wine is stronger and richer than a regular Ruby.
Ruby Reserva is the cheapest way to taste what a vintage port might sound like and the best value for money option.
Crusted: "Cork port" - a mixture of ports of several years (usually two or three). Before being labeled “Crusted”, a port must be held for two years in cask and three years in bottle. The year that is indicated on the bottle of such a port means the year of bottling, not the harvest. Cork Ports are a worthy alternative to very expensive Vintage Ports.
The nickname "crusty" these ports have earned for the presence of sediment on the walls of the bottle, which is formed due to the fact that it is bottled without filtering.
Ruby with year (vintage):
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) - vintage port wine late bottling. Port wine, the grapes for which are harvested later than the grapes for vintage port wine. Aged from 4 to 6 years in barrels, then bottled, and therefore may be marked “Bottle Aged” or “Bottle Matured”. If there is a mark “Unfiltered”, then when bottling, the port wine was not filtered. Such specimens are characterized as denser and.
Vintage Single Quinta vintage port produced in a separate estate. In cases where the quality of the vintage is not sufficient to produce vintage port wine, individual farms are entitled to produce this type of port wine.
Vintage Single Quinta is always from the same winery, usually less dense and full-bodied than Vintage and slightly less expensive.
Vintage: the highest grade port wine that can be produced to meet industry requirements. Bottling must be carried out from the second to the third year after harvest and usually requires a long aging in bottles (up to ten years). When most wineries report that they will be making a Vintage Port, the vintage is called “Classic” (remarkably, no vintages that end in 9 have ever been Vintage Classic).
As a rule, in a decade such 3-4 years.
Tawny ports.
Tawny Ports are made from the same variety as Ruby but are aged in 600-litre barrels with much more oxygen. For this reason, Tawny Ports are lighter in color, with hints of brown and amber yellow.
The bouquet is more diverse - nutty and woody notes appear here: walnut, almond, fried bread, coffee, chocolate.
This group of ports is divided into:
- Tawny (Tony)
- Tawny Reserva (Tony Reserva),
- Tawny with age indication (10,20,30,40+) and
- Colheita (“Coleita / Kuleita”).
Tawny: The simplest ports, because they did not see the potential in the harvest. Regular drinks for everyday use, as a rule, are aged for about three years in barrels on average.
Tawny Reserva: An intermediate category between a regular Tony and a 10-year-old. Tony Reserva is aged in barrel for at least six years. It retains distinct fruity notes, but already acquires the features of an aged wine. Some manufacturers do not produce this type of drink.
Tawny 10, 20, 30, 40+: aged drinks. The indication of the aging time is rather arbitrary, since, for example, younger vintages may be present in a 20-year-old port. More “adult” drinks will have more notes that the port has acquired as a result of oxidation processes and interaction with the oak barrel.
The need to add younger vintages is associated with the desire of each producer to create and maintain their own style of the drink. Copies of ports belonging to the category 30 and 40+ are extremely expensive.
Colheita: Colheita - in Portuguese "household". The only type of Tony that is produced from the harvest of one particular year. It is then aged in oak for at least 7 years, filtered and bottled, where it is aged for at least another three years. There are ports in this category on the market that are over 100 years old.
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✪ They said that you interfere with port wine with vodka ...
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The history of port wine began in the 11th century, when Henry II of Burgundy, who became famous in battles with the Moors on behalf of Alfonso VI, king of Castile and Leon, married the daughter of the latter. As a dowry, he was given the county of Portucale, where he grafted vines or partially replaced local vines left over from the time of Roman rule with those brought from his native Burgundy.
The bitterness of the British, still suffering from the loss of Aquitaine and the ban imposed by the French government of Colbert on English exports to France, prompted England to stop importing wines from Bordeaux in favor of wines from the Douro Valley.
Colheita or Old Tawny
Sometimes, relatively early in the development of a tonny, but no less than seven years after the start of cask aging, an expert determines the resulting wine as significantly more promising in terms of quality than originally expected. In these cases, the wine is labeled "coleita" (from the port. colheita - harvest) and continues to develop under special supervision. Often, by the age of 12, it reaches the characteristics inherent in 20-30-year-old "tonies": pure golden, almost amber color, more elegant and delicate aroma and taste. In the future, such wines are sometimes also blended, but only with similar ones and the harvest of one year, which is indicated on the label. Coleita can mature in a barrel for 20 or more years; it has no development potential in a bottle.
