Wset Unit 6

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Sherry Climate & Topography

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Climate of Jerez DO is strongly influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.

Has ~300 days of sunshine ayear with mild winters (4-5c) and very hot summers (40c)

There are 2 predominant winds the Levante from the east (inland), hot and dry and increases temperature & the Poniente from the west (Ocean), cooler and more humid.

Ave rainfall is ~650mm, with most of it falling between late autumn and spring. There is little rainfall between June and October.

Low lying, exposed area of undulating gentleslopes.

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Sherry Microclimates

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Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Vineyards ~10m metres above sealevel. The coolest area with summer temperatures around 24-27°C and highest level of humidity at 65-70%. Sanlúcar produces all Manzanillas, whichare more delicate than Finos from Jerez. Climatic conditions are crucial fordetermining this difference, both the influence in the vineyards andmore particularly in the bodegas – see later notes on Flor.

Puerto de Santa Maria

Key vineyards are inland, north-east of Sanlúcar.Temperatures are hotter (by 3-4°C) & humidity lower (by 7-10%).

The vineshave to work harder & produce less delicate, bigger wines.

Jerez de la Frontera

Even hotter. Although town is~12 miles inland, temperature can be 10ºC hotter than coast.

Up country

The hottest area, producing the biggest,fullest-bodied, wines.

Thefurther from the sea, the less moderating influence it has on the climate andthe colder it becomes in winter and the hotter in summer.

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Sherry Soils - Albariza

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Albariza:

Most important soils. Best vineyards planted on these soilsand favoured for Palomino.· White soil, from the sediment of marinediatoms. Very chalky, with a highcontent of calcium carbonate.

Best albariza soils have a lime content of 25%on surface and a higher percentage when deeper.

Includes a proportion of sand and clay.

Soils are highly drought tolerant althoughtoo high a calcareous content leads to chlorosis. The soils are deep and easily penetrated bywater and vine roots. The soil has anadvantage of drying without solidifying.

The soil absorbs water like a sponge and acts as a reservoir, to depthsof 25-30m.

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Sherry Soils - Other

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Arenas:

Soils are located in coastal areas and are predominantly sand and clay, < 20% limestone.

Yields are 2x albariza soils, but the quality of the wine poor.

Used for Moscatel around Chipiona.

Soils were popular during phylloxera as louse found it difficult to live in the sand, however with the recent rationalisation of the sherry industry the vineyards are predominantly based on albariza.

Barros:

Located mainly in the valleys of the hills of albariza, these soils have much more clay and produce fuller, coarser wines with slightly higher yields.

While normally considered as good vineyard soils; in Jerez, given the climate and location, they are regarded as poorer soils.

The Barros vineyards will generally be used for PX and Moscatel, although top producers will grow PX on albariza on Jerez superior vineyards.

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Sherry Grape Varieties

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Palomino Fino:

Predominant grape variety of the region at>95%.

A white variety, that turns golden when ripe.

Large bunches with medium sized fruit. Grown at high yield for the use in Sherry(80hl/Ha is maximum), without irrigation. Ripe at a moderate sugar (11-12 Baume). Relatively low in acidity compared to other varieties

Produces a pale juice and a tendency to oxidisequickly.

Downy mildew and Anthracnose can be a problem.

Pedro Ximenez

PX is a white grape variety, with a thin skin. Vines have medium sized bunches of golden,intensely sweet grapes.

Represents <100 ha grown in the Sherry DO. Harder to grow than Palomino Fino due toits thin skin and susceptibility from disease.

Lower plantings of PX in favour ofPalomino Fino, the importation of PX from Montilla-Moriles is permitted.

Used for sweet wines, due to its higher sugarcontent when ripe, average of 12.8 Baume. Sunning of the grapes are undertaken prior to vinification.

Muscatof Alexandria (Moscatel)

White grape variety. 1-3% of the regions plantings to thisvariety.

Planted principally on the sandy soilsaround the coast around Chipiona.

Predominantly used as a sweetener, some producers market their own varietal Moscatel.

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Sherry Viticulture

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Vine Density up to 4,000/ha, spacingbtw vines 1.15m & 2.3m between rows.

Ave age of vines is < 30 years, vines tire quickly due to high yields.

Vines are trained on wires to assist in the mechanisation of harvest, although the pruning method, called vara y pulgar (thumb and stick), is unchanged.

It is similar to the Guyot system.

Avara (stick/branch) with 7-8 buds produces the current years crop.

The pulgar (meaning thumb) is a short shoot with one bud, which will produce the current years vara.

Growing trend in Jerez is to use the double cordon, which is more compatible to mechanisation, with 6-8 buds per vine. Rows run horizontal to the slope or north to south.

Usually limited grape production during the establishment until the 4th year. Increasingly mechanised

Vines are grafted to American rootstock according to the soils lime content and capacity to develop roots & compatibility with local varieties.

Aserpiado: banking up of soil between rows to catch rain when it falls.

Instances of pest and disease are relatively low.

Grapes ripen relatively early August/ September.

Timing is dictated when average sugar levels reach at > 11% Baume

Grapes are loaded into plastic crates & transported to wineries.

Hand picking still dominates, although machine harvesting becoming more common, given the rapid harvesting required.

For naturally sweet sherries, grapes are sun dried to concentrate sugars.

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Sherry Vinification

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The first informal classification takes place in thevineyard. Wines for the best Finos aresourced from older vines growing on the best albariza soils while olorosos cancome from both albariza and grapes grown on heavier clays.

Consejo Regulador oversees reception at wineryto calculate yield from vineyard. 80hl/ha is maximum permitted. 11tonnes/ha.

Grapes are transported to large automatedwineries where they are destalked and pressed. Most Bodegas use horizontal plate or pneumaticpresses which result in gentler extraction and more control of extraction rate,which may not exceed ~700l per tonne.

Presses are either at the Bodega or co-ops,which supply wine to the bodegas.

Thefirst pressing of free-run juice (premayema) ~65% is generally directed to Fino programmes for biological ageing.

Thesecond pressing ~25% go to Oloroso programmes given higher level of solidmatter & skin extract & hence suited for oxidative ageing. Due to low acidity, musts are usually acidifiedvia addition of tartaric acid prior to fermentation. The must then undergoes Settling orcentrifugation.

Sulphur is also added, which reduces the risk ofoxidation and kills weaker strains of yeasts. Fermentation generally in temperature controlledstainless steel tanks (50,000 ltrs). Historicallythey were fermented in oak butts, although now rare and not for Fino asit imparts tannin and some oxidisation.

Temperature of ~20-25c using inoculated yeasts,which each bodega customises.

Finosherries are fermented at the cooler end of this range.

The fermentation typically undergoes a rapid andvigorous initial phase lasting ~1 week.

Then temperatures subside and any remaining sugar in the wine isfermented to alcohol over a number of weeks.

Following fermentation the wine is completelydry.

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Sherry Fortification

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Prior to fortification, the first formal stage of classificationtakes place. Each lot is assessed,tasted & marked.

Depending on the quality of wine the sherry isfortified with neutral grape spirit (95% abv) to between 15-15.5 and 22%.

The development of the flor, is in part determined by the degree of fortification. It is inhibited by an abv >16%.

As a result: Higherquality wines are destined to become finos and are fortified to 15-15.5% abvTheremaining wines are destined to become olorosos are fortified to a higherstrength of at least 17% abv to prohibit the flor from growing. This fortification process involves a moregentler mixture of grape spirit and sherry to form a mitad y mitad (half andhalf) to avoid shocking the young wine.

The process for PX is much simpler, the wine isfortified at the end of fermentation and is sent to the solera.

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Sherry - Biological Maturation - Flor

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Flor or flor yeasts are benevolent film-formingyeasts, which are able to form a veil or film, which float on thesurface of the wine protecting it from oxidisation.

These are closely associated with the productionof biologically aged Sherries .

Flor requires particular living conditions beinghumidity >65%, no fermentable sugars, alcohol between 13.5-16 abv,temperature between 15-20c, low SO2, access to oxygen and other nutrients.

Flor yeasts are all capable of fermenting sugarin an anaerobic phase of their metabolism. When the fermentable sugar has been consumed, these yeasts have theability to switch to a metabolic phase in which they consume alcohol, glyceroland oxygen in the atmosphere, also diminishing volatile acids….it then producesacetaldehydes and carbon dioxide.

Theconsumption of the alcohol & glycerol results in producing a wine, whichappears light in body, crisp and dry.

The protective layer of flor produces a wine that is typically pale incolour.

Theproduction of acetaldehydes adds distinctive aromas and flavours of yeast andbread.

The most commonly found examples of sherry withdistinctive flor characters are Fino and Manzanilla sherries.

Butts of wine that are kept apart and are notblended generally breed flor for 6 to 8 years (although can run up to 15).

The wine evaporates losing water andincreasing alcohol, with the nutrients being used up the by the flor, it diesand sinks to the bottom.

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Sherry Maturation - Sobretablas

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Following fortification sherries are rackedinto neutral oak butts for the sobretablas stage, which lasts up to a year. Atthis stage the wine remains unblended and is an anada (vintage) wine.

The formal second stage of classification takes place 6 months to ayear later. All the wines that were fortified to 15.5% will be further assessedto see if they are taking on the Fino style. The barrels are marked with symbols depending on what style they are destined to become.

Flor still flourishing – will continue as a Fino Wine redesignated as palo cortado and fortified to 17%

Large gaps in the flor – reclassified as Oloroso andfortified to 17%

Inferior wines (‘raya’) –used for Sherry vinegar or for verycheapest sherries

Monitoring continues until the wine has gained a distinctstyle and is ready for use in a solera.

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Sherry Maturation - Blending

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Most Sherry is matured in a solera. How soon thewines goes into the solera is a matter for the producer to determine.

A veryfew wines are matured throughout their lives as Añadas (vintage wines) and aresold as such. Others may be given a lengthy ageing as Añadas before going intoa solera.

Whereas a Palo Cortado or an Oloroso can undergolengthy ageing on its own as an Añada wine outside a solera, a Fino cannot.

There comes a time (normally around 6-8 years) when the flor dies and is nolonger able to protect the wine, so its character changes, eventually becomingan Amontillado.

As Sherry is naturally dry, any Sherry with some sweetness will have to be created byblending a dry Sherry with a sweetening wine.

There are two sweetening wines used forSherries: winefrom Moscatel grapes & winefrom (PX) grapes

There is a third type of sweetening agent:Mistelas. This is Palomino juice pressed and filtered. It is then immediatelyfortified with no fermentation at all, so it retains the natural sweetness ofthe grape juice. Because it has not been fermented it cannot be classified as awine. These various sweetening wines/agents are usedin general as follows: Moscatelwine is used for Amontillados PedroXiménez wines are used for Olorosos; Mistelasis used to sweeten Fino to make one version of Pale Cream Sherry

Certainsherries are then sweetened (cream, sweet oloroso, PX, Pale Cream).

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Sherry Maturation - Solera

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A system of dynamic ageing and fractionalblending, which produces consistent blends. Created in the 2nd half of the 19thcentury for commercial reasons in Jerez, used to maintain a consistentstyle of sherry over a number of different vintages

Following the sobretablasstage and classification they are introduced into a solera to age.

A sherry solera comprises a number ofgroups of usually 500l seasoned/used American Oak Butts, each of which are known as acriadera and contain winesof a similar age/vintage.

Sherry is withdrawn for bottling (known as saca)from the group containing the oldest wine, which itself is called the Solera.

