Port anD the Douro 147Fonseca’s room with a view
I can think of a number of smaller shippers without their own laboratories who are still
sitting on a potential bacterial time bomb.
The problem is most acute in the Douro where an increasing number of single quintas are
shipping their own wine. (One property solved the problem of a tainted tonel by lining the
inside with fibreglass to prevent the wine coming into contact with the wood!) Despite the
obligatory and rigorous assessment by the IVDP’s Câmara de Provadores (tasting panel), a few
inconsistent and occasionally downright faulty wines still occasionally reach export markets.
tasting anD BlenDing
Every major Port shipper has a tasting room, often with a fabulous view. Huge plate glass
windows look northwards over the River Douro and on to the kaleidoscopic city of Oporto
beyond. Impressive as this sight is to visitors, there is a practical reason for capturing the
panorama of Portugal’s second city. Colour is axiomatic to Port and it is no coincidence
that two of the most important types of Port, ruby and tawny, are named after different
shades. A single glass held up and tilted against the cool north light may represent a blend
of a thousand or more pipes of Port. As soon as representative samples of the previous year’s
wines reach the shippers’ lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, they are reassessed. Each wine is given
a name and/or number based on its origin and will be accompanied by an analysis detailing,
among other things, its strength and sweetness. Relying on prior knowledge and experience,
tasters have the future in their hands when they judge if a Port will stand up to ten, twenty
or more years ageing or whether it is destined to form part of a blend for early consumption.
Following extensive replanting in the Douro in the 1980s, varietal lots have added another
variable into the already complex blending equation. With the notable exception of wines
from a single year (vintage, LBV and colheita Ports), shippers generally seek to produce Port
of a consistent style and age in keeping with their house style.