The origin of the vineyards in the Douro region goes back to the beginnings of time. The history doesn't only begin with the development of commerce, with its expansion, that took place during the second half of the 17th century. In 1703, the Methuen treaty between Portugal and England allowed a preferential treatment of wine trade. The export increased, and when the Marquis of Pombal was king D.José I's minister a big crisis took place. The commerce of Port wine and the national economy were very shaken. To face this situation, the Marquis founded the High Douro Vines General Company to guarantee the quality of the product and fair pricing. to the end customer.
Established in 1756 the Port Wine-producing Douro region is thus the second-oldest protected wine region in the world.
The Douro region covers the Douro valley, from Barqueiros, to about 100 km upstream of Oporto, to Barca of Alva, and continues through the valleys to Corgo, Torto, Pinhão, Tua, etc... Sheltered from the atlantic winds by high mountains, it is essentially made up of schists. The High Douro is a rustic territory, boiling in the summer and cold in the winter, formed by narrow, deep, dry valleys, it is very beautiful with characteristics that help produce this magnificent Wine.
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Douro Valley Vineyards |
The town of Régua is the commercial centre, and Pinhão is the geographic centre. This region is about 24 600 hectares, but the vineyards cover only a tenth of that. The vine is cultivated in terraces more or less narrow, supported by walls built in schiste and held up by natural ground. These terraces and these bearings generally follow bends in the rock, transforming the craggy slopes into very beautiful bearings. The vines are quite short. Grape harvesting generally takes place towards the end of September, beginning of October. The grapes are transported to the "lagares" (cement tanks) in the large quintas where the residue ferments until a quantity of strong alcohol is added to stop fermentation. A little later, the wine descends to Oporto, to be stored in barrels in the Vila Nova de Gaia warehouse.
This warehouse was created by a law in1926 and that is where all the wine to be exported is kept. The warehouse is checked by the Port Wine Institute and that is where the wine matures until it attains the perfection and refinement that give it its reputation. Most of the warehouse is open to the public and a visit and a tasting is a must. Port Wine is a generous wine, produced exclusively in the Douro region from white or red grapes, aged in Gaia and exported from Oporto, where it gets its name from. It has unique characteristics that come from the region, the soil and the climate. The Port wine is a geographic designation and not a wine type.
There are several sorts of Port Wine; some have matured in wooden barrels and others in bottles or sealed tanks.
- White port is made from white grapes, and should always be served cool or cold. It can be used as the basis for a cocktail, or served on its own. There is a range of styles of white port, from very dry to very sweet.
- Ruby port is the cheapest and most extensively produced type of port. After fermentation it is stored in tanks made of concrete or stainless steel to prevent oxidative aging, and preserve its rich claret color. The wine is usually blended to match the style of the brand to which it is to be sold. The wine is fined and cold filtered prior to bottling, and does not generally improve with age. It is aged for about 3 to 5 years, from wines of two or three different vintages.
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Different Port wines |
- Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels, exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. As a result, they gradually mellow to a golden-brown colour. The exposure to wood imparts "nutty" flavours to the wine, which is blended to match the house style. Tawny Reserve port is a basic blend of wood aged port that has spent at least seven years in barrels. Tawny with an indication of age is a blend of several vintages, with the average years "in wood" stated on the label, the official categories being 10, 20, 30 and over 40 years. The cheapest forms of Tawny Port are young wines made from a blend of red and white grapes. Unlike Tawny Reserve and Tawnies with an indication of age, they may have spent little or no time maturing in wood. Tawny ports from a single vintage are called Colheitas (meaning harvest). Instead of an indication of age (10, 20...) their actual vintage year is mentioned. However, they should not be mistaken with Vintage port.
- Vintage port. Although it accounts for only about 2% of production, vintage port is the flagship wine of all Portugal. Vintage port is made entirely from the grapes of a declared "vintage year". Not every year is declared a vintage in the Douro; only those when conditions are favourable to the production of a fine and lasting wine. The decision on whether to declare a vintage is made by the Port Wine Institute in the spring of the second year following the harvest.
While it is by far the most renowned type of Port, from a volume and revenue standpoint vintage port actually makes up only a small percentage of the production of most shippers. Vintage ports are aged in barrels for a maximum of two and a half years before bottling, and generally require another ten to thirty years of aging in the bottle before reaching what is considered a proper drinking age. Since they are aged in barrels for only a short time, they retain their dark ruby colour and fresh fruit flavours. Particularly fine vintage ports can continue to gain complexity and drink wonderfully for many decades after they were bottled, and therefore can be particularly sought after and expensive wines.
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Vintage Port1870 and 1873 |
You can look for other information to complete this little history of Port Wine, the ambassador wine of Portugal exported all over the world.