This is replenished from the groups of buttswhich form the 1st criadera, which is turn is replenished from thewines that form the 2nd criadera and so on.

This is a process knownas “running the scales”. Simple soleras are fed by 3 or 4 criaderawhereas more complex solera may run to 14. The really crucial aspect of the solera systemis that when wine moves, it does not move from one single cask (or butt) toanother single cask. The wine is mixed up and redistributed. In this way, allthe wine moving through the solera achieves the same character.

All sherries must have a minimumage of two years.

To guarantee therequired minimum age no more than 40% can be drawn off any solera system in oneyear.

While it is instructive to think of thecriaderas or scales all grouped together on top of each other, they are oftenseparated due their size and weight, which also minimizes fire risk.

The solera system is important in the ageing ofFino and Manzanilla sherries, as the introduction of young fino or manzanillasherry from the sobretablas stage introduce fresh nutrients into the solera,which in turn feed the flor to keep it alive.

Olorosos will normally move much more slowly(perhaps only once a year) as there is not the need for refreshment that thereis with flor-growing Sherries.

Their soleras will also have fewer scales. In asolera for very high quality old Sherries as little as 5% of the wine may moveat one time, and only once a year.

There are costs every time a wine is moved sothe greater the number of times that a wine is moved between scales, thegreater the cost of the eventual wine (quite apart from the issue of capitaltied up for the length of time the wine is maturing).

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Sherry Classifications - Fino

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Made from the Palomino Fino grape.

Fortified up to 15.5% abv, aged biologicallyunder flor.

Pale lemon in colour, very dry, hints of yeasts,bread dough and dry fruits and almonds.

Light and a delicate taste.

Extended aging under flor increases aldehyde anddecreases alcohol, glycerol and volatile acidity.

Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

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Sherry Classifications - Manzanilla

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Manzanilla is a fortified wine produced in theAndalucia province of Spain in the DO of “Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda”(ruled by the same Consejo Regulador as “Jerez-Xeres-Sherry”).

Manzanilla is produced from the Palomino Fino grape and is a very pale,light, dry style of sherry that is heavily influenced by Flor yeast.

The key difference to a Fino Sherry is it isaged in the particularly humid maritime air of Sanlucar, which tends to resultin a consistently thicker layer of flor (less chance for oxygen ingress) and aslower maturation process.

In addition, excessconcentration in the wine avoided by picking grapes earlier, which results inlower alcohol and higher acidity.

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Sherry Classification - Amontillado

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Made from the Palomino Fino grape.

Likely grown in Jerez superior vineyards on albariza soils.

Starts its life as a Fino and aged biologicallyunder flor for a period of time and then is aged oxidatively.

A true Amontillado is dry, amber in colour, witha slightly pungent deep and nutty nose.

Oxidative aging increases alcohol (anywhere between 16%-22% abv),acidity, glycerol and decreases aldehyde.

Amontillados may age for many more years – thevery finest can age for up to 50-60 years.

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Sherry Classification - Oloroso

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An oloroso is a sherry aged in the absence of flor in an oxidative way.

Oloroso's are made from the Palomino grape, a white grape, grown in the Jerez DO. An oloroso is usually selected from a heavier must than the Fino or Manzanilla.

Wine is fortified to 18 to 22% abv so that the flor can not survive.

Due to evaporation (about 3-5% in volume each year), the resulting Oloroso will grow more concentrated and around > 20 ABV.

The finished wine is dry, darker in colour from oxidativeageing, it also has a high level of glycerol.

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Sherry Classification - Palo Cortado

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It is made from the Palomino grape that in alllikelihood will have been grown in the finest albariza soils in Jerez Superior.

The finest press juice, from these optimum grapes of low acidity and low sugarcontent is fermented in stainless steel to dryness.

The must will have then been fortified to around 15% strength as inprinciple it has been selected to be a fino.

At some point during its biological ageing, usually during or not long after sobretablas stage theflor will stop growing for reasons unknown and then oxidative maturationbegins.

Will be more fuller bodied thanan Amontillado as glycerol has not been consumed.

The finished wine will show elegance on the noseof a fino due to its early flor influence alongside the deliberately oxidisedcharacteristics of caramel, coffee, dried fruit and on the palate it will befull bodied and dry with high glycerine concentration as the flor had not had achance to use up much of this.

High intensity and concentration. It will be ablended wine, occasionally of indicated age.” Similar to an Amontillado on the nose, with the structure and depth ofan oloroso.

There is no legal definition of a Palo Cortadoand each shipper has their own style.

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Sherry - VOS & VORS & En rama

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Introduced in 2000.

VOS (Vinum Optimum Signatum) and VORS (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum) or Very Old Sherry and Very Old Rare Sherry are recent developments in the industry to offer a premium product.

These are new legal structures where the sherry has to be at least 20 years old in the case of VOS and 30 years in the case ofVORS.

Carbon dating is used to determine the actual age of the sherry as, due to the fractional blending systems of the solera, the contents will be a mixture of ages.

This makes it difficult for the industry to have a ‘vintage’ product (unlike Port or Madeira) but this introduction, as well as having aged sherries of 12 and 15 years old, is one way to deliver a high quality product with recognisable legal classification.

Sherries that are “en rama” are not subject toclarification nor stabilisation (only a light filtering). These have become more popular lately astables wines have given the view these process strip flavour etc

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Sherry - Vino Dulces naturales

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Partial fermentation of the grape musts plustraditional (oxidative) ageing.

PX: When bottled as varietal wines, these producerich, raisiny, sweet fortified wines entitled to be designated as Sherry.

Clear, deep brown in colour and very viscous. Deep aromas of dried fruits from ageing as wellas toffee and coffee. Long aftertaste.

ABV 15-22%, between 400-500 gms sugar perlitre. Luscious.

Moscatel

These are also sweet wines made from Moscatel.

Clear, medium brown in colour and viscous. · Characteristic aromas of the variety as well asdried fruits from ageing. Long aftertaste.ABV 15-22%, between 200-300 gms sugar perlitre. Sweet to luscious

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Sherry - Vino Generosos de licor (blends)

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Produced from dry (generoso) wines. Blended with natural sweet wines (or concentrated grape must). RCGM is obtained from fresh grapes through a process of filtration and rectification to produce a sweet transparent and odourless liquid.

Pale Cream: Style of Sherry pioneered by Croft in the 1970’s with ‘Croft Original’.

Designed to combine the perceived sophisticated appearance of a dry sherry with a more palatable sweetness.

Its commercial success led most major SherryBodegas to introduce a pale cream.

Essentially it is a sweetened Fino.

It is typically a blend of fino and sweet wine,normally adjusted with rectified concentrated grape must (RCGM) and freshPalomino must which has been vacuum concentrated.

The colour is removed with activated charcoal.

It has between 45 – 115 g/l residual sugar

It is pale colour, medium intensity, slightly fruity aroma with notes of almonds, citrus, apple peel and a savoury, yeasty note from the flor, the medium-sweet palate with low acidity but a pronouncedtangy character, medium alcohol and a dry finish,

Medium: Amber to light mahogany colour. Slightly pungent,nutty aroma. Smooth and round onthe palate, with varying degrees of sweetness:

Less than 115 gms per litre of sugar.

If sugar < 45 gr/l, “MediumDry”

If sugar > 45 gr/l, “Medium Sweet”

Cream: Dark mahogany colour. Dense appearance. Intensearoma of oloroso, combined with notesof dried fruits (raisins).

Full-bodied, sweetand velvety on the palate. More than 115 gms of sugar per litre.

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Sherry Key Producers - Gonzalez Byass

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One of the biggest and most significant Sherry houses in Jerez, the capital of the sherry region in Andalucia, Southern Spain.

It was founded in 1835 by Maria Manuel Gonzalez Angel at the age of 23, under the guidance of his uncle.

In 1836 he began trading with UK agent Robert Byass.

In 1849 Tio Pepe was branded, a fino sherry named after his uncle José, which remains one of the largest sherry brands worldwide today. The third largest in the UK with 5% total market share of sherry behind Harveys Bristol Cream and Croft Original.

In the 1870s Robert Byass and Manuel Maria Gonzalez’ sons formed Gonzalez Byass. They own 550 ha of vineyards and use 450ha of growers’ vineyards.

In 2001 they acquired Croft Original fromDiageo. This is a pale cream sherry; a sweetened fino aged for 4 years and thesecond biggest selling sherry in the UK with 20% share of the market.

Their huge production in orchestrated on a large90 acre bodega complex that includes a capacity of 80,000 barrels of wine, withthe gran bodega Tio Pepe able to hold 10,000 barrels per floor on three floors,the only 3 story sherry bodega in Jerez.

It is for the brand Tio Pepe that the companyhas become ubiquitous, the brand was begun in 1844 and is ‘a fino of classiccharacter made in a polished refined style. A more recent en rama version ofthe product was first released in 2010 to celebrate 175 years of Tio Pepe andit has proven so popular that it has become an annual release for the company.

In addition to Solera sherries Gonzalez Byass isone of two houses, as well as Williams and Humbert, to maintain a largecollection of añada sherry with 200 barrels put aside each year.

The final, albeit particularly exclusiveoffering, of which Gonzalez Byass has become renowned are ‘las Palmas’, barrelselected wines from the tio pepe solera that are chosen for their exceptionalnature.

Youngwines: Tio Pepe (fino)

Oldwines: Viña AB, del Duque (amontillados) various VORS, Palmas series

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Sherry Key Producers - Emilio Lustau

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One of the last Sherry producers to be privately owned. Based in Jerez, Spain.

Also unusually for the region, they are Spanishowned rather than British (or formerly British). Lustau’s offering is broad, they need to be congratulated for championing smallalmacenista sherries, and purchasing condemned soleras from defunct producers. The house was founded by an almacenista in 1896and it wasn’t until the late 1980’s that it expanded to the size it is today, aproduction of 15,000 barrels. The house has always purchased from almacenistas consistent with its founders vision and in the 1980's launched the Almacenista range, a series of hand picked sherries from small almacenistas with the Lustau label, although with its provenance listed in the label.

The house also owns around 200ha of vines securing asubstantial amount of wine for its own production annually.

Lustau’s produces an extensive range of sherriesfrom supermarket own-label to quality VOS and VORS.

The offering can be broken up into 5 subcategories: Solera Reserva (standard offering of the Bodega), Gran Reserva(particularly distinctive and/or rare wines), La Ina and it’s various offshoots, the Almacenista collection and Lustau Specialities (limited edition releases incl. the East India Solera Sherry).

The case of the La Ina solera is a particularly important study involving the acquisition of particularly important solera, interms of domestic consumption at least, from the defunct Pedro Domencq brandthat was acquired by beam global (now Suntory). Lustau purchased the 4500 casksolera and it’s rights in 2008, continuing the production of one of Spain’smost lucrative fino soleras, meeting market demand after years of unsurety. Thesolera still resides in it’s original location in the old Domencq cellars ownedby Beam (as of 2011) as Lustau has concern over the effects of relocating thesolera on it’s unique personality. This hesitance alone shows the respect thatthe bodegas have for the individuality of each solera and is an excellent example of two large sherry companies working together to assure tradition remains (although I’m sure a lot of money is changing hands concurrently).

Liem notes that since the acquisition of the LaIna solera by Lustau the quality of product has markedly increased, proof ofthe great deal of care taken by the company.

YoungWines: La Ina (Fino)

OldWines: Botaina (Amontillado), Peninsula (Palo Cortado), Rio Viejo (Oloroso),San Emilio (PX), Emilin (Moscatel).

