148 Port anD the Douro
This presents a formidable challenge, especially for younger, fruit-driven styles (ruby
and reserve) where the variation in the character and quality of the wine from year to year
has to be masked in the final blend. Although some of the same principles apply, there is
no mechanism to blend Port by means of the solera system used for Sherry. Most brands
of Port result from continuous blending, appraisal and reappraisal. Tasting is a question
of memory as well as an inherent feeling for the style and character of the wines that have
been put to one side. Samples are submitted by other producers (from small quintas to
large co-operatives) but it is usual for shippers to have contracts with the same growers
year after year in order to reinforce the continuity of style. Although colour, aroma and
taste will always remain paramount, quantifiable colour analysis (spectrophotometry) and
computer records provide a useful aide-memoire.
Shippers base their blends on a series of lotes. These are themselves blends of wines
from different years held in reserve to feed a certain predetermined house style or brand.
The lote is usually made up some time before it is required, and a proportion of the
previous lote is usually included in the final blend to keep the wine consonant with the last
bottling. Younger or older wines may be introduced accordingly and the final sweetness
may be adjusted with geropigas or drier wines. Sometimes both are used in order to lend
complexity to a particular blend. The standard blending unit for this fine-tuning is the
almude (25.44 litres). With twenty-one almudes to a shipping pipe, this longstanding
but apparently arbitrary measure represents the maximum amount that a person can be
expected to carry on their head at any one time!
Wines destined to make up straightforward white, rosé, ruby and tawny blends tend
to be classified early on and their lotes are made up first, usually within six months of the
vintage. Many shippers purchase large volumes of wine from co-operatives, predominantly
in the Baixo Corgo, in order to augment these wines. Later in the year blends of differing
but complementary wines will be formed, perhaps with a particular reserve brand in
mind. The small quantities of wine set aside to become old tawnies may remain for
several years before further blending whereas potential vintage lotes are kept separate and
classified as late as possible. They will be regularly reassessed before the decision is finally
taken as to whether or not to declare a vintage eighteen months or so after the harvest.
The rules and regulations that govern the various different types or styles of Port are
covered below.
Port: Categorisation
There has been a proliferation of different styles of Port since the 1960s, many of them
filling a niche in different markets. Despite this there are still two basic categories of Port:
Wood-matured Ports: These are wines that are aged for varying periods in bulk (either in
wood and/or stainless steel or cement vats) and only bottled when they are judged to be
ready to drink. Once in bottle, most of these wines will keep well for a year or more but