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Port is one of the world’s great classic wines produced only in the upper Douro valley in north-eastern Portugal.
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The port vineyards
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Possessing a unique combination of geography, climate, grape variety and wine making tradition, the Douro valley is Europe’s oldest demarcated wine region originally defined in 1756.
Lying about 100 kms inland from the Atlantic Ocean, the vineyard region is separated from the temperate and humid climate of the coast by the Marão Mountains. Its hot dry summers, rocky free-draining soil and unique thick skinned grapes produce the concentration and richness flavour which are the essential qualities of port wine. The mountainous vineyards of the Douro valley are among the world’s most spectacular. The oldest are planted on narrow walled terraces clinging to the vertiginous hillsides and are now classified as a World Heritage site.
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The Vineyards
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The company purchases grapes from some of the best A-classified estates in the nearby Roncão and Rio Torto valleys, including the magnificent Quinta da Côrte.
Over 30 classic Douro grape varieties can be used to make port but only a handful of the best are planted in the Delaforce vineyards, each contributing its unique character and flavour to the blend. These include the Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz. The grapes are selected and harvested by hand in mid September and, the case of the Delaforce vineyards, are placed in small trays which keep them in perfect condition during transport to the winery.
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How port is made.
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| Traditional Harvesting |
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Port is part of the diverse and fascinating family of fortified wines, all of which are made by adding a small amount of grape spirit, or ‘brandy’, to the wine at some stage in the wine making process. The fortification of port is carried out as follows.
Once the grapes have been crushed, the fermentation starts to convert the natural sugar of the grape juice into alcohol. At this time, the grape skins must be constantly submerged in the fermenting wine so that they release the natural substances which give the wine its structure, colour and flavour. For Delaforce’ s most prestigious wines this is done by foot treading, an expensive but very effective method. Other wines are made in specially designed fermentation tanks.
When about half of the natural sugar of the grape juice has been fermented, a small amount of clean and neutral grape spirit is added to the wine. This fortification, as it is known, stops the fermentation and preserves some of the natural sweetness of the grape in the finished wine.
Then wine is then left to settle in large vats until early the following year when it is taken down to the coast to age in the cool and tranquil wine cellars, known as ‘lodges’, in Vila Nova de Gaia.
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The different styles of port
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| Delaforce Vats |
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Unlike wines which are not fortified port can be left to mature for many years in wood. The character of the wine depends on the amount of time it remains in wood and the type of wooden vessel.
Most ports are fully matured in wood before they are bottled. These are known as ‘wood ports’ and require no further ageing in bottle. The fruitier styles of wood port, such as Ruby port or Late Bottled Vintage, are aged for a few years in large oak vats, allowing them to ripen and mature without losing their youthful freshness and vigour. The more mellow styles, such as aged tawnies and ‘Colheita’ ports, are matured in smaller oak barrels known as ‘casks’ and are usually aged for much longer, developing wonderful rich complex flavours in the process.
Some ports remain for only a short time in wood and need to be aged further in the bottle. The principal type of bottle aged port is Vintage port. Vintage port is left for only two years in vat and then continues to age for many years or decades in bottle, where it slowly acquires the delicate and complex aromas characteristic of this style of wine.
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