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Sherry Key Producers - Williams & Humbert

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The Williams and Humbert Brand has had a ratherturbid history, marked by a period of ownership under Rumasa (a giantfraudulent company) but has since recovered passing into the hands of a privatefamily company that still owns the majority stake today.

The history of Bodegas Williams & Humbertgoes back nearly 130 years. The winery was founded in 1877 by Sir AlexanderWilliams and Arthur Humbert

Housed in Europe’s single largest wine facilityon the outskirts of Jerez (capable of holding 65,000 barrels) it truly is amonster producer ubiquitous with its ‘dry sack’ brand of sweetened sherries.

Hereamontillado, Oloroso and PX are blended together and aged three years afterthree years of autonomous ageing.

Williams and Humbert is also understandablyfamous for it’s cream sherries and produces one fino style labelled dry sackfino, a light wine with 5 to 6 years of age.

Most of the fruit for Williams andHumberts wines are produced in the pago of Balbaína and Carrascal where theymanage 300HA of vines.

They also have substantial holdings of añadawines, but unlike Gonzalez Byass they only set aside one barrel annually whichmeans the wines are seen as more museum pieces than limited releases.

Youngwines: Dry sack

Oldwines: Añada (but no old wines available for public sale)]

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Montilla-Morilles

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Location:In the province of Córdoba (Andalucia) in Spain.

Climate:Hot, sunny, semi-arid and continental. Summer temperatures can reach 45°C.Short cold winters and no coastal influence.

Soils:Chalky albariza (alberos) in the centre of the region but most is reddish,sandy loam (ruedos)

Grapevarieties: Pedro Ximenez accounts for 70% of production with Lairén andMuscat of Alexandria making up the rest. Palomino is not successful here.

Viticulture:Bush vines (en vaso) with low yields of 40-50hl/ha.·

Vinification:Produces both fortified and unfortified wines in the style of sherry.· Around half of these wines are not fortified.Fino styles are not fortified as they achieve 15% abv naturally.

Fino and Amontillado styles are made fromfree-run juice and mature under a film of flor in cement or earthenware tinajasbefore being moved to a solera. Due to the heat and the distance from coolingAtlantic winds, the flor is less thick, so wines lack the finesse of those ofJerez. Oxidative styles can be aged at a natural abv of 13-15% or fortified to16%+ abv. Oloroso styles are made from pressed juice, aged in solera and becomedark and pungent. Minimum ageing is 2 years, but most are older.

Styles:Can be labelled as Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso etc, if sold within Spain. Forother EU countries, they must be labelled Pale Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Sweet,Pale Cream, Cream.

Excellent PX wines are produced from sun-dried grapes. Winesare generally richer than those from Jerez and regarded as a cheaperalternative to Sherry.

Main grape grown is PX which can be transportedand used in Jerez

PX ripens well, naturally ferments to 15.5% anddevelops a flor. Thus only olorosos and dessert wines are fortified typically.

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Sherry - Consejo Regulador

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Meaning "regulating council", the Consejo Regulador is responsible for administering wine law and managing the Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda DO's.

Formed in 1933-35

The CR has a "private"dimension in that it represents the private interests of all the registeredwine-growers and sherry firms; and a "public" dimension, acting in the name of the Administration in matters directly relatedto the management and defence of the DO itself.

In essence, the CR represents each and everyone of the professional sectors within the DO: sherry firms and independentwine-growers and members of cooperatives.

The different roles the CR undertakes can be summarised in 3 categories:

Controland Certification: controlling quality and guaranteeing the origin of thoseproducts under its protection. The CR ofJerez includes within its Regulations a set of obligatory rules regarding everystage of the production process which begins in the vineyard and ends when thewine is purchased by the consumer.

Defenceof heritage: act as custodian and defender of the interests of the DO, both at a national and international level.

Promotion:Promoting the collective brand “Sherry” to the global market.

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Sherry - Ageing and Production Zones

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Only those vineyards located within themunicipal boundaries of including Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de SantaMaría, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and situated on land which the Consejo Reguladorconsiders suitable, may grow grapes for the production of Sherry andManzanilla. The Production Zone (Zona de Produccion) currently occupies an area of just over 7,000hectares.

Another important geographical delimitation isreferred to as the "Ageing and Maturing Zone" (Zona de Crianza) - also known as theSherry Triangle. The ageing of wines protected by the DO"Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" may only take place in the towns of Jerez de laFrontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the AgeingBodegas are therefore all located in these towns.

In the case of the DO "Manzanilla -Sanlúcar de Barrameda", the corresponding Ageing Zone is limitedexclusively to the town itself. Although the raw material (grapes and/or basewine) for Manzanilla may originate from anywhere within the production Zone,the ageing process must take place in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

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Sherry - Bodegas

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Within the Jerez region the term"bodega" is used not only to refer to the warehouses where sherrywines are stored during their production and ageing, but is also used todescribe those companies which are dedicated to the activity. Those bodega firms belonging to the DO are recorded in the different official registers kept by CR according to the stage of the sherry production andageing process in which they intervene.

The four classes of Bodega recognised by the CR:

Bodegasde Produccion (Production): winemaking Bodegas, which are not permitted tomature wine. Those municipal areaslocated within the Production Zone but not included in the Ageing Zone form asubstantial part of the DO. In addition to the importanceof the registered vineyards situated within these municipal areas, they alsoinclude a number of pressing houses or Processing Bodegas, as well as what areknown as "Production Bodegas", dedicated to obtaining wines to beproduced and later aged in bodegas located within the Ageing Zone.

Bodegasde Elaboracion: Winemaking bodegas which are allowed to hold stocks of wine fora short period of time before selling on.

Bodegasde Crianza y Almacenado (Almacenistas) - Stockist Bodegas: Those sherrycompanies which appear in the Ageing Bodega Register - collectively known as"almacenistas" (wholesalers) - must also be located within the Ageingand Maturing Zone, that is to say within the municipal boundaries of Jerez dela Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María or Sanlucar de Barrameda and must complywith the requirements established in the Regulations of the DO governing the ageing of sherry wine. The wines from these bodegas are alwayssold on to shipping bodegas which incorporate them into their own ageingsystems or use them in the final blending of their commercial brands.

Bodegasde Crianza y Expedicion - Shipping Bodegas: The ageing and shipping bodegasmust necessarily be situated in the localities of Jerez de la Frontera, ElPuerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, that is to say the “ageingzone”. They are bodegas, which comply with the regulations for the ageing of protected wines and also their marketing, andthus they can sell bottled wine protected by the DO.

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Sherry - Almacenistas

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From the Spanish word almacen meaning“store”. An almacenista is the term fora sherry stockholder who sells wine to shippers with the DO appellation.

It has been used as a marketing term by Lustau,who buy in and bottle wine from almacenistas.· They purchase Anada wines (from a single year,which are yet to go into solera). Thisgives the original producer cashflow.

They mature the wines or introduce them intotheir own soleras.

The almacenista then sell their wines as maturewines.

Almacenistas must adhere to the DO regulations concerning the ageing and maturing of sherries and therefore must be located within the city limits of the permitted ageing zones of Sanlucar de Barrameda, Puerto de Santa Maria or Jerez dela frontera.

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Port - Douro Location, Climate & Topography

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North West Portugal and known as the Douro DO.

It is 90km E-W and 45km N-S

The Douro DO encompasses 250,000 ha with ~46,000ha planted to vines.

A large area of pre-cambrian schist surroundedby granite determines the boundaries, with the Douro River running through it.

The area is predominantly Hot continental as youget further inland. Weather can beunpredictable with rainfall largely in winter. Altitude can go from 80-600m, with better quality at lower altitude.

The Serra do Marao protects the western extremefrom the Atlantic influence creating a rain shadow. Where it rains ~1500m on those mountains, itdiminishes sharply reducing as you move toward the Spanish border to as littleas 400mm a year.

Spring frosts can be a problem in higheraltitude vineyards.

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Port - Douro Subregions

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Baixo (lower) Corgo: most westerly, intensively planted and wettest/fertile (900mm – ave temp 15.5c). Centred on Regua. Producing the lightest wines suitable for basic level ports. ~14,500 ha of vines (~32% of total). Cima (upper) Corgo: Upstream of Baxio Corgo. Climate transitions to continental; drier (700m) and hotter (ave temp 16.5c). Major Shippers’ Quintas are here. Premium quality ports. ~21,000 ha of vines (~46% of total).

Douro Superior: Drought ridden (400mm – ave temp 16.5c), can produce top quality. Increase in plantings here; not all required. 10,200 ha of vines (~22% of total).

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Port - Douro - Soils

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Most of Northern Portugal is made up of graniteand schist and in the Douro the soil is predominantly schistous.

Granite areasare not favoured for Port production and attract penalty points under thecadastro grading system.

Most of the vineyard soil in the Douro has beenaltered by human intervention.

Over the years the twin activities of diggingterraces and adding fertilisers have broken it up and altered its basicconstituents.· Schist is a sedimentary rock;

Advantages: it breaks up relatively easily and because the strata are oftenaligned vertically, the vine roots can slit the rock and penetrate downwards intheir search for water and nutrients. Italso absorbs heat well and mica crystals reflect light.

The disadvantages of granite is that itis hard and therefore produces shallow infertile soils. PH is low (4.6-5.5).

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Port Grape Varieties

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Notall the grapes grown in the Douro are authorised for Port. However, the Portgrower can currently choose from about four dozen vine varieties. Of these, 20or so are listed as ‘approved varieties’

The industry body has identified 5 top "red" varieties that make up 86% of Port Production.

Touriga Nacional: TANNIN AND FRUIT POWER. Low yielding, small, thick skinnedberries. As a result produces highcolour and tannin with concentrated fruit flavours. Considered the finest port grape, althoughoccupies a small percentage of the vineyard area (2%).

Touriga Franca: BOUQUET. Better yields than Nacional, it is also asmall variety with thick skinned berries. Grown on south facing slopes. Produces aromatic and elegant wines. Most widely planted grape in Douro valley (20%).

Tinta Roriz: RICHNESSAND ACIDITY(Tempranillo) Favoured for its ease of growing, althoughtends to over produce. Needs welldrained and fertile soil. Rich andcomplex. Vies with Touriga Franca formost planted grape in Douro. (12%)

Tinta Barroca: COLOUR AND RIPENS EARLYYields well, thin skinned berries, early ripeningwith high sugar. As a result likescooler, higher, north facing sites. Produces deep coloured, supple although tends to “jammy” wines (12%).

Tinta Cao: LATE RIPENING AND ACIDITY “RedDog”. Low yielding, although high in extract and valued by some shippers forits high acidity. Late ripening. Lowest plantings of top 5 port grapes (~1%).

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Port Planting Systems

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There are four planting systems. These relate tothe way in which the land has been laid out over time.

Old systems

Socalcos (pre-phylloxera type)

Horizontal terraces, flat-topped and supportedby dry-stone walls, following the contours of the hillside. Many have as few astwo rows of vines on each terrace. Densities of 3,000-3,500 vines per hectare.Socalcos (post phylloxera type)

After phylloxera, many vineyards were plantedwith larger parcels of vines, using wider terraces, with sloped tops and fewerwalls. The original aim was to allow all the rows of vines equal exposure tothe sun, impossible with flat-topped terraces. Both types were hand-cut. Theretaining walls usually ensure there is no soil erosion but they can collapseafter heavy rain. Mechanisation is impossible with socalcos. Densities ofaround 6,000 vines per hectare.

