3. Making Port: Tradition and technology
PreParing For vintage
Even the most minor sound has a strange resonance in the Douro. At no time is this more
apparent than at the start of vintage, when the babble of an impassioned conversation can
suddenly be heard from the opposite side of the valley. As expectations rise, great gangs
(rogas) of high-spirited pickers descend on Douro quintas from outlying villages. The
cardenhos (dormitories), silent for most of the year, fill to the sound of cheerful voices and
the aromas of sardines and bacalhau begin to rise as fires are stoked in huge kitchens. The
same families often come to work at the same property year after year and, despite the
profound political and social changes of the late twentieth century, a strong bond of loyalty
is maintained between the roga and the partão (owner) of the quinta. For all concerned,
there is an intense feeling of personal involvement as the year’s work in the vineyard reaches
its culmination. In the few crucial days before picking begins, the Douro grapevine works
overtime as growers gather together on the streets and in cafés to compare notes, talk prices
and exchange the latest gossip about the forthcoming vintage.
The exact timing of vintage depends upon location and weather conditions during
the growing season. In the Douro Superior the harvest can begin as early as mid-August,
whereas downstream in the cooler Baixo Corgo or at high altitudes some growers may
hang on until early October to maximise the ripeness of their grapes. But the equinox
often signals a change in the weather – and the longer the wait before picking, the greater
the risk of rain when the first of the autumn depressions moves in from the Atlantic. As
a rule of thumb, in the Cima Corgo the harvest usually begins on the Monday closest to
20 September. If rain falls, quality-conscious producers will cease picking, leading to a
stop-start vintage, but if rot sets in (a greater risk in the old mixed vineyards) the grapes
will be gathered as quickly as possible. Depending on the weather and the overall size of
the crop, the vintage will last until mid-October.