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Let´s have a ne
glass of port
Karsten Kubin
brighter, up to a delicate orange. The situation is similar with its aro- mas: Initially bursting with strength, pompous and often discordant, it will over time become increasingly delicate and harmonious. Vinta- ges should always be decanted.
Tawny
The English word tawny means “tan” and refers to wines that are lighter, and barrel aged. Tawnys are somewhat “leaner” than the Rubys. Once bottled, they do not develop much further in the bott- le and are therefore intended for quick consumption.
One differentiates between a Tawny, a three-year wine and a Premium Tawny, an approxima- tely 7-year-old wine, which usually occurs under a brand name in the trade, as well as the 10, 20, 30, and over 40 year-old Tawnys. These are vintage cuvées whose properties must meet the age speci ed. That leaves the Colheita. An Vinta- ge Tawny with a prescribed barrel storage of at least seven years. Beyond this time, there are no li- mits. Coheitas can be extremely ne and harmonious.
“There is not a particular mo- ment for a glass of port, but there is undoubtedly a suita- ble port for every moment”. (Portuguese proverb)
Port wine is the Portuguese ex- port par excellence. It comes exclu- sively from the defined area of origin in the northern Portuguese Douro Valley. The name refers to the old Portuguese port city, Porto.
The actual process that makes Douro wine a port wine is the Be- ne cio: the addition of high-proof brandy to the fermenting must. What probably rst began with little brandy additions - in order to increase the stability during transport - generally developed toward the middle/end of the 19th century to the present extent.
These days, the fermentation of all port wines - whether red or white, vintage or ruby - is halted by addition of 76-78-percent brandy or 98-percent distillate of wine. The time of halting the process determines the remaining sugar, and thus the sweetness of port wine. The more the wine is already fermented, the less brandy is ad- ded, as a higher alcohol content from fermentation already exists and port wine must have 18 to 21% alcohol as a nal product.
Individuality
Not every port wine is the same. Anyone who has had the oppor- tunity to taste different ports will be able to con rm this. The dif- ferent characters of port wines result from a number of factors such as varieties of ripening used, degrees of sweetness, the style of the manufacturer, etc.
Differences in maturation arise from the duration and the cont- ainer. In the barrel aging, the wine is subjected to a micro-oxidation, which is stronger by the ratio of surface area in smaller barrels than in larger.
The sweetness remaining in the Port can be adjusted by the timing of addition of alcohol. Depending on the style of the manufacturer, the cellarmaster decides how much natural su- gar should remain in the wine.
Diversity
The range of different port wines is very extensive. The somewhat rarer white port wine, which is made from white grapes of the region, ranges from extra-dry to sweet. Vintage ports are rarely found.
The red port wines fall into two groups: Ruby and Tawny.
Ruby
The simple Ruby is an approxima- tely 3-year-old ruby port wine. It is blended from wines from several years and therefore does not have a vintage indication. In addition, there is the Late Bottled Vintage, a wine of a single vintage whose label bears both the year of harvest and the year of bottling. It has to be bottled at the earliest after four and not later than six years. The Vintage is again considered the king of port wines. It comes from a single harvest and must be bottled after 2-3 years, and then matured in the bottle for years and decades to reach its peak quality. In early years it is dark purple, so- metimes almost black. With age, it loses color and becomes ever
Karsten Kubin, together with Ruth Linden- blatt, is owner of Berlin-based Weingalerie, purveyors of ne wines from Portugal. One of the best addresses for Port wines outside Portugal - www.portwine.de/shop/
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