Modern systems

Patamares

These were introduced in the 1970s. They arenewer terraces, cut by bulldozer. They have flat tops, carrying two rows ofvines, supported by earth banks. They are economical to install and permit somemechanisation using small, narrow, tractors. The earth banks need regular maintenance.

The banks occupy space, reducing the plantingdensity. Lower labour costs offset the loss from lower yields. Density ofaround 3,000-3,500 vines per hectare, so back to the pre-phylloxera densities(this system is not suitable for smallholdings).

Vinha ao alta

This is a system of un-terraced verticalplanting, as in the Mosel. It allows for a higher density of planting andincreased mechanisation (most functions are possible except for harvesting).

The downside is soil erosion and manual work ismore difficult than on flat-toped terraces, especially where the slopes aresteep. Vinha ao alta is now widely used on the lesssteep sites and in the wider valleys of the Douro Superior.

Density of4,500-5,000 vines per hectare so better adapted to small plots and can work onslopes of up to 40%.

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Port Pruning and Training

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Vines are normally field grafted, althoughincreasingly bench grafted. Training is low, along wires, mostly Guyot but somecordon training.

Because of the low rainfall, it is important toavoid competition for the vines from weeds. They need to be kept under control,to avoid excessively stressing the vines, which would affect ripening.

Maximum authorised yield is 55 hl/ha and theaverage yield is approximately 30 hl/ha.

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Port Vineyards Problems

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Vine diseases are rife in the Douro. Thisincludes: Oidium, mildew, botrytis bunch rot, grape moth, leaf roll virus, wildboar & weeds.

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Port - Vinification

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Harvest begins mid August in early years but isusually mid-September.

Hand picking is the norm owing to terrain.

Picked into 25kg capacity plastic bins or 1tonne capacity stainless steel bins.

Grapes are not picked ultra-ripe – minimum 11baume but the aim is 12-14 baume

Acidification is largely required.

Port ferments for only a very short time on theskins, so rapid and thorough extraction of colour and tannin is vital,particularly for the best wines, which are subsequently aged for twenty yearsor more.

The method of fermentation therefore aims to extract as much colour andflavour as quickly as possible.

The key to the production of a quality red Portis in the vigorous extraction of colour and flavour compounds (anthocyanins andphenolics) found in the skins of the grapes.

The deep colour, firm tannin structure and ripe flavoursthat characterise a young, premium quality Port have to be extracted before thefermentation is prematurely arrested by the addition of grape spirit.

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Port - Extraction Methods - Foot Treading Lagares

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Foot treading in lagares

A lagar is a large, open granite or cement vat,usually no more than one metre in depth, and capable of holding 15-25 pipes(8,000-14,000 litres).

During the day’s picking it is filled to within15-20 cm of the brim with grapes. Depending on the overall maturity of thegrapes, a proportion of the stalks may be removed.

Sulphur dioxide will beadded and the acidity of the must may be adjusted with the addition of tartaricacid.

Fermentation will start quite soon aftertreading, possibly during the same night (the actions of legs and feet helps towarm the must).

Nearly all lagares rely on ambient yeasts. Oncethe fermentation is underway, the floating cap will be pushed down regularly toprevent it from drying out.

When a sufficient amount of colour and flavour hasbeen extracted, the partially fermented must is run off and fortified.

Becoming rarer due to intensity of labour.

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Port - Extraction - Autovinfication

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Autovinification –

This is the unpowered answer to the question of how to mechanise port must production when choosing not to use human feet in lagares.

Developed in Algeria in the mid-20th century for use in table wine production areas, the system – also known as Ducellier – was developed by the port producers for the same reasons, i.e. that it is unpowered, effective, reliable, comparatively cheap and a godsend in remote or undeveloped regions where electricity is unreliable, even if available.

Port base wines require a fast (<5 days) fermentation before being stopped by spirit addition at around 6% abv. However, to obtain the desired level of colour extraction in this time without extraction of harsh/bitter seed tannins by overextraction due to harsh processing is difficult; hence why human feet have been used for so long.

The autovinifier uses 2 chamber systems connected by a pipe. The CO2 released during fermentation is trapped at the bottom of the system, in the lower chamber, and as it accumulates, the downwards pressure forces the wine into the upper chamber.

As the upper chamber fills, it reaches a pre-set level, which opens a valve and returns the wine back below, cascading over the fermenting cap and to all intents and purposes “pumping over” the cap to extract the colour from the skins.

Because the pressure is derived from the natural CO2 production it means that, with the correct valve settings, the system can run 24hrs without power or intervention, achieving the rapid and efficient extraction required.

Its use was pioneered by Taylor’s, but it has spread throughout the region, to the point that it is now used by many producers unless they are making ports which they wish for a short fermentation naturally due to natural yeasts on the skin (encouraged by lagar pressing) rather than inoculating with cultivated yeasts.”

At the start of the fermentation process, the cycle is relatively slow but after a few hours enough carbon dioxide is being given off to enable each cycle to take just 10-15 minutes.

By the time the fermentation process is ended, the cap will have been sprayed with must at least 20-30 times.

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Port - Extraction - Pumping Over

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Pumping over (remontagem)

One disadvantage of autovinifiers is that their effectiveness depends on the rate of fermentation.

The arrival of reliable electricity supplies made it possible to introduced pumping over as a more controllable extraction method.

There has consequently been a move away from autovinification, even though some 60% of Port is still made by autovinification.

There are now some autovinifiers, which also use pumping over, to give the best of both worlds.

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Port - Extraction - Other

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Producers continue to experiment with new ways of improving extraction in the brief time available:

Some 40 years after lagares were first decommissioned, most of the major shippers have come to the view that traditional lagares generally produce the finest, most structured Ports, so there has been a lot of the experimentation to apply technology to lagares. Rotary vinifiers have also been used, as have methods of pushing down the cap.

Other developments include: thermovinification (Cockburns)

mechanical plungers to aid autovinification (Taylors)

robotic treading machines (Symington)

Of these, the most promising is the Symington Group’s robotic, stainless steel lagar. It has four slab-like “feet”, which are temperature-controlled and can be computer-programmed to “cut” the lagar at a variable rhythm. It also has a hydraulic tipping mechanism which means that the wine can be run off in a matter of minutes as opposed to the hours it takes to empty a traditional lagar.

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Port - Fortification

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The wine is fortified when it reaches around5-8% abv, producing a final alcohol level of around 20% (within the range19-22%) and residual sugar of around 100 g/l.

Fortification takes place with grape spirit(from any EU country) in a ratio of about 1/5 spirit to 4/5 must.

The spirit is called aguardente in Portuguese.Samples of the spirit to be used have to be approved by the IVDP.

It nearly all comes from continuous stills butat 77% abv (significantly lower than the very neutral 95%+ spirit used forSherry) so it has more natural character, containing higher alcohols, estersand aldehydes, which have an effect on the character and maturation of thePort.

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Port - Maturation and Finishing

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Portis only matured in 2 locations: Douro Valley or Villa Nova de Gaia

Wineis transferred to the shipper’s lodges in the spring following the vintage.

Roadtankers have replaced the picturesque sailing boats (barcos rabelos).

Damp& mild climate of Vila Nova de Gaia is very suited for maturation of mostyoung Ports.

DouroValley is much hotter than VNdG. This helps to accelerate the maturation ofyoung, basic quality Tawny (“Douro Bake”).

Traditionalwood cask used for storage in the lodges is the pipe containing 550 litres.

Rubystyles that need more primary fruit flavours are stored in large oak vessels orstainless steel tanks.

New oak isnever used.

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Port - Vintage Port

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Bottle matured Port, from a single ‘exceptional’ year.

Finest grapes and only from the best vineyards, predominantly in the Cima Corgo.

The most expensive and highly sought after, is also one of the simplest to make.

Fullvintage declaration done by the individual Shippers.

Formal approval process by IVDP but house’shonour is at stake.

Shipper has up to 2 years to decide to submit tothe IVDP’s tasting panel for assessment.

Bulk stored for 2 years (some in wooden vatsothers in stainless steel), then bottled without treatment (filtration etc). As a result the wine throws a sediment and needs to be decanted prior to serving.

Long-term cellaring potential but some marketsdrink them early.

Average of 3-4 declaredvintages per decade.

2009 a ‘split’ declaration. Fladgate partnershipdeclared, Symington didn’t except for Warres.

While vintage port tends to make a smallproportion of a shippers production (1% of all ports produced) it is the flagship product from which it isjudged.

Vintage Ports are very full-bodied and deep in colour when they are declared (two years after they are made).As they age, the initial tannic astringency mellows and the nose becomes balanced and complex. Vintage Portsthat have spent some years in bottle are associated with toasted aromas (chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cigar boxes,etc) and with spices (cinnamon, pepper).

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Port - Single Quinta Vintage Port

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A bottle matured port, where producers seek to utilise top quality wines from single, top-class estates & vineyards (“quinta”) in years that don’t quite make it for a fully declared vintage.

Production is as per vintage port Aged in wood for 2-3 years – bottled without filtration IVDP regards SQVP in the same way as Vintage port, as such must be submitted to the IVDP within 2 years for assessment.

Regarded as “earlier drinking” than classic vintage Good value for money

The majority of Shippers SQVP's are made in good (although not outstanding) years, which are not declared. In years which are declared for Vintage Port, many of these quintas ports will make up the backbone of the vintage blend and are therefore not available for release as wines in their own right.

Shippers tend to hold back SQVP's when they are ready to drink. 8-10 years after harvest.

Similar tasting notes to VP, as they age, the initial tannic astringency mellows and the nose becomes balanced and complex. Vintage Ports that have spent some years in bottle are associated with toasted aromas (chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cigar boxes, etc) and with spices (cinnamon, pepper).

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Port - Crusted Port

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A bottle matured port, which is a blend of untreated quality wines of different vintages (oldest 4 years) with some bottle ageing (3-4 years).

Named for the crust or sediment it throws in the bottle.

A fairly recent creation spearheaded by the Symington Group.

Yearof bottling appears on the label by law

LikeVintage port bottled unfined and unfiltered.

It is, however, more like a veryhigh quality Ruby Port. Known as thepoor man’s vintage port.

Requiresdecanting.

Marketniche somewhat taken by Single Quinta Vintage Port.

Developed as a cheaper alternative to Vintage Port, given complexity and dark, full bodied nature of the wine.

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Port - Late Bottled Vintage Port

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Port wine from a single year (not necessarily adeclared vintage), better vineyards, matured in large Vats.

Bottled between the fourth and sixth years afterthe harvest, i.e. bottled later than the Vintage Port

The first popularised LBV launched by Taylor’s in1970. Highly successful Port.

In theory there are three types:

Type 1: LBV’s bottled without filtrationor treatment so they therefore need to be decanted. They are made in good butnot declared vintages.

Type 2: Since revision of legislation in2002, unfiltered LBV may also be sold as Envelhecido em Garafa or bottlematured (provided the wine is aged for 3 years)

Type 3: Wines thathave been fined and sometimes filtered and cold stabilised before bottling toprevent the formation of sediment. (popular but lack intensity)

Developed as a cheaper alternative to Vintage Port, given complexity and dark, full bodied nature of the wine.

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Port - Ruby Port

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Mostbasic and least expensive Port category

Blendsof young wines, bulk matured in a range of vessels (oak, cement, Stainless Steel) for up to 3 years.

Fined,filtered, stabilised pre-bottling.

