BENEFICÍO: literally meaning ‘benefit’, it signifies the annual authorisation of must which
may be fortified to produce Port in any one year. Intended to keep supply in line with
demand, the benefício system is complex and is explained in detail on pages 62.
BICA ABERTA: fermentation off the skins.
BRANCO: white (as in white Port, vinho do Porto branco).
CADASTRO: register of vineyards (see page 62).
CAMÂRA: town hall or town council.
CANADA: liquid measure (2.12 litres), which has now fallen from regular use. There are
252 canadas in a pipa or pipe (q.v.) and twelve canadas in an almude (q.v.).
CARDENHO: dormitory building for the pickers during vintage.
CASAL: the couple who manage a quinta (see also caseiro).
CASEIRO: the farmer-manager of a quinta who lives permanently on the property. The
caseira is his wife.
CASTA: grape variety.
CÊNTIMO: cent. There are 100 cêntimos in one Euro.
CEPA: an individual vine (see also pé).
CESTO DA VINDIMA: the traditional baskets used to carry grapes during vintage,
sometimes referred to as a gigo.
CIMA: top or upper (as in Cima Corgo – Upper Corgo).
COLAGEM: fining to clarify wine with potentially unstable material remaining in
solution.
COLHEITA: literally ‘harvest’, it also signifies a style of Port.
CONCELHO: municipal district.
CONTO: one thousand escudos. Despite the change to the Euro in 2002, many people still
talk in contos.
CORTE: literally ‘cut’, it signifies the first stage in the treading of a lagar (q.v.).
COSTA: bank or slope; coast.
CUBA: vat (as in cuba de inox: stainless-steel vat; cuba de cimento: cement vat).
DESAVINHO: uneven development of individual berries within a bunch of grapes
provoked by cold, wet weather at the time of flowering. Known as ‘hen and chickens’
in English or millerandage in French.
DÔCE: sweet (see also lagrima).
DORNA: a large steel hopper with a capacity of up to 1,000 kilos of grapes.
ENCARREGADO: the foreman on a quinta (q.v.).
ENCOSTA: slope.
ENGAÇO: stalks, stems.
ESCOLHA: choice, selection.
ESCUDO: the main unit of Portuguese currency, replaced in 2002 by the Euro.
ENSAIBRAMENTO: earth moving (prior to planting a new vineyard).
ESTUFAGEM: the heating process used in Madeira to advance ageing. Ports can also be
subject to natural estufagem if they are left for an extended period in the Douro. From
the word estufa meaning ‘stove’ or ‘greenhouse’.
glossary oF Portuguese anD teChniCal terMs 275