There are good and bad grape harvest years. They are evaluated on a nine-point scale, where 8 is an assessment of a very good year, and 0, respectively, a very bad year. Years with a score of 7 points include: 1908, 1912, 1927, 1935, 1955, 1963, 1970, 1994. 1900, 1904, 1909, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1931, 1934, 19428, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1957, 1960, 1966, 1974, 1980 and 1985. Not a single year was rated at 8 points in the XX-XXI centuries. 2011 is considered the most promising of recent years.
Colheita is mainly made from dark grapes, but white grapes are also found. One of the brightest representatives of the white coleita is the Dalva house.
Garrafeira
This is a rather unusual and rare type of port made from a single year's harvest. According to the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto) recommendation, the wine should mature in a barrel for 3 to 6 years, then the process continues in a glass bottle for at least 8 years. The actual aging time in the bottle is usually much longer. Currently, only Niepoort produces such wines.
Port wines aging in the bottle
Branco
Due to the favorable climate and soil features in local vineyards, the production of port wines has been developed on the South coast of Crimea. Port wines have received great fame in the USSR and some recognition abroad "(vintage: Crimean red port wine, Crimean white port wine, digestif. Natural allies of port wine are any desserts based on berries and various fruits with a bright taste.
Port wine is served in a special decanter or glass for port wine, which has a tulip shape, with a capacity of 250 to 750 ml, since a thick sediment characteristic of this wine is kept on the walls of the bottle. For the same reason, a bottle of port wine is “prepared” for serving - it is kept upright from a day to a week, depending on the exposure. Connoisseurs never cork a bottle again - the cork is removed from the bottle once and for all. The glass is filled to half, so that the wine "gives away" its aromas. Red port wine is served at a temperature of +18 °C, and white - at +10…12 °C. Bottles of old port that have sediment should stand upright for about 24 hours before opening and then decant into a decanter using a funnel.
By the smell of cork, a good specialist can determine how this or that port wine corresponds to its name, whether it has deteriorated after lying in the cellar for many years. As a rule, storage conditions do not allow port wine to deteriorate, so studying the cork is nothing more than a time-honored ritual. The first ritual is followed by the second: a bottle of port wine is placed on a special stand, from where the port wine is poured into the tasting bowl. This bowl is an essential accessory for any port wine expert. Taking a test sip, he pours a few drops of port wine into a decanter: in professional terms, "washes him." After that, the port wine is decanted, that is, poured into a decanter, from which it is already poured into glasses. Before you taste the exquisite vintage, you need to give it 15-20 minutes to “breathe”, and only after that you can take the first sip.
Port (white and pink) can also be used in cocktails. For example, a PORTONIK cocktail: white port wine (semi-dry) and tonic are mixed in equal parts, a slice of lemon, a few mint leaves and ice are added. You can also add a slice of orange, mint leaves and ice to pink port.
ISBN 5-93679-051-7.
Ports
On autumn and winter days, when colds and bad moods are frequent, high-quality fortified wines are perhaps the best way to improve the situation. But I mean real, noble: port, sherry, Madeira, Marsala and vermouth, and in no case Soviet ports: 777, Anapa, monstrous Agdam and something else, smelly and on cheap rectified.
So, ports.
There are red and white. First, about the reds, as about the basic classics. The drinks are noble, strong, aged in oak, with flavors of cognac. Always full-bodied, sweet, with a deep red or reddish-brown color. Alcohol content 18-20%, sugar 100 g/l.
The birthplace of port wine is sunny Portugal.
Portugal is a state in southwestern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, which includes the Azores and the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean.
Territory - 92 thousand sq. km. The capital is Lisbon.
Population - 9.9 million people. (1998).
The official language is Portuguese. Religion - Catholicism.
The center of winemaking is the city of Porto.
The surroundings are steep, hot and sunny slopes, among which the Douro River winds. 15 special grape varieties allowed for the production of red ports are grown here: Bastardo, Cornifesto, Tinto Mourisio, Dongelino, Tinta Amarello, Malvasia, Tinto Baroque, Perricuito, Rufete, Tinta Francisco, Tinta Roris, Tinta Barca, Tinta Chao, Touriga Francese and Touriga National. In the Douro region, there are several more acceptable local forms that, after uprooting, will be replaced by recommended varieties.
In fact, grapes grow on artificial rocky terraces in conditions of dry soil and high humidity, because one of the largest rivers in Portugal flows at the foot of the hills. In such conditions, the berries gain a large amount of sugar and extractives.