It is bottled young while the wine retains a deep ruby colour and a strong fiery personality.

Tasting notes of simple berry fruit aromas and flavours.

Popular up until the 60's in the UK mixed with lemonade.

The term Reserve/Reserva is now used to designate a premium Ruby Port, with more colour, character and depth than the standard Ruby.

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Port - Tawny Port

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Tawny implies to a wine which has been aged in wood, such that it loses its primary colour through oxidation to a "tawny" colour.

Fine Tawny (or BasicTawny)

Twoways of producing basic Tawnys:

Blended from Baixo Corgo ruby and whiteport. Matured in hot Douro Valley in cementtanks to speed up colour change and make wine look older.

Theblended versions take on a pink rather than brown colour. Sold at same price asbasic Ruby.· The“cooked” versions have a slight brown rim, but lack freshness and vibrancy.

Aged Tawny

Caskmatured for up to 8 years, with frequent racking to promote oxidative ageing.

Fined,filtered and stabilised pre-bottling.

Sold As Aged Tawny w/o indication of age

Tawny withindication of Age

10, 20, 30 and over 40 year old. No need to haveTawny on the label, but they are all Tawnies.

Top quality base wines, blended from variousfull vintages or SQVP’s lotes.

As a result the component wines are sourced froma number of A or B grade vineyards in the Cima Corgo or Douro Superior.

These are complex blends of wines from a numberof years.

Pipe matured to encourage slow oxidation

Blended: not solera

Aged indicated is approximate

Individual shippers look to maintain differenthouse styles, all however are made to develop into mature tawnies that combinestature with structure, elegance and finesse.

Ageing process is of crucial importance to styleand character.

Agedin small casks (~600l) where gradual oxidation occurs. (Colour fades and ethyl esters develop in thewine)

Consequentlytawny matured in the warmer Douro undergoes a more rapid maturation processthan in the Vila Nova da Gaia.

The“Douro bake” can be a positive advantage in a mature tawny.

Ahigher rate of evaporation concentrates the natural residual sugars addingviscosity and body.

The tasting and blending is ongoing by eachshipper, looking to match the house style.

The IVDP must taste and approve that indicated aged tawnies confirm to the character expected of the age.

20 year old Tawny is what the shippers drink!!!

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Port - Colheita

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Meaning‘harvest’ or ‘crop’ and therefore by extension ‘vintage’ in Portugeuse, colheitaports are in fact very different from vintage ports.

Knownas tawny ports from a single year, bottled with the date of the harvest on thelabel.

Mustbe aged in wood for at least 7 years (most much longer).

Thewines take on secondary aromas and flavours, losing colour and gaining richnessand sweetness, although without recourse to blending and refreshing, somecolheita’s can look tired when they come to be bottled.

Carrythe date of vintage/harvest and of bottling and most wines should be drunk withina year or so of that date. Due to theextended oxidative ageing it will not deteriorate quickly either.

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Port - White Port

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Once very poor reputation due to use ofcharacterless grape varieties and poor handling. Although improved,the resulting wines can still be rather insipid and extractive.

Older styles very extractive, warm fermented andwith oxidative colour and aroma characteristics.

Modern styles can have little to no skin contactand temperature controlled ferment with cultured yeast.

Most are sold unaged but some rare aged examplesdo exist. Some wood ageing is used to add nuttiness.

Style is usually mentioned on the label.Generally non-vintage and sold at two to three

The best varieties for white port are consideredto be Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and Viosinho.

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Port - Rose or Pink Port

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Initiatedby CROFT in 2008, initially classified by the IVDP as light ruby.

Minimalskin contact.

Attractingyounger drinkers, to be served over ice in summer.

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Port - IVDP

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The Instituto dos Vinos do Duro e Porto (IVDP) was created in 2004 by merging a numberof different bodies, which oversaw aspects of the trade separately.

It is the public interprofessional body for Portand unfortified Douro wines, representing growers, wine producers and shippers.

Casa de Douro was formerly a very powerful body. Now incorporatedinto the IVDP it only keeps the vineyard register (cadastro) and represents thegrowers interests. 140,000 vineyard plots.

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Port - Beneficio

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Thisis a LICENSING SYSTEM that determines the amount of Port that may be producedin any one year.

Introduced in 1938,since 2003 this task has been undertaken by the IVDP.

Declaredby the IVDP in the summer.

The benefico takes into account the previousyear’s sales and stocks held by the trade.

Theright to send grapes for Port production (“thebeneficio”) is divided between the different vineyard classifications usingthe cadastro with A-graded vineyards getting thegreatest, with those graded below F unlikely to get no allocation.

Grapeswith the beneficio command higher prices. Remaining grapes are used for lightwine or distillation.

Basedon the beneficio each grower receivesan allowance per hectare.

Controlled/enforcedvia regulation of sale of spirit

Tradein the certificates of the Beneficio. Shippers are buying beneficios to makesure to only receive high quality grapes for Port production.

Technicallyillegal but allows best grapes to be made into Port.

Somepressure from some to scrap the Beneficio. Tricky to do so given social andeconomical implications for the region. It favours the grower, (who have thousands more votes at election timethan the very big growers/producers)

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Port - Vineyard Classification

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All vineyards producing grapes for Port are classifiedunder a complex system, which produces a final grading from A (the best) to I.

Production permissions for Port are then relatedto this system of grading – the A grade vineyards are allowed to produce themost (note: this does not mean that they have higher yields).

Vines must be at least 5 years old before theycan be considered as acceptable for Port production. The grading system isbased on a points systems, with 70% of the points being awarded for 4 keyvariables:

Altitude (the lower the better)

Yield (the lower the better)

Soil

Locality

The remaining points apply to factors such as:

aspect

vine variety

vine age

vineyard upkeep

slope

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Port - Producers - Symington Family Estates

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Familyowned Port wine shipper in 5th generation (since 1882). Founder of firm was Andrew James Symington,who arrived in Oporto in 1882.

Over1000ha of vineyards across 27 quintas, e.g.

Responsiblefor >32% of Premium Ports

Fourhistoric Port houses belong to this group:

1) Graham (purchased in 1970)

2) Cockburn (purchased 2000)

3) Dow

4) Warre

Wellknown for extensive research and introduction of new winemaking techniques(e.g. robotic lagares in 1998), or Port styles (e.g. SQVP in late 1980’s). Alsoplanted experimental vineyard in the hottest part of the Douro to discoverwhich native grapes are best-suited to the extreme conditions of the region.

Twobig Port wineries are owned (along with several smaller ones):

1) Quinta do Marco in Villa Nova de Gaia produces >1.5mn cases

2) Quinta do Sol near Regua w/ annual capacity of 3.2mn litres

Partnershipwith Blandy’s in their Madeira business from 1998-2011 with a 10% interest in the Madeira Wine Company

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Port - Producers - The Fladgate Partnership

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Formedin 2001 when Taylor’s purchased Croft and Delaforce from Diageo

Stillfamily owned up to today; first firm established in 1692 w/ >20 name changesuntil 1844.

33%global market share for Premium Ports

‘TaylorFladgate’ have been closely involved in improving the technology and image ofPort wines and in the late 1990s under Australian-trained winemaker DavidGuimaraens, Taylors trialled several different winemaking technologiesincluding pump-overs and piston plunger tanks, trying to match quality andextraction of traditional foot-trod lagares.

Fourhistoric Port houses belong to this group:

1) Taylor’s (aka: Taylors, Fladgate&Yeatman since 1844)

2) Croft (acquired 2001)

3) Fonseca (acquired in 1948)

4) Krohn (acquired in 2013)

Over630ha with 1.4mn vines in the Douro

Taylor’sfirst introduced LBV’s as a new Port style in 1970

Fonsecahas a grand reputation for Vintage Port

Crofthas a very long reaching history (back to 1678):à expansion into Sherry business; launch ofPale Cream in the 70’s. Sherry business sold to Diageo and subsequently toGonzales Byass in 2001à introduced Rosé/Pink Port in 2008

Krohn has an impressive stock of matured Tawnies

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Port - Producers - Sogrape

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Portugal’slargest wine producer

Ownedby Guedes family in Oporto (founder of Mateus Rosé), founded in 1942

Widespreadportfolio: from Mateus Rose, to excellent red wines (Barca Velha) and Ports andinternational brands (e.g. Framhingham in NZ).

Threehistoric Port houses belong to this group:1) Ferreira (acquired in 1987)

2) Sandeman (acquired in 2002)

3) Offley (acquired in 1995)

Ferreiraestablished in 1715. Owner of several vineyards in the Douro and nowadaysprobably the leading Port brand in Portugal. Also producer of high quality redwines (Barca Velha). Sandemanfounded in 1790. Port, Sherry and Brandy house. Famous logo is the blackcloaked Sandeman Don (created in 1928).

Offleyfounded in 1737, part of Forrester group purchase

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Port - Producers - Quinta do Noval

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Smallproducer, makes Single Quinta Ports

Foundedin 1715, name is both the estate and the historic (unusually vineyard based)Port shipper

Estatelies in the Pinhao valley

Mostprestigious wine is the Nacional Vintage Port; produced on 2.5ha of ungraftedvines and made only in very exceptional years (1931 vintage considered to beone of THE best ever)

Producesthe majority of its premium wines from its own vineyards.

In1993 acquired by French insurance company AXA

Inaddition Quinta do Noval created the first late bottle vintage Ports in the1950s as well as the blended tawny Ports with average age.

In addition it agesits Ports in large conditioned lodges in the Douro Valley rather than Vila Novade Gaia like most other producers.

Theseas well as other innovations and creativity have led Quinta do Noval to becomeone of the leading estates in the port industry.

Since2004 also producing Douro red wines under the same label

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Port - Trade Facts

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85% of Port wine is exported

Top 5 export countries accumulate 68% of sales. 4 of these countriesconcentrate on standard Port mostly.

UK & US largest markets for Premium Port (47%).

Aged Tawny market is growing. Up €10.8m in last fouryears, but in volume, it is only 15,000 cases more, so it is all at the top end

Risingbrandy prices have a significant impact on Port wine sales: €0.90 per litre in 2011, €2.60 in early 2012, and around €3.70 in 2013.

Total Port production in 2015will reach 77 million litres, a figure that remains well below the category’sestimated global sales figure of 81m litres.

Long term decline in Francefor entry level Ruby and Tawny continues.

Tourism to the regiondeveloping.

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Madeira - Location & Topography

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Madeirais an autonomous province of Portugal.

Anisland in the North Atlantic, 600 km west of Casablanca in Morocco, and ~1,000km south-west of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon

Thecapital of Madeira is Funchal.

It issmall: 57km by 23km.

~500haof vineyards.

Aresult of a volcanic eruption from the seabed, it rises steeply from the oceanwith peaks of over 1,800 metres in the centre.

Theterrain of the mountainous volcanic island is difficult to cultivate, sovineyards are planted on man-made terraces of red and basaltic bedrock.

Thehighest peak is the Pico Ruivo, 1862 meters high.

Combination of warmth and high humidity from ocean results in lush vegetation.

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Madeira - Soils

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The soilsare of volcanic origin. Basalt stratainterspersed with red and yellow tufa, which results from volcanic mud.

Richin organic matter & minerals such as Magnesium

Highiron content

Soilshave high acidity, there is a need to treat with lime to treat this.

Careneeds to be taken with copper sulphate treatments as it increases the acidityof the already high acid soils

Highacid soils can prevent the vines from absorbing main nutrients such asnitrogen, potassium & phosphorus.

