Port wine Vintage" Ports

Vats, or balseiros, are wooden containers of larger capacity, between 10,000 and 100,000 L (Fig. 5.8). They are used to age full-bodies and fruity wines such as ruby, LBV, and vintage ports. The wines age more slowly than those conserved in wooden casks, retaining their structure and fresh fruity aromas that are the main characteristics of these wines (Guichard etal., 2003). 

LBV is special, single vintage, version of a ruby port. It is aged in wood for longer than a vintage port—between 4 and 6 years. The vintage year is always indicated on the label. Most LBV ports can be drunk with pleasure as soon as they are purchased, but some continue to age well in bottle. The port has a deep, ruby red color, is extremely full-bodied and rich in the mouth. As other vintage-dated wines, it expresses the particular style and personality of a wine produced that year. 

Crusted ports are high quality, very full-bodied, deep colored wines. Crusted ports are a blend of wines from several vintages, aged for a minimum of 2 years in wood and then in bottle for 3 years before release... 

FIGURE 5.11 Chromatogram of a dichloromethane extract of a Touriga Nacional (1999 vintage) and of a 20-year-old tawny port wine 1, dimethyl sulfide 2, internal standard, ethyl (methylthio)acetate 3, 2-mercaptoethanol 4, 2-(methylthio)ethanol 5,... 

OAV = (odor threshold / concentration)matrix] this substance has a positive impact on aroma of barrel stored wines close to 10 years-old (OAV > 1) while in bottle-aged Ports this is only observed after 20 years or more. These results are in close agreement with the empirical observation in the Port wine industry upon which the rancio aroma constitutes a quality factor for wines aged in barrels for more than 10 years, while it is not considered a major attribute of the total aroma of Vintage types. 

The Sotolon formation was studied as a function of temperature, pH, SO2 and oxygen concentration. Temperature and to a lesser extent, dissolved oxygen were tlie most important parameters influencing the rate of Sotolon formation. A first order model was applied and the Arrhenius equation described well the temperature dependence of the reaction rate constant. Therefore, oxygen levels during aging have a major impact on age perception" in Colheita and Vintage Port wine. 

Vintage ports are the best quality wines. After a brief aeration to stabilize the color, they are... 

The year can still be mentioned on the bottle of non-vintage, quality port wines. These vintage character wines are called colheita ports . 

Bottle aging is reserved for vintage, LBV, and crusted ports (Fig. 5.9). These wines are chosen for their quality and structure. After an initial period in wood, the wines are matured in dark glass bottles laid on their sides in cool dark cellars. Temperature, ventilation, and humidity are strictly controlled (Fonseca et al., 1998). Once bottled, these wines do not come in contact with oxygen. 

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