Unfortunately, in the past few years, the winemakers of this region have been unsuccessfully trying to stop the construction of a dam that will block the river near the mouth. In their opinion, this hydraulic structure can lead to an increase in air humidity in the region, which will aggravate the damage from fungal diseases and reduce crop conditions.
History of occurrence.
The hold or deck of a ship is not a cool, quiet, dark basement. The sun, the wind, the heat, and the rolling in no time turned the wine into vinegar or, worse, into a muddy slurry. Sending a ship full of barrels of wine along the trade route, the Portuguese wine merchants did not know if it would arrive at the port of arrival at all, and if it did, it was still a question of what would end up in the barrels in the end. This was extremely bad on the financial side, and absolutely devastating to the reputation of Portuguese wines.
Something had to be done, and a way out was found (the Portuguese generally went down in history as great lovers of changing the traditional composition of wines at their discretion). They began to add brandy alcohol to the finished wine, which turned out to be an excellent preservative, that is, it could preserve wines during transportation, and the problem was resolved.
But the lucky exporters could not stop in time. Soon, they quickly realized that in much the same way, counterfeits can be made in huge quantities. Any mixture of water, any wine and sugar, after the addition of alcohol, could easily pass not only for port wine, but in general for wine from any region of the world. You just need to get the appropriate labels. After a while, the reputation of Portuguese again collapsed, so to speak, with a deafening crash. Only after the next collapse of the wine industry has grown, the king intervenes in the situation.
The decree, the failure to comply with which is punishable in the most severe way, establishes a kind of GOST for raw materials, technology and labeling. It is now that Portuguese winemakers say that the recipe for port wines is their great merit and it has not changed since the 16th century.
In general, of course, yes - it is so ...
Technology.
Grapes are harvested at full maturity . Withering is not allowed.
Before making red port it is necessary to mix the harvest of several varieties . Sometimes their number reaches 20. Often winemakers agree in advance on the exchange of harvest from different areas. Rich experience allows them to choose the proportion of raw materials in such a way that they manage to get a product with previously known properties: vanilla, with tones of red berries, tobacco and other characteristics. It is also customary to exchange ready-made wine materials.
Crushing occurs in a special way – in open rectangular tanks made of granite or slate. The depth is not more than 0.8 m. At the stage of primary fermentation, it is very important here that the pulp has good contact with atmospheric air. This allows you to start the "correct" oxidative processes. For high-quality ports, grapes are still crushed with their feet, better if human, well, or, in extreme cases, silicone. Berries are not removed from the ridges. With such gentle and leisurely crushing, coloring pigments and aromatic compounds are carefully released from the skin, and the necessary tannins and tannins are released from the ridges in ideal proportion.
The process takes at least 3-4 days. As soon as the contents of the pool become approximately homogeneous, the floating pulp is constantly mixed with the must (dipping the cap) using special oak blades.
After about half of the sugar remains in the wort from the amount that was at the time of collection, the preparation is considered complete. First, gravity is poured into an empty pool, then the pulp is carefully pressed and both fractions are mixed together. The semi-finished product is ready.
Ports are aged in oak barrels with a capacity of 50-60 dal. First, unrefined grape alcohol with a strength of 78-80% is poured onto the bottom, with the expectation that the final strength is 18-19 vol. percent. Approximately this is 1/5 of the volume of the container. Then the finished wort is poured into it. A layer of air must be left above the layer of wine material. Exposure is made 1-3 years. A small amount of oxygen allows tannins to harmoniously oxidize to aromatic substances, and prevents the appearance of an iron cassette.
Next, 1-2 open overflows are made for removal from the sediment and subsequent topping up. If necessary, additional blending of different wine materials is carried out.
Final aging - port wine- can occur from 3 to 20 years at a temperature of +15 - +20 C, most often on open sunny areas. Only after it, real ports are bottled.
These wines are stable. Unlike other types, they can freely transfer storage after opening the bottle for 1 month at room temperature.
In Portugal itself, depending on the method of aging, ports are divided into three main categories:
Ruby port (ruby porto)
- the cheapest and simplest port wine. It is not aged in oak, but in large containers made of steel or concrete, then filtered and bottled without port wine.
This category is ruby rather than reddish-brown in color and is often coarse and powerful on the palate due to unaltered tannins. The very best wines from this group receive the Reserv category.