Somesoils are too fertile for vines and highly vigorous.

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Madeira - Viticulture

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Nearlyall of the vineyards are planted on tiny step-like terraces called poios, carved from the red or grey Basalt bedrock. They raisethe canopy above the ground, making grapes less vulnerable to the fungaldiseases to botrytis and powdery mildew (fungal disease).

Powdery& Downy mildew, botrytis & grey rot are constant risks due to high temp(approx. mean 19oC) and high rainfall

Landownership is very fragmented. On average a grower owns 0.3ha, may be dividedinto more than one plot, the only producers who own vineyards are Henriques& Henriques with a 10ha and Blandy's with 8ha vineyard.

Theuse of mechanical harvesting and vineyard equipment is near impossible, makingwine grape growing a costly endeavor on the island.2000kmof Irrigation channels called levadas supply vineyard owners the water required fortheir properties.

Maximumpermitted yield is 80hL/ha although increases are allowed in years ofexceptional conditions, it must be approved by The IVBAM.

Pruningtakes place in January/February.

Thevines flower in March (lower slopes) or April (higher slopes).

Theharvest stretches from August for Malvasia, grown at sea-level, to October forSercial, grown at over 500 metres.

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Madeira - Methods of Vine Training

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Muchof the island has slopes of more than 25% Vinesare grown in areas with slopes of 16-25%, only possibly by constructingterraces (poios) which are supported by stone walls.

Traditional method - Latada, alsoknown as pergola to reduce risk of fungal disease.

Vinesare grown horizontally along wires suspended on stakes, ideally 2m aboveground.

Plantedat a density of 2500-4000 ha

Weeding,pruning, clearing leaves and harvesting is very difficult because the canopy isclose to the ground.

Inthe NORTH – have to be enclosed or have fences of heather or bracken to protectthe grapes from wind and spray sea.

2nd method - Espaldeira

Vinesare grown vertically in rows on wires and cordon trained VSP.

Introducedduring the 2nd half of the 20th Century

Canbe only done is fairly flat areas

Densityof planting is 4000-5000

Thisis the preferred method when re-planting or planting new vineyards where the gradient allows

Easierto control canopy growth

Easierto carry out various vineyard operations.

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Madeira - Noble Grape Varieties

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Sercial

APortuguese white grape varietal

Itsorigin are believed to be from the Rhine Valley, Germany

Mediumsize grapes & bunches

Thedriest of the 4 original grape varietals & very high acidity

Lowyielding & late ripening allowing it to retain it’s characteristic highacidity

Lowalcohol - Must has a potential alcoholof 10 -11%

Grownmostly on the cooler north side of Madeira Island in Seixal, Porto Moniz,Ponta, Delgada, Sao Vicente & Arco de Sao Jorge

Doesbest at high altitudes up to 1,000 metres

Itsname has been given to the driest, lightest & most delicate of the Madeirastyles. By definition dry but still has 8 – 25g per litre of residual

EU rules require Madeiras labelled Sercial to bemade from minimum 85% Sercial for aged blends & 100% for Vintage orFrasqueira Madieras.

Producessome of the most enduring Madeira wine, kept alive for decades by searinglevels of acidity.

Wine Style - Is nearly fermented completely dry, with very little residual sugar(0.5 to 1.5° on the Baumé scale) driest style. This style of wine is characterised with high-tonedcolours, almond flavours, and high acidity.

Verdelho

APortuguese white grape varietal

Producessmall to medium grapes in tight bunches.

Susceptibleto bunch rot (downy & powdery mildew) and coulure as a result.

The mostplanted of the 4 original varieties in Madiera with 47ha in 2010

Mustshave moderate levels of sugar & notably high acid

Potentialalcohol of 10 – 12%

Grownmainly in the north at altitudes of 200 – 400 m in Sao Vincente, Seixal, Arcode Sap Jorge, Ponta Delgada & Ribeira da Janela

Thevarietal is found in New Zealand, Australia, America & Argentina werepresumably it may have landed after being picked up on one of the AtlanticIslands en route to the Antipodes

It’s name has been given to the second driest style of Madeira (Medium Dry) 25-40g per litre residual.

It produces slightly more full bodied and less acidic wines than those made fromthe Sercial variety.

Wine Style - Verdelho has its fermentation halted a little earlier than Sercial,when its sugars are between 1.5 and 2.5° Baumé. This style of wine ischaracterized by smokey notes and high acidity. Off-dry in style.

Boal or Bual

APortuguese white grape varietal

(Bualin English) is a name that covers not one but a number of grape varieties

Noblevariety is Boal Cachudo, many sub varieties.

Bestgrown on the lower slopes and on warmer sites, on the south side of the islandaround Camara de Lobos and Funchal.

Proneto mildews.

Grapes& bunches are medium to large & golden in colour when ripe

Fairlylow plantings and low-yielding.

Highin acidity

Mustpotential alc 11% - 13% abv

Thename describes a full-bodied, medium-sweet style of Madiera 40-60gms per litre residual.

Wine style - Sweet Style that shows incrediblecomplexity and aromatic lift. Smell and tastes like roasted coffee, saltedcaramel, bitter cacao, golden raisins. Bual is typically less sweet than that from Malmsey, but more sweet thanSercial or Verdelho. Full bodied and Medium sweet instyle

Malvasia or Mamsey

APortuguese white grape varietal

Believedto be the first variety bought to the island in the 15th century from Crete

Lateripening; moderate yields. High qualitybut difficult to grow

In2013 accounted for just 4 tonnes of the 4000 tonnes crushed

Tinyplantings remain but it is being preserved & promoted by IVBAM so may see asmall revival

Grapes& bunches are med to large & golden in colour when ripe

Needslow, sheltered, warm sites with plenty of sun, as it is site sensitive andprone to mildew (odium).

Grownmainly at sea level on the south side of the island.

Retainsacidity well and is very aromatic

Musthas potential alc of up to 13% abv

Thename is given to the fullest-bodied and sweetest of the Madeira styles over > 60gms per litre residual

Wine style, Malvasia has its fermentation halted early when its sugars are between3.5 and 6.5° Baumé. This style of wine is characterised by its dark colour,rich texture, and coffee-caramel flavours. Like other Madeiras made from thenoble grape varieties, the Malvasia grape used in Malmsey production hasnaturally high levels of acidity in the wine, which balances with the highsugar levels so the wines do not taste cloyingly sweet. Fullest body and sweetest of the Madeira styles.

Tinta Negra

Recentlyadded as a ‘noble’ variety

Knowto be Negramoll an Iberian black grape variety, the name Tinta Negra means‘soft black’. It is the only “noble”variety to be red skinned, although is vinified as a white wine.

Agrape, a crossing of Pinot Noir x Grenache

Widelyplanted after Phylloxera devastated the vineyards of Madeira in the 19thCentury

Themost widely planted V. vinifera variety on the island (accounts for 80-85% ofproduction)

Prolificand adaptable/versatile

Goodyields & resistant to disease. Bunchesare medium to large

Dependingon where it is grown, it has the ability to acquire the character of the fourmain noble varieties

Relativelyneutral, thin skinned, black grape· Mainlygrown in Camara de Lobos in South & Sao Vincente in the North

Musthas potential alc of 9 – 12% abv.

Wine Style - Produces Dry, Off-Dry, Semi-Sweet andSweet wines and accounts for approx 85% of production.

Other important grapes that are rare are Terrantez and Bastardo.

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Madeira - Vinification

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Grapesare delivered in plastic boxes – each company has a different coloured boxwhich hold approx. 50kg

Sometimespotassium metabisulphite is added to the grapes before they reach the winery toprevent oxidation and fermentation.

Whenthe grapes arrive at the producers winery, they will be inspected for quality,and sugar levels checked with a refractometer; to be accepted for makingMadeira the grapes need a minimum potential alc of 9% abv

Whenevergrapes are received 2 representatives from IVBAM must be present to check theweighing of the grapes and the potential alcohol.

Pricespaid for the grapes depend on the variety and on the sugar level (alc level). Apremium is paid (5-6 x more) for the noble varieties, with Sercial achievingthe best price.

Allproducers de-stem the grapes to avoid bitter flavours.

Whitegrapes Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malvasia are usually pressed &fermented without skin contact however some producers may use skin contact formed-sweet (Bual) or sweet (Malvasia) wines to achieve a fuller style of wine.

TraditionallyTinta Negra and red grapes are fermented with skins, then pressed for maximumcolour extraction. Tinta Negra skin contact often depends on the style they aremaking

GentlePneumatic presses are often used for pressing so that bitter compounds are notextracted

SO2(to prevent oxidization) and pectolytic enzymes (to help extract the colour inred and the clarification of whites) are added.

Pumpingover or autovinification is used by some producers for sweet and medium-sweetwines from Tinta Negra.

Forthe white noble varities skin contact pre-fermentation is preferred to obtainmax dry extract from grapes. Pressing isusually then completed prior to fermentation.

Fermentationtemps vary with producers but are between 19 – 28 degrees with whites generallyfermented at a slighter cooler temperature.

Largestainless steel tanks are now used for fermentation.

Naturalyeasts are relied on for fermentation

Densityis checked using a hydrometer – this gives the winemaker a measure of how muchalcohol is left in the fermenting must

Thewinemaker will fortify during fermentation (port method) with the addition of96% grape spirit (aguardente) at a different stage for each style.

Sweet and med – sweet will be halted with a high level ofresidual sugar left normally around 3 days (max 5 days) ·

Medium – dry and dry are left longer until more of the sugarshave converted to alcohol taking up to 7 days in some cases.

Afterfortification the wines will be between 17% -18% abv

Beforeaging, the wines are clarified usually with bentonite, although gelatin &albumen are all common.

Followingclarification the wine may be filtered using a Kieselguhr (earth) filter whichis a vertical or vacuum filter.

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Madeira - Estufagem

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Theheating of the wine through Estufagem& Canteiro methods is the key process that gives Madeira its uniquecharacter, discovered in the 17th century when Madeira wine was enhanced whenit travelled on long sea voyages through the Tropics & across the Equator.

Estufagem

'Estufa’means ‘oven’ and dates back to the 18th century

Estufagemis a slow heating process temp 45 – 50 degrees for a min of 3 months

Winesmade to be sold between 3 – 5 years and usually made of Tinta Negra will bemade using this method

Stimulatesthe effects of the long tropical sea voyages in the 18th-19th C when Madeirawas first accidently and then deliberately stowed in the hold of a ship to ageprematurely as a result of the temperature changes involved in a round trip.

Thisprocess caramelises the wine’s sugars as well as some oxidation occurring.

Some Estufashave coils inside large stainless tanks containing hot water and others haveheating jackets on the outside of the tanks maintaining the optimum temp forthe 3 months.

Theprocess is regulated by IVBAM who seal the Estufas at the beginning of the processand remove the seals when requested after the min 3 month period.

Estufascan be large ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 litres

TheEstufas are never filled to capacity to age oxidization and allow wine toexpand when heated.

Thewines will then cool naturally for a 3 – 4 week period after the seal has beenremoved. ·

Clarifiedwith Bentonite, filtered using Kieselguhr filter and left to rest for betweensix months and a year.

Alcoholwill have been lost during the estufagem process so wines will be adjusted to18%-20% abv

Finewines will be heated through a similar process that heats the room (armazens decalor) to 30-40 degrees, the wines develop over a longer period usually 6months – 1 year. This is a gentler version of Estufagem for higher qualitywines.

