Douro wines 247of picking must be carefully judged if the grapes are not to be over-ripe and substantial acid
adjustment is to be avoided. At the other end of the spectrum, grapes from the higher westerly
margins of the region on the altos around Lamego and Vila Real lack the warmth and tend to
produce pale, thin wines, particularly in a cool year. Within single estates like Quinta do Crasto
and Quinta de la Rosa, there is an altitude difference of around 300 metres which promotes a
natural balance in the final blend. However, there are so many different mesoclimates within
the Douro as a whole that there is an argument in favour of blending components from
different areas. Just like a vintage Port, this approach can produce a wine that is greater than
the sum of its parts. Conversely, some producers started to set aside wines from individual
plots, bottling them separately as an expression of terroir.
In their endeavour to produce softer, more supple red wines, most producers destalk
the greater proportion of the crop once it reaches the winery. Although stalks help
when it comes to pressing, they often impart a green character to the wine. A few single
quintas continue to ferment grapes in lagar but others will tread for an hour or so and
ferment in stainless steel which gives them much greater control. Some producers use
robotic plungers that emulate the action of human feet (see page 134). All except the
most hidebound producers have given up autovinification for Douro wines in favour of
pumping over in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Selected yeast cultures are
generally favoured over wild yeasts that frequently lead to stuck fermentations at higher
levels of alcohol. Fermentation temperatures are generally controlled to between 24°C
and 28°C (a few degrees lower than for Port) and maceration is increasingly carefully
managed. Wines destined for early drinking remain on the skins for the duration of the
fermentation (five days on average) whereas those destined for longer ageing generally
undergo a period of cuvaison on the skins extending to fifteen or twenty days. Pressing has
become much less extractive and some producers have installed gentle pneumatic presses
for the production of Douro wines. Some quintas have reinstated their vertical basket
presses which yield a richer press wine.
Malolactic fermentation (the natural transformation of malic to lactic acid) generally
takes place straight after the vintage, as ambient temperatures in the Douro remain quite
warm to the end of October/early November. Hygiene has improved across the board and
most wineries have turned their backs on old wooden vats in favour of stainless steel and/
or ageing in oak barriques. Portuguese oak from Gerês and Trás-os-Montes was initially
favoured, which seemed to contribute a distinctive but not very beneficial green-vanilla
character to some Douro wines, Barca Velha included. But in the absence of any co-ordinated
forest management, Portuguese oak has now been virtually wiped out and producers have
mostly turned to using French oak. There has been an unwelcome tendency for winemakers
to view oak as a panacea and there are many examples of Douro wines flattered by too
much new wood (a characteristic shared by parts of Spain and Italy). But most Douro
wine producers are gradually becoming aware that too much oak merely masks the vibrant
primary fruit character that is the hallmark of good Douro wine.
The Douro has established a firm track record for unfortified wines and the region is
producing some of Portugal’s leading reds. The best are world class and deserve a much