Tawny port - true port wine. The color is red-brown, the taste is soft, harmonious, oily with fruity (figs, red berries, roasted nuts) or vanilla shades. Exposure from 10 to 40 years.
Vintage port (vintage port) - prepared by blending the best materials of short primary aging without port wine. It is a "piece, handmade". The color is deep garnet or purple. The mixture of materials is bottled, where it is aged from 10 to 30 years. There is always sediment at the bottom of the bottles with this port. Therefore, it is poured into glasses very carefully, often using a special device. There was a vintage suitable for this class of ports, not so often: in 1904, 1912, 1927, 1945, 1963, 1977, 1985, 1994, 1997, 2000.
Red port is a real man's wine. Rough, strong, bright. It is not easy for ladies to drink it. But if you dilute it with a little orange juice, you get just a magical cocktail.
White portsproduced from only 6 grape varieties: Malvasia Fina, Dongelino Branca, Rabichata, Codega, Viosino and Moscatel.
The share of white ports is only about 20%. Really high quality, very few of them. This type of wine is mainly used for making cocktails.
white cooking technologyports is similar to making reds. Mixed crop of different varieties. Then crushed in the traditional way, but, as is customary for all white wines, the must is immediately pressed. After the sugar has been fermented to the desired condition, it is poured into oak bottles (balseiros) with a volume of 20,000 liters or more. Approximately in these, an ordinary red port like Rubi is aged. With the classification, there is a small peculiarity, or oddity: white ports are divided into extra-dry, dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet. In fact, extra-extra dry ones have a noticeable sweetness in taste and are comparable in sugar content to semi-dry table wines, respectively, sweet ones are comparable in sugar content to liqueur wines. Of course, it is almost impossible to drink them in their pure form, hence the recommendations: "it is better to use for cocktails."
Aged white port will be similar in color to red town. But this takes a very long time - 10-30 years. The Portuguese, as can be understood from the history of winemaking in this country, do not like to wait a long time. And white Porto is not a national pride, especially controlled by the state. Therefore, after a short, literally for the sake of appearances, aging of 2-3 years, the first tasting is carried out. Then the wine materials are blended and forward to the market. If something decent has turned out, then they add the Reserv label, if not, then just PORTO BRANCO.
pink port wine- is produced literally in the last 10-15 years, and exclusively to expand the range. Probably in the case when the buyer does not know what to answer the question: "Would you like red or white?" They are made either from a mixture of red and white grapes, or from red without insisting on the pulp (according to the white method). As I understood from the reviews, it is not particularly possible to drink this type of product in its pure form, so it has one recommendation: “for cocktails”.
Prices for original Portuguese ports vary. Red Ruby from $50 a bottle, RESERV from $100; Towne from $100 to $200 for RESERV, Vintage from $180 to infinity. Especially pretty are the so-called milesime ports. Obtained from crops in particularly favorable years. They have their own aging technology in small-volume porous oak barrels with a full filling. As a result of oxidation with microdoses of oxygen passing only through the pores of the wood and during long aging, these wines get really the richest taste and aroma. Price from $500 to infinity.
In the photo below, a traditional port wine bottle, with an oval section and always with the trademark of the producer winery squeezed into the glass.
Question - why are wines of this style so expensive?
Answer: low yields of rain-fed vineyards, high taxes, long aging, use of cognac spirit in technology, use of expensive oak packaging, expensive license for PORTO, expensive marketing and packaging.
That is, if you make a port at home, without frills, of course, you can get a product with a quality not lower than RUBI with a price of about 10 times less. Especially if you use the technology of the so-called Soviet port. And what, according to this scheme, ports are still being prepared in the Crimea: in Massandra and Magarach. There are also Dagestan ports in theory, but for now we will not even consider this topic.
In short: grapes are harvested with a sugar content of at least 20%. There are no requirements for varieties. Acidity is not higher than 5-6%. That is, almost everything goes in a good year. They are removed from the ridges, crushed, sulphated to suppress wild microflora.
Next, they insist on pulp for whites for 18-36 hours (more if there are nutmeg varieties or varietal aromas in the raw material) with the addition of a pure culture of yeast, red ones, also with fermentation - until the sugar content becomes higher than planned in the finished wine by 3 -5 %. It is also not forbidden to replace the infusion by short-term heating for 1 hour of the pulp to a temperature of: white 55 C, red 75 C. Sulfitation is not required.