ConverselyBulk estufagem (cubas de dalor) is used for bulk wine (20,000-50,000 ltanks). Hot water is circulated throughthe tanks in stainless steel pipes for a minimum of 3 months. While monitored by IVBAM, the bulk estufagemprocess and rapid cooling tends to produce wines that are stewed and sufferfrom VA.

Winesmay not be bottled and sold before 31st Oct of the second year following the harvest.

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Madeira - Canteiro

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Canteiro

his method used for the very best wines including all the white noble varieties, including vintage Madeira. It is not a form of estufagem.

Canteiro – name of the wooden beams that are used to support the casks

The heating is entirely natural, from Madeira’s warm, sub-tropical climate. Temps in the rooms reach between 20 – 30 degrees and humidity is high.

The wines are left in various size oak casks (300l-2500l….usually 650l) for many years, stored on racks in eaves of the south-facing rooms (facing sun) for a period of 2 years or more

In this process, the wine is subjected to the gentler, natural warmth of the sun and it undergoes a much slower process of maturation, preventing the burnt caramelisation of sugars and resulting bitter flavours associated with rapid heating.

There is evaporation from the casks – most producers lose 4-5% every year

Wines from a Canteiro may not be sold for at least 3 years from 1st Jan following harvest ·

All Canteiro wines are fortified during or immediately after fermentation Wines that remain in cask for decades are often fortified again prior to bottling.

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Madeira - Ageing

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Winesonce checked for quality can then be left in cooler conditions for at least 20years and some wines may continue in cask for a century or more.

Theevolution and quality of the wine is constantly monitored

Duringthe aging, wine makers may decide corrections or adjustments should bemade. Alcohol level may be adjusted byblending with a lower alc wine from same vintage & grape variety if toohigh and sweetness may be adjusted with rectified concentrated must, unwantedflavours may be removed using a carbon filter.

Producerscan apply to IVBAM for a EU POSEIMA grant, if they age wines in cask for fiveconsecutive years. IVBAM will seal the cask at the beginning and remove theseal at the end of the 5 years. The producer may, with permission and in thepresence of a member of IVBAM, check the wine and carry out any necessaryadjustments during that time. They may reapply for another grant at the end ofthat time if they wish to continue aging the wine.

Any ageing designations thata producer wishes to include on a label (5 Year Old, 20 Year Old, thedeclaration of a vintage, etc.) must be documented and checked by IVBAM. An official, five-man institute tasting panel, including two revolving spotsfor representatives

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Madeira - Blending

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Blendingis key to producing individual (new styles) & consistent house styles ofwine.

MostMadeira is blended from several vintages. The big producers will have a rangeof wines of different ages, qualities and characteristics, from which they willblend their wines. ie. If there is astatement of age such as 5 year old, this is the average age of the blend whichwill be made up of various ages.

Singlevintage Madeira is also available.

Colour(caramal), sweetness & alcohol may also be adjusted

Blendsare submitted to IVBAM to be tested to obtain the necessary seal of approval ‘Selode Garantia’.

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Madeira - Quality Level/Branding

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Bulk wine

Bulkwine amounts to between 30 and 40% of production.

Afterrapid estufagem in tank, the wine is aged for about 18 months and then shippedin bulk.

Often coloured and sweetened with caramel. Often used in cooking.

Finest – 3 year old

Inthe context of Madeira ‘Finest’ means a 3-year-old wine, bottled after estufagem(using cuba de calor) and aged in tank, rarely in wood.

Allare based on the tinta negra grape

Reserve – 5 year old

Thisis a 5-year-old wine, some of which will have undergone estufagem in tank. Aproportion of the wine is likely to have been aged in wood (armazen de calor).

Mostare made from tinta negra

Special Reserve – 10 yearold

Denotesa wine where the youngest component is likely to be around 10 years old, havingbeen aged in cask usually in the canteiro method.

Winesare mostly made from the 4 noble varieties and labelled accordingly.

Colheita

Froma single harvest but aged for a shorter period than the minimum of 20 yearsrequired for Vintage Madeira.

At least 7 years for Sercial, 5 years for othervarieties.

100%of the named variety

Theseare effectively early bottled vintage wine Solera

Thesolera system was previously used but is being abandoned in favour of datedblends.

Wherea genuine solera is referred to, the stated year will be the year when thesolera was set up. Vintage – Frasqueira

Awine from a single year, which – unlike Vintage Port – must aged in cask for atleast 20 years.

100%of the named variety

Manywines are aged in wood for considerably longer. The wines are extremelyresistant to oxidation and may be kept in bottle for many years, especiallyVintage Sercial.

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Madeira - Production and Market stats

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Production rangesfrom approx. 3.5million – 4.5millin L, an average of approx. 4million a year

Only12% of grapes Malvasia, Boal, Verdelho, Serical

88%Tinta Negra

Verysmall amounts of Terrantaz, increase year on year

Fortifiedwines in general are on the decline. The decline shows in the number ofproducers down to just 8 with only 7 of them exporting their wines.

3 yearold is the most popular accounting for approx. 60% of sales.

Mostpopular are Rich (approx. 35%) and Medium dry (approx. 28%) - when labelled asstyle can contain any grape, usually Tinta Negra.

French largest market (35%), Madeira 13%, Germany and USA ~9% each, then Japan at 7%.

1/3of sales are to France, much of this is “modified” and sold to the cateringindustry.

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Madeira - Producers - Madeira Wine Company

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1808 John Blandy arrived on Madeira due to ill health and founded Blandy’sMadeira.

The business is still run by family today and has controlling interestof MWC

1913 saw the formation of the Madeira Wine Association, whichthe Blandy’s joined in 1925 – the groupincludes all the British Madeira firms – Cossart Gordon, Leacock, Rutherglen& Miles & Blandy’s.

Led by the Blandy family, they formed together to maximise globalexposure and minimise overheads in a time where the export market wasexperiencing an all time low.

1981 The name was changed to Madeira Wine Company

1989 The Symington family, a major forcein the Port wine trade, acquired a controlling interest in MWC and investedconsiderably in the company improving both winemaking and marketing

2011 The Blandy’s reacquired a controlling interest in MWCand are now actively engaged in reviving the Madeira category

Madeira Wine Company has led the way with the introduction of threeimportant innovations, ‘Harvest’, ‘Alvada’, ‘Colheitas’

2000 The ‘Harvest 1994’ was launched, the first highquality but affordable Madeira of a single year. This led the way for a newcategory ‘Colheitas’ carefully selected wines from a single vintage aged from10 – 18 years rather than the 20+ required for ‘Vintage’ Madeira

2002 The ‘Alvada’ both the wine and modern packaging werebrand new for Madeira with a 50:50 blend of Malmsey & Bual where previouslyNoble varietals had been bottled as single varietal only.

Thecompany’s sales represent approx. a third of the bottled Madeira wine market onthe island and over half the bottled export market worldwide.

Productionis about 990,000 litres per year

Companypolicy – make all 3 year old from Tinta Negra and other red grapes, aging themin Estufas, all other wines from 5 years and above are produced from Sercial,Verdelho Bual, Malvasia and Terrantez and are aged by Canterio process.

Theprominent 3 brands are Blandy’s, Cossart Gordon and Leacocks. The company’s leading brand is Blandy’s. Blandy’s brand has a slightly shorter fermentretaining more residual sugar and as such is richer in style. The brand is particularly known for its extensivereserves of old vintage madeira.

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Madeira - Producers - Henrique & Henrique

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1850established by Joaquim Henriques who left it to two of his sons when he died.

Joaoinvited 3 of his good friends to join him in the company after his brothersdeath, the company was left to these 3 friends when Joao passed away. Today thecompany has several shareholders.

Todayit is run by CEO Humberto Jardim and winemaker Luis Pereria, the nephew of oneof the original friends.

1990moved into a new upgraded site with the help of EU grants.

It isthe only producer to own vineyards. With 10ha planted mainly to Verdelho, someSercial and a small amount of Terrantez. There is also a small amount of TintaNegra grown. It supplies them with 15% of their annual requirements.

Theyproduce about 900,000 litres per annum with close to half of it being sold asbulk wine to the food industry.

Theyproduce 3 & 5 year old wines from Tinta Negra in Estufas and 10 & 15year old wine from the Noble varieties using the Canteiro method. SingleHarvest & Vintage wines are also made.

Theyexport to the UK, USA, Europe, Australia, japan, Dubai, Hong Kong &Ireland.

Thewine is matured in Irish whisky casks which when emptied are then sent back forwhisky to be matured in

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Madeira - Producers - Justino's

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1870 Justino Henriques started and is now one of theoldest producers & exporters of Madeira. 1981 the business was bought by Costa Campos who developedmarkets in Europe, Brazil, USA & Japan and also developed an associationwith one of the largest French producers & distributors of alcoholicbeverages ‘La Martiniquaise’

2008 Costa Campos dies and ‘La Martiniquaise’ becomeowners of the company. Renamed ‘Justino’s’ to avoid confusion with another oftheir brands ‘Henrique & Henrique’

Oneof the largest producers with an annual wine production of 1.6 million litres,of which 20% - 25% is exported for use in the food industry

2008 the company purchased certified organic grapes andwill be the first to produce an organic wine on an island where fungal diseaseis a constant pressure due to humidity.

Thecompany’s principal markets are France, Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland,USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Brazil

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Madeira -Producers - Barbeito

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1946 founded by Mario Barbeito and still run by two of hisgrandson’s Ricardo & Emanuel

1991 a joint venture was set up with KinoshitaInternational Co of Japan whom they had been selling wines to since 1967

1991 they realized they could not compete with the bigcompanies so made the decision to stop bulk sales and focus on quality instead.They wanted to create fresh fruity traditional wines. In order to produce thesecleaner wines they stopped the use of caramel.

2008 a new winery was built with state of the artequipment including the only robotic ‘Lagar’ on the island

Annualproduction is about 250,000 litres

Theirmain export 77% is to Japan, with the rest of export going to USA, Australia& Europe

They produce 3, 5 & 10year old wines + Single Harvest, Single Cask & Vintage wines

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Madeira - IVBAM

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INSTITUTO DO VINHA, DOBORDADO E DO ARTESANATO DA MADEIRA

1979theMadeira Wine Institute looked after the responsibility of the Madeira

2006mergedwith the Madeira Tapestry, Embroidery & Handcraft institute to form IVBAM

Therole of this institute is to observe and control the entire process ofMadeira’s wine production to ensure Madeira’s wine is authentic. This meansthere is supervision right from planting of the vine through the fermentationand maturing process & right through to branding and granted the officialstamp ‘Selo de Garantia’ &individual number. 


Theyfix the dates for the start of the harvest in the north and the south of theisland 


Supervisethe replanting programmes 
& issue licences for new plantings

Supervisethe buying and selling of grapes including laboratory testing to ensure thatonly V.Vinifera grapes have been used in the production of the wine.

Supervise& seal the fermentation tanks for the production of Madeira wine

Examinewines for export

Theyare also in charge of promoting Madeira wines by fairs, exhibitions and theMadeira Wine Car Rally

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VDN - Vinification

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The fermentation being stopped partway throughby the addition of grape spirit, and the sweetness coming from unfermentedgrape sugar.

Grapes areharvested that need to be very ripe and high in sugar

Grape spirit(highly rectified neutral alcohol) at 96% abv is added at the maximum rate of10% (10 hectolitres per 100 hectolitres of fermenting must)

total alcohol mustbe 21.5% abv

N.B. total alcoholis not actual alcohol – it is the sum of the actual alcohol and the potentialalcohol represented by the sugar.

