2010 ~ No. 8
BEYOND PORT
There
was a time when Portugal’s wine wealth helped create
Europe’s first nation and became a springboard to global
domination. The Portuguese established the world’s first
wine laws and were among the first to analyze and describe
the characteristics of various wine regions.
In the 19th Century, though Portugal was a faded world power,
its wine culture was still flourishing, thanks to the information
about vineyard sites and wine areas gleaned from old books.
In fact, Portuguese winemakers even made a clear distinction
between vinhos de embarque and vinho do consumo –
wines good enough for export and those that really just needed
to be consumed locally.
For years, however, the primary wine associated with Portugal
was – justifiably – Port and, to a lesser extent,
Madeira. Production of dry wines was dominated by government-sponsored
co-ops, with volume often the primary goal.
This changed with the 1974 overthrow of the dictator Salazar
as well as Portugal’s 1986 ascension into the European
Union. These events gave winemakers greater freedom and incentives
to boost quality – and they successfully exploited the
country’s long winemaking history and traditions in
this pursuit.
Perhaps Portugal’s greatest wine asset is its astonishing
number of native varietals – over 500 of them that produce
an equally diverse array of wine styles that range from light
to heavy and run the gamut from dry and crisp to voluptuous
and sweet. Red wines have approachably soft tannins, while
the whites tend to be fresh and crisp; all are bound by the
distinctive fruitiness of the country’s wines.
Portugal’s
wine laws mirror those in its neighboring countries. The top
wine regions are labeled Denominação de
Origem Controlada, or DOC, while Indicação
de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR) indicates the level
below, though for many regions, this is just a step on the
way to achieving DOC status.
Next are regional wines, labeled Vinho Regional,
that are made from a general area worth noting. Finally, Vinho
de Mesa (the equivalent of table wines) identifies wines
not certified to origin or vintage.
THE FRUIT
Describing every grape variety in Portugal is an essentially
thankless task, given the sheer number of them! Here are several
to know:
White Grapes
Arinto:
This grape is widely planted throughout Portugal, but the
best interpretation comes from Bucelas. It is prized for its
ability to retain acidity no matter how hot the region.
Alvarinho: The primary grape used in Vinho Verde, it is made
as a single-varietal wine in Minho. In this incarnation, it
has more alcohol and more finesse than its spritzy counterpart;
it also costs considerably more.
Encruzado: Grown mainly in the Dão region, this grape
produces a lush, complex wine hallmarked by a distinctive
nutty flavor.
Red Grapes
Alvarelhão:
Planted chiefly in the Douro, this grape has high acidity
and it is increasingly planted in Vinho Verde and the Dão.
Periquita: From the Dão region, wine from this grape
is characterized by berry fruit and fine tannins. The wines
are quite full with good ageing potential.
Tinta Roriz: Also known as Aragonez, this is the same as
Spain’s Tempranillo grape. It is one of the key varietals
in Port. In dry wines, it offers structure, dark berry fruit
and soft tannins.
Tinto Cão: This grape is one of the top varieties
in the Douro, though its plantings in Dão are increasing.
It provides an herbaceous note to the wine.
Touriga Nacional: Considered the best grape in Portugal,
this grape is the centerpiece of the best Port blends. It
is increasingly used to make excellent dry wines, particularly
from the Douro.
REGIONS
Portugal has eleven major regions, each
with its own DOCs. Recent years have seen several changes
to the classifications and, as of 2009, there were 26 DOCs,
4 IPRs and 11 VRs. The best include:
Vinho
Verde
This region is located on the wet Atlantic coast of Portugal.
As a result, vines are often trellised on pergolas rising
up to 15 feet above the ground, with other crops planted
under the vines – thus reducing risk of rot from the
damp climate.
It is known principally for its wine of the same name,
dubbed “verde” (green) not for its color (though
it can have a slightly greenish tint) but because it is
released at a very young age with little to no ageing. The
wine is dry and slightly fizzy with an alcohol level of
just 9% to 10%.
Production is largely of white wine, but some red and even
rosé Vinho Verde is made.
Douro
This appellation is home to Port, but increasingly superb
dry wines are produced here as well. Ironically, many grapes
considered sub-par for the fortified wine are used for table
wines, to their benefit. This particularly happens in cooler
vintages, when the grapes have a nice acidity that is bad
for Port but results in a fresh, forward dry wine.
Nestled within the Douro River basin in northeast Portugal,
the region typically sees very cold winters and hot, dry
summers. It is protected from the wet Atlantic influence
by the Marão and Montemuro mountains.
Superb red and white wines are produced here, and they
are typically blends, giving them a delightful complexity
and richness.