Then gravity drains, the pulp is squeezed out, all the wine material is poured into one container. Next, alcoholization is carried out up to 4%, a pure culture of alcohol-resistant yeast is added. This is a short stage, carried out in order to save alcohol and enrich the wine with nitrogenous substances. After all, crushing is carried out without insisting on the ridges and that same kneading with your feet.
It happens that in order to work the wort into the material, you have to add different extracts: pomace, ridges, yeast sediments. Otherwise, a bouquet of taste and aroma will appear simply from nothing.
Further, with a residual sugar of 12%, the final alcoholization of the wort is carried out to an alcohol condition of 18%. Of course, this is not brandy, not cognac alcohol, and not even chacha, this is ordinary ethanol, from which vodka is made.
Further, the material is stored in closed containers until next summer. During this time, if necessary, pasting is carried out, and the wine is removed from the sediment twice. In the second year of aging in tanks, two transfers are also made with removal from the sediment, in the third one. And the ordinary Soviet port wine is ready.
But if there is a desire to get vintage, then next summer, after the second transfusion, the wine is bottled in oak barrels and exposed to sunny areas for port wine for at least two years. Well, or ... just heated in storage tanks. And now ordinary port wine becomes vintage.
And now very interesting recipe from a famous Portuguese winemaker whose blog I enjoy reading is Daniel Pambianchi.
If you have decided to make a port.
Making port-style homemade wine is very easy if you know the whole process exactly.
It doesn't necessarily require complicated blending or the use of oak barrels as true porto does. And for this, in principle, any whole grape juice is suitable.
Don't bother looking for traditional varieties. Select readily available grades that, when blended, will provide typical porovina characteristics. For example, you can mix Syrah, Merlot and add, for example, a little Alicante Boucher to deepen the color. The ratio of varieties depends on the tastes of the winemaker. The typical ratio of these varieties is 75-20-5 respectively. You can try a 50:50 blend of Syrah and Zinfandel for a less coarse wine with a fruity or peppery (which is considered a sign of superior quality) aroma and aftertaste.
In the production of a true port, grapes of different varieties are mixed before fermentation, then this mixture is processed and fortified with cognac spirit. This allows professional winemakers to better control the quality of the final blend. However, such a process can be very difficult in a home winemaking environment. To simplify things, it is not forbidden to squeeze the juice from each grape variety and then mix in the right proportions before fermentation begins. It is also possible to simply take one technical grape variety with a well-colored juice that is suitable for making fortified wines and use it solo to make homemade port wine.
The next step is to determine what strength the finished drink should be. This is necessary in order to stock up on the right amount of alcohol and determine at what point of fermentation the wine material should be fixed with it. It is not recommended to create drinks with a strength of more than 20 vol.%. This would be overkill even for port wine. You also need to purchase thin oak chips, the so-called chips, in advance. You can buy them in winemakers' stores, and you can also make your own from a dry oak board or staves from old barrels.
You need to understand such a thing that for a beautiful color and intense taste, it is necessary to mechanically process the skin of the berries in such a way that the necessary substances pass into the juice, and the hard tissues, preferably, retain their structure and go into the pomace. The less microscopic tatters will be in the juice, the less effort will be required for clarification, fining and filtering of the wine material. Therefore, it is important to initially carefully crush the berries on the ridges - so that the skin just bursts. Then let this mixture brew for several hours, then select the ridges from the mixture with your hands, squeezing them with your palms. Remember that the color is "extracted" only in the first few days of fermentation of the must on the pulp, and then the "extraction" quickly falls.
Particularly easy coloring pigments are released at high temperatures. Therefore, the fermentation tank will have to be in a room with a temperature of about +20 C, and especially well, with a temperature of +30 C. But in no case higher, since the yeast can die from overheating and the wine "freezes".
The instructions below are based on 20 liters of pressed wort to which cognac spirit will be added, so as to obtain a final alcohol content of about 20% alc/vol.
We will use juice with an initial sugar content of 1.095 (23.0° Brix) and will also stop the fermentation at about 1.035 (9.0° Brix) by adding alcohol. After fermentation of the juice with an initial sugar content of 23, we should get a wine material with a strength of about 8%, with a little more than 100 g/l of residual sugar. If we want a sweeter port, fermentation should be stopped earlier, when there is more residual sugar in the must, but in this case much more alcohol will be required to fix the wine.
Nuance. In fact, the best guideline for how much sugar should be left in the wine when fermentation stops is the winemaker's own taste. There are no hard limits. We select, drink, evaluate and decide where to put an end to it.