A VDN with an actual alcohol of 16% andresidual sugar of 94 g/l has a total alcohol of 21.5% (i.e 16 + 94/17 = 16 +5.5. 17 g/l is the g/l residual sugar necessary to create 1% abv).

“Mutage” is theFrench term for the addition of grape spirit, which stops the fermentation andproduces a fortified wine. Spirit is added to the fermenting wine to produce awine with at least 15% actual alcohol (killing any yeasts and stoppingfermentation).

Arnaud de Villeneuve, a well known French doctor,who took care of Kings and Popes is the one who discovered the ‘mutage’ processin the 13th century. This process consists of adding pure neutral alcohol thatinterrupts the fermentation, which leads to a degree in alcohol slightly higherthan in a dry wine, usually 15.5-18% abv and more sugar. It is this alcohol/sugarbalance that gives those wines an exceptional conservation quality.

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VDN - Muscat de Beaumes de Venise

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Beaumes in the Rhone is famed for its natural fortified wine madefrom the Muscat grape.

In 1943 it was accorded itsAC.

The climate has a Mediterraneaninfluence: hot and dry with the Mistraltempered by the Dentelles de Montmirail massif

A unique feature ofthe way the grapes ripen is the way in which the warmth of the sun reflects andradiates down over the vines from the huge vertical limestone slabs of theDentelles de Montmirail - the 'Lace of Montmirail'.

Just under 500 hectares arecurrently under cultivation.

The average yield is approximately 28 hectolitresper hectare.

Soils composed of the"terre blonde" of sandy marl to the south and clay-limestone soils tothe north.

It is exclusivelymade from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (both white and red, although the lattermakes up just 5% of plantings).

It is lighter andfresher than other Muscat VDNs as the minimum level of residual sugar is 110g/l as opposed to the normal 125 g/l. The wine is best drunk very young.

Some of thevineyards are at a high altitude and are particularly concentrated and aromatic.The local co-operative is an important producer.

Fermentation isarrested by the addition of alcohol to produce a wine of just over 15% butBeaumes-de-Venise can be more delicate and refreshing than most LanguedocMuscats, owing to its cooler temperatures and altitude.

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VDN - Banyuls

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The appellationcovers 4 communes, including Collioure, Banyuls Sur Mer, Port Vendres andCerbere.

Yields are low,normally under 20 hl/ha.

Climate: Mediterranean, Average temperature in Summer 23.7c, average temperature in Winter 8.1c

Average yearly rainfall 550mm mainly during late Autumn to early Spring.

Vineyard: Grapes grown onsteep hillside terraces overlooking the Mediterranean.

Shale and Schistsoil

Usually bushtrained (Gobelet)

The grapes are often partly shrivelled before they are picked in early October

Grape Varieties: Grenache Noir mustrepresent at least 50% of the blend in Banyuls AC and at least 75% in BanyulsGrand Cru AC wines.

Vinification: Alcohol is added while the wine is still on the skins so that a wide range of flavour compounds are absorbed into the young wine and then after 5 weeks’ further maturation,the wine then goes into one of several styles of ageing.

Maturation Banyuls Grand Cru must be kept for at least 30 months in wood 
 other wines are kept for as long as the producer wishes and can afford 


maturation vesselsinclude wooden barrels of all sizes, glass demi-johns or bonbonnes are alsoused
o the maturationvessels may be kept carefully topped up and in cool, damp conditions or thewine may be allowed to evaporate 


sometimes the wineis kept outdoors, to achieve a rancio style

sometimes a versionof a solera may be used 
Banyuls is the onlyFrench region able to offer 20- and 30-year-old wines as a serious proportionof its total production.

The designation‘Hors d’Age’ means that the wine has been aged for at least 5 years (reallyquite a short time for these wines!).

A small amount ofwhite Banyuls is also produced (just over 2,000 hl so under 10%).

White styles willbe labelled ambré and red styles as tuilé (in effect, the colour of a tile).

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VDN - Maury

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Maury is an AC north/west of Perpignan in Southern France in the Roussillon.

Climate: Mediterranean, Warm and Dry. One of the sunniest places in France.

Average temperature in Summer 23.7c, average temperature in Winter 8.1c

Average yearly rainfall: 550mm mainly during late Autumn to early Spring.

Unlike Banyuls, Maury is inland. The wines are Grenache-based (though arenot required to be 100% Grenache).

Maury are limited to a harvest yield no greater than 30 hectoliters/hectares

Vineyards in the AC make up ~1800 hectares.

They are almost invariably strong, sweet,red and possibly rancio in style.

The vineyards are dominated by schist soils. They are aged in avariety of containers (cement, wood, glass) and ina variety of conditions (hot, cold, humid or not)

The wines can be particularly tannic in youth and often have a deepercolour than Banyuls. They serve much the same purpose as those of Banyuls but normally demandmore ageing. Production is dominated by the local co-operatives.

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VDN - Muscat de Rivesaltes

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Rivesaltes is a town north of Perpignan in southern France in theRoussillon.

Unusually, this appellation mainly uses Muscat of Alexandria, as well assome Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.

Muscats can be blended with other varietiesin the separate Rivesaltes AC VDN wines.

This is the largest Muscat VDN appellation in France (70% of France’sproduction), but much of the production is of low quality, although there arecertainly some good producers.

Today Muscat de Rivesaltes is the only Muscat VDN which maybe made from muscat of alexandria as well as the finer muscat blanc à petitsgrains, which was once unpopular for its degeneration and unreliable yields;but new clones are being replanted.

Average yields of these low-trained vines, often on difficult-to-work dryterraces, can be as little as 17 hl/ha (1 ton/acre) (the official upper limitis 30 hl/ha).

Quality has improved since the 1980s as a result of more skilledvinification (despite the dominance of the more ordinary Muscat of Alexandria),using techniques such as skin contact and mutage sur marc (fortification whileon the skins).

The alcohol content must be at least 15% abv, the potential alcoholcontent at least 21.5% abv, and the sugar content (fermentable sugars, glucoseand fructose) of the finished wine at least 100 grams per liter

Muscat de Rivesaltes is already on sale the spring after the harvest andshould be drunk as young and cool as possible, either as an aperitif or withfruit or creamy desserts.

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VDN - Muscat de St Jean de Minervois

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This comes from a small mountain village in the north-east of the Minervoisappellation.

The only variety permitted is Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.

Production isvery small.

Unlike other Languedoc VDNs, this is not made close to the Mediterraneanand is much higher up at 200 metres in the limestone dominant hills.

This and the later harvest (some 3 weeks later) means that poor weathercan affect the vintage, influencing both quality and yields (which do notalways reach the permitted maximum of 30 hl/ha).

On the other hand, the altitude gives better retention of acidity, as dothe calcareous/limestone soils.

The elevation and less reliable weather can affect both quality andyields, which often have difficulty reaching the permitted maximum of 30 hl/ha,but the resulting wines are relatively delicate and refreshing.

Alcohol is added during fermentation to produce a wine with at least 15%alcohol and 125 g/l residual sugar

The resulting wines are more reliably interesting and they display moreof Muscat’s orange-flower flavours than is generally the case with VDN Muscats.

The wines are released without ageing and they are not expensive.

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Muscat

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The Muscat grape is used widely in the production of fortified wine,throughout many regions of the world and in many diverse climates and soils.

It produces a variety of styles depending on the stage of thefortification and the ageing process but always with a distinct Muscat nose,described below.

The Muscat grape has a number of clones, the most revered of which isMuscat Blanc a Petit Grains (which is also known as Brown Muscat in Australia’sRutherglen).

The lesser clone, Muscat of Alexandria, is also widely planted butproduces wines of less fine use.

The most well known fortified Muscat wines are those from the Languedocregion in France.

Here, they grow in a warm Mediterranean climate to producearomatic Vin Doux Naturel wines including Muscat de Frontignan and Muscat StJean de Minervois, which are produced with Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains. Muscatde Rivesaltes wines are produced with the Muscat of Alexandria variety andfortified during the ferment to produce a sweet style of fortified wine.

Equally well known are the Muscats of the Rhone Valley, Muscat de Beaumesde Venise. These are slightly lighter than those from the Languedoc, owing tothe cooler climate. These wines have alower minimum sugar content at harvest

Muscat is also produced in Australia’s Rutherglen region in arancio-style of wine which is aged in a cross between a solera system and anestufa. Here the grapes are left to shrivel on the vine and achieve extremelyhigh sugar levels. They are then aged inlarge barrels in warm conditions.

The final styles are the Muscats grown in Jerez. While not producing avarietal wine as such, this grape contributes to many sherry styles, althoughminimalisticly. It is often used as a sweetener.

Characteristics of the Muscat grape, regardless of region or style are:

Aromaticgrape variety, producing wines that taste and smell of grape, orange citrus andvarious white floral notes.

Theberries are quite small and the fruit can take on pink, dark red or even brownin colour.

Theplant prefers a warm climate and grows vigorously, although is low yielding andsusceptible to a number of diseases.

Whenoxidatively aged as a fortified wine it takes on flavours and aromas of raisin,fig, toffee and coffee.

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Rutherglen - Climate/Soil/Grapes

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Rutherglenis located in Australia, inland in the North east of Victoria close to the NSW border.

Climate: Continental with hot, sunny and dry with a long, dryripening period that allows a long hanging time to reach very high potentialabv levels (15-20 Baume)

The continentality means that throughout vintage, the vines experiencewarm, sunny days and cool, clear nights.

Soil:

The area has deep red clay and loam soils, which retain moisture.

The lighter sandy soils following the MurrayRiver often produces more highlyperfumed wines with delicate fruit characters. These are more likely to be usedfor Muscadelle and light wine grapes.

The grey/brown Rutherglen loam found on thelower slopes of the gentle hills. This generally results in richer, heavier andheadier wines and is the soil used for many Rutherglen fortified wines.

Grape Varieties:

Main variety is Brown Muscat (Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains, rouge) – onlygrape used for Rutherglen Muscat

Muscadelle

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Rutherglen - Viticulture and Vinification

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Grapes are left on the vines until over-ripe (which leads to littleremaining acidity) and at least some are shrivelled to concentrate the juice.

Picked at 15-20 Baume (255-340 g/litre sugar in the must).

Vinification

Grapes are destemmed and crushed before being macerated for one to twodays with pump overs to allow the smaller grapes to swell.

This is sometimes followed by a very brief fermentation on skins toincrease colour and flavour.

After 24 to 48 hours of fermentation, the grapes are pressed and the juice is fortified to 18-19% abv with neutral spirit at 96% abv,stopping the fermentation.

After fortification, the wine is clarifiedand transferred to oak barrels and casks for ageing.

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Rutherglen - Maturation & Styles

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Maturation

Oxidatively matured in large (1000-5000 litre) oak casks.

Fractional blending system is typically used (Solera)

Maturation period varies but can extend to over 30 years for premiumbrands

Extremely hot conditions (many are held in galvanised iron sheds with nocooling) leads to evaporation that concentrates sugars and flavours.

Styles

Rutherglen Muscat: Average age of 3-5 years; residual sweetness 180-240grams per litre Classic: minimum average age of 6-10 years; residual sweetness 200-280grams per litre Grand: minimum average age of 11-19 years; residual sweetness 270-400grams per litre Rare: minimum average age of 20+ years (in practice much longer);residual sweetness 270-400 grams per litre.