Dão
Located in north central Portugal, this area is protected
from the Atlantic influence by the Granite Mountains. With
long, warm summers and sandy soils, this is one of the country’s
best terroirs for wine. In fact, this quality was
recognized in 1908, when Dão was granted RD status
– the equivalent of today’s DOC.
Several things set this area apart. The grapes tend to
be thick-skinned (a protection from the summer heat) and
the resulting wines have superbly concentrated color and
tannins. In addition, the area is dominated by vineyards
that are 50 years and older – a quality that imparts
greater character to the final wine. The vines are also
planted at a fairly high elevation, subjecting the grapes
to temperature variations that enhance acidity and aromas.
Bairrada
Like Barolo, Bairrada wines can vary wildly from vintage
to vintage, sublime in some years and harsh in others. This
is due in part to the grape, Baga, which tends to ripen
late and can be damaged by the seasonal rains that come
in October.
The region’s best producers declassify their wines
in bad years – as the estates in Barolo do –
though most wineries and coops here do not.
That can make it tricky to find an excellent wine, and
perhaps accounts in part for the love-hate relationship
many wine drinkers have with these wines. But with their
elegance, tannins and fruit flavors, the best of these are
strikingly authentic wines and worth seeking out.
Setúbal
This DOC isn’t known for its dry wines, but it’s
worth mentioning for its Muscat. This dessert wine is fortified
more lightly than Port, though it has almost double the
sweetness. Yet, it is fresh and fruity, dense and exotic
with gobs of dried fruit aromas and flavor. This region
is located in the Terras Do Sado.
Alentejo
Called the California of Portugal for its modern, generous
wines, this area benefits from a hot, dry climate and unprolific
soils. The latter are not suited to mass production, thus
favoring the smaller boutique producer, while the lack of
rain during harvest eliminates worries of rot and insures
healthy, thick-skinned grapes that offer luscious fruit
flavor and warm, ripe aromas.
But tradition has not been fully forsaken; at some estates,
grapes are still pressed by foot and earthenware amphorae
are used for a cooling fermentation. It is perhaps this
duality of old and new that give the wines their special
charm.
LOOKING AT THE LABEL
Some
terms you might encounter:
Adamado: sweet
Adega: literally “cellar” and usually used as
part of the producer’s name.
Branco: white
Carvalho: oak
Casta: grape variety
Engarrafado Por: bottled by
Engarrafado Na Origem: estate bottled
Produzido e Engarrafado Por: produce and bottled at/by
Quinta: farm or estate
Reserva: used with dry wines to qualify a vintage year of
“outstanding quality” and indicates an extra .5%
of alcohol.
PERFECTLY CORKING
The other great wine product Portugal produces is cork, and
many of the worlds biggest and best cork plantations are in
Alentejo. The process is fascinating.
Traditional bottle cork is cut from the bark of the cork
oak, Quercus suber. Harvest involves peeling the
bark from the tree, leaving the cork layer as undamaged as
possible and avoiding injury to the tree that could damage
the next cork growth cycle.
The
oaks can be peeled starting in their 25th year and then at
nine year intervals. The first harvests are usually used for
construction. Bark from subsequent harvests is left in the
forests for several months to allow the tannins to oxidize.
Once at the factory, the sheets are immersed in boiling water
for up to two hours, killing off microorganisms and insects,
dissolving tannins and generally making the material easier
to work with.
After resting for seven to fourteen days, the cork may be
boiled a second time.
Sheets are then sorted according to quality and thickness
then cut into strips before the cork is punched out. While
this may be done by machine, results are better with hand-operated
or semi-automatic tools. After all, only a human can discern
the best place to punch.
The waste material from this process is then used to make
lesser-quality pressed corks.
Automation
kicks in for the remaining steps. The ends of the cork are
cut to desired size and smoothed. (Dust from this process
is also used for pressed corks.)
Machines then sort the corks according to the number of bark
pores visible on the surface. They are then disinfected with
bleach or peroxide. The dosage and timing are left to the
customer; some prefer natural tones, others very pale corks.
They corks are sorted once more before being branded with
ink. The details are again left to the customer, though the
higher quality the wine, the more information put on the cork.
Finally, the cork is treated with silicon or paraffin to
allow easier removal of the cork.
CORK TRIVIA
Portugal contains 31% of the cork-growing
area in the world, followed by Spain (24%), Algeria (19%)
and Morocco (14%).
Portugal is responsible for producing a whopping 51% of corks
used worldwide. (Spain has 26%, Italy, 7% and Morocco 6%.)
Extracting a wine cork takes between 50 and 100 pounds of
pulling force.
Cork is a natural living product and can dry out and shrink
over time. A finished cork is put in the bottle with a moisture
content of six to nine percent.
An amphora from the 1st Century BC was found in Ephesus.
Not only was it sealed with a cork stopper, but it still contained
wine!