The fundamental question is how much alcohol-containing liquid should be mixed with wine by volume, given that the amount of alcohol itself in this liquid can be different.
I want to note that you and I, dear growers, who have already calculated the fertilizer according to the active substance for a programmable crop, this task from chemistry will be quite up to the task. But there is a better way: Pierce's Square, or the so-called Rule of the Cross.
Very often this template is used in food production, where volume units are calculated, for example, gluten in flour, or fat in milk, and so on.
It looks like this:
The calculation technique is as follows:
We know we want 20% ABV port
We also know the alcohol content in the fixing liquid - let's say it's vodka, with a degree of 40.
Subtract from the number in the upper left corner - the number from the center: 40-20 \u003d 20, this is the volume of wine material that we will fortify with vodka;
We subtract from the number in the lower left corner - the number from the center: 8-20 \u003d - 12, ignoring the signs, we get the volume of vodka that must be poured into the wine material.
So, to fix 20 liters of blanks for porto with a strength of 8 vol.% from natural fermentation with vodka with a strength of 40% to a condition of 20%, it is necessary to drain 12 liters. vodka and 20 liters. guilt.
In our example:
If we have, for example, chacha with an alcohol content of 80%.
Wine with a strength of 10%, a volume of 10 liters.
We consider how to merge:
we write our data in Pierce's Square according to the scheme in the first picture:
so:
80-20 \u003d 60 l - the volume of wine material that can be fixed according to the proportion of chachas;
9 - 20 \u003d - 11 - the volume of chacha with a strength of 80%, which can be used to fix 60 liters. wine material up to a strength of 20%.
Further: our Portuguese friend Daniel Pambianchi assures us that RUBI-type port aging in oak barrels can be completely replaced by steeping already fortified wine in a container with specially treated oak chips, and, in addition, due to the addition of a fair and precisely calculated proportion of alcohol, it will not require any fining, clarification, or even filtration - the yeast will all die instantly and fall out as a dense yeast sediment, from which it will be possible to remove the wine by open pouring.
Now closer to the point.
Portuguese home port recipe.
1. We wash and disinfect all containers and equipment. It is necessary to get rid of not only dust and other dirt, but also disinfect equipment from wild yeast and bacteria. Especially if fermentation is supposed to be carried out on cultural races of yeast (on pure cultures). But even if it's not meant to be, it still doesn't hurt.
What can be used:
Ideally - a hot solution of sodium sulfite, disinfection occurs due to the release of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and the alkaline environment of the solution. It is difficult to find in the Russian Federation and will be expensive;
A hot solution of soda ash 2-5%, with a temperature of about 70 C, will completely destroy any microflora, fat, oils.
Cream of tartar and other sediments will succumb to a solution of soda ash with a concentration of 10% (soaking), followed by rinsing with running hot and cold water. After processing, everything should be washed again with running hot and then cold water. I buy this thing often, the price is from 20 to 50 rubles per 1 kg, it is in all stores that sell household chemicals.
You can’t start making wine if the containers and equipment smell of vinegar or mold.
Such containers and equipment are considered infectious (infected with pathogens).
Disinfection is required here, especially when it comes to wooden barrels, the structure of the wood is porous, and during hot processing it swells and seals microbes and dirt inside itself.
Scheme:
- washing with cold water;
- then a quick wash with a hot solution of 5% soda ash;
- then steaming for 30 minutes with hot steam;
- thorough rinsing with hot water;
- further equipment and inventory can be treated with any chlorine-containing disinfectant according to the instructions, washed and dried; but the wooden container should be dried, sulfur should be burned in it at the rate of 2 gr. 10 liters, and close tightly; then, before use, it would be very good to additionally burn the inner surface with a gas burner.
2. Fermentation.
You will need an open container (a la bucket) with a volume of at least 25 liters if we intend to cook 20 liters of port. The extra volume will allow the wine to "not run away" during vigorous fermentation.
If desired, you can crush the grapes, as described in the general technology of porto, and extract the must as expected, but just squeezed juice of one variety or a mixture of varieties will do.
We place the container in a warm room and be sure to measure the temperature of the wort. It must be at least 17 C, and preferably 20 C, otherwise fermentation will not start. It's a good idea to use a floating thermometer. This device will help you control the temperature of the juice more carefully. If the juice turned out to be too cold, a part can be removed, carefully heated to 60 degrees C and returned to the fermentation tank.
Now about the sterilization of the wort in case there is a desire to carry out fermentation on a pure culture of yeast.
Wild microflora must be destroyed. One way is sulfitation. At home, the easiest way to use potassium pyrosulfite (aka metabisulfite, aka food supplement E224) is potassium. In terms of sulfur dioxide, it contains 50% of the active ingredient.
It should be used according to the manufacturer's instructions, taking into account the quality of the raw materials. If the grapes are clean, fresh, not diseased and ripe, the drug is used at a minimum dose of 1 g/l when used before fermentation. If there are defects in the raw materials, especially the defeat of sulfur or acetic acid rot, then you will have to increase the dosage to 5 grams, but it’s up to the winemaker himself to fool around with such a crop, or throw it away and forget it.
By heat sterilization. Yes, it seems to be possible to do without chemical additives. But with insufficient heat, not all competing microorganisms will die; when overheated, the wort will “die”: a loss of color, cloudiness may occur, a suspension of pectin substances may appear, precipitation will fall out, after which all this will have to be painfully corrected, again with the use of chemical additives, and the color of the drink and nerves cannot be restored.
It should be, as we remember, not less than 23% on the Brix scale (in short, 100 g of wort solution should contain 23 g of sugar). But if there is not so much, then it is necessary to carry out, as it were, a forbidden, but nevertheless quite a method (chaptalization): increase the sugar content to the desired value by adding refined beet sugar. On average, it is believed that 17 g / 1 liter of sugar can increase the total sugar content of this liter of wort by 1%.
Example: wort has a sugar content of 21.5%. How much sugar to pour into a bucket with 20 liters. must?
Solution. You need 23%, but there is 21.5%, not enough 23-21.5 \u003d 1.5% sugar content
We know to raise the sugar content of 1 liter. wort by 1% - you need to add 17 gr. sugar per 1 liter;
respectively, so that up to 1.5%: 17 + 17 / 2 \u003d 17 + 8.5 \u003d 25.5 gr.
The volume of the underworked wort we have is 20 liters, respectively, we will add sugar 25.5x20 \u003d 510 gr.
The last point: sugar does not dissolve well in juice, especially cool. So it strives to fall to the bottom in the form of a syrupy sediment. But for successful fermentation, it is very important that the sugar content is as high and uniform as possible from the very beginning of the process. At the same time, the yeast will quickly and actively multiply evenly throughout the entire volume of the wort, their special cycle of life and death will quickly be established, with immersion to the bottom of dying cells and rising to the surface "for a breath of oxygen" of the young.
This rotation contributes to the correct release of the necessary nitrogenous substances from the cells of dead fungi, which serve as "food" for the young and growing. Such is life, nothing personal... and this is how the "correct" birth of a wine with a beautiful and full bouquet of taste and good alcohol takes place.
Therefore, we select 1-2 liters. juice, heat, dissolve the sugar and return to the fermentation tank, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spatula. Note - without adding water.
3. Preparation of oak chips.
Now we need to do something that will enable our wine to become closer to the true porto town.
Based on 20 liters. wort must be obtained in any way 80 grams of thin oak chips. You can buy ready-made, you can find a dry oak log or board (an electric planer, on which the largest clearance above the blade is installed, does an excellent job of this), or, if everything is difficult, you can heave it by hand. Chip-chip thickness 1-3 mm.
We weigh. Then rinse thoroughly under running cold water. Hot, and even warm water, instantly flushes out tannins from wood, and we don’t need it at all.
Task: wash off dust, small particles.
Further. To obtain a beautiful and correct tone without the bitterness of oak (who tried acorns in childhood will understand me), our wood chips must be burned to a dark brown color, but avoiding charring. Our author suggests doing this in a microwave or kitchen oven at 200 C, turning occasionally.
After frying, oak chips are cooled a little, then immediately placed in the must.
4. Introduction of pure yeast culture.
If fermentation is carried out on natural yeast, then that's it - we cover the container loosely with a lid and wait for the process to begin.
If the wort has been sterilized by any means, it is necessary to prepare a dilution of a pure yeast culture.
For port-style wines, Lalvin RC212 Wine Yeast, RC-212 Lalvin Dried Wine Yeast (Burgundy yeast, or Pinot Noir yeast), Pasteur Red Red Star Active Dry Wine Yeast (these are also called Cabernet yeasts) are best suited.
These strains are intended for the preparation of highly extractive red wines, but with a low alcohol content of about 14%, therefore they are just suitable for making port wine and will instantly die out completely after the wine has been fortified up to 20%.
First, a wiring is prepared in a sterile container of a small volume.
Usually 1 package of yeast weighing 5 gr. designed for fermentation of approximately 20-24 liters. (5 gallons) wort. The volume of wiring should be approximately 3% of the total volume of the wort.
Therefore, from our sterilized wort with a volume of 20 liters, we select 3%: 20/100x3 = 0.6 liters of juice, heated to 36 C.
Carefully pour out the contents of the package and gently stir. This process is called rehydration (soaking) of granulated dry yeast. Leave for about 20 minutes, mix again and everything is ready.
Then there is one difficult moment. The temperature of the wiring, in which life has already begun to boil, should not differ from the temperature of the total volume of the wort by more than 10 degrees. That is, if the wiring is +35 C, the wort should not be less than +25 C, but ideally also +35 C. If you pour the wiring into too cold juice, young cells will die from temperature shock and a normal start will not work. For this reason, before mixing something with something, we must measure the temperature at each stage for all components.
Therefore, while the yeast comes to life in the jar, the rest of the wort must be warmed up. Then pour the "sourdough" into the fermentation container, mix and cover loosely with a lid so that carbon dioxide can freely leave the fermentation zone.
As soon as the alcohol content reaches 8% or, accordingly, the sugar content drops to 8-9%, it is necessary to pour together the wort and the volume of strong alcohol calculated in advance. We mix and let our wine rest, that is, settle for about a week in a dark and cool place.
5. After a week, it is necessary to remove the wine from the sediment.
Therefore, the wine is poured into a clean, sterile container, and one where it will be possible to install a water seal in the future. In our Russian practice, this will most likely be a glass bottle with a capacity of 10-20 liters.
Do not forget to splash our porto for yourself - exclusively for tasting. At this stage, it is important to evaluate whether our oak toasted chips have imparted sufficient flavor and astringency. If not, prepare another batch of fresh ones and throw them into the wine.
Theoretically, sulfitation of fortified wine is not required at this stage. But our respected winemaker still recommends adding 25 mg/l (1/4 teaspoon for the whole volume) of potassium or sodium metabisulphite for a "calm heart".
So, the wine is poured into new clean containers.
Underfilling to the top of the dishes can be no more than 1-0.5 cm.
The oak chips remain in the port.
A water seal is installed.
The wine is sent to the cellar for 2 months to mature and rest.
6. After 2 months, again remove from the sediment by pouring into clean containers.
Clarification is usually not required. But if suddenly such a necessity arose - first we try to filter the wine through a dense cloth. And if it doesn’t work, we glue it with gelatin or fish glue. No preservatives, no substances that stop fermentation in sweet wines are ever used here, and this is all due to the fact that the wine is fortified and alcohol will perform all these functions on its own.
At this stage, you can replace the water seal with a sterile stopper. But it will be necessary to keep an eye on it, because if the wine suddenly decides to "play" a little, then the capping will fly out and, due to the free access of air to the drink, it may spoil.
After processing, our port is again sent for another two-month vacation.
So, after the last pouring, our port is ready for bottling. It is unlikely, of course, that in our cellars there will be a hundred classic special bottles with an oval section and a long neck. Well, yes, it does not matter - it will not affect the quality.
The container must be thoroughly washed and dried. Since the wine is highly alcoholic, instead of sterilizing, you can rinse the bottles with alcohol. But the corks must be poured over with boiling water and soaked in a metabisulphite solution for 15 minutes. This will prevent the development of mold on them, because we are going to store wine for 10-15 years: mrgreen: - not me.
Then bottling is carried out with underfilling to the cork level of 1 cm, capping. Then there is one more point: special plastic caps are put on the necks of a port bottle to prevent the wine from shrinking during storage. But, if it is not possible to find such a device, you can use the old method of sealing - fill the throat with sealing wax or wax.
That's it - our homemade port wine in the style of porto town is sent to storage in the basement. Bottles must be labeled with the year and, preferably, the composition of the raw material. Wax the label so that the inscription does not disappear after a long storage time.
We lay it down, in a classic slide, separately from other wines and, from year to year, we observe how the number of bottles is getting smaller, and the layer of noble dust on the remaining ones is getting thicker.
And, pouring this noble drink into a glass (of course, a little), we will remember that very summer, that very sun and that very harvest.
