DAVID GUIMARAENS - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

Glenn E. wrote:Hi David, and [welcome.gif]

We all know that there are many grape varieties authorized for use in making Port, but we're also all familiar with the fact that only 5-7 or so of those varieties tend to make up the bulk of most Port. Typically that list includes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz and Tinto Cão, though I've also occasionally seen Souzão listed.

As a Portmaker, you can provide us with insight that most others can't. Without giving up too many of your Port making secrets, can you give us a basic understanding of what the main grape varieties bring to the blend in Port? I have heard the roles of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca in Port compared to the roles of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux wines, is that a comparison that you feel makes sense?
Glenn,

thankyou for your very good question regarding our grape varieties. All Port vineyards pre-1970's were planted using a combination of over 12-15 local indigenous grape varieties, several of which you have mentioned, randomly mixed within each plot. From the 1970's forward the trade intentially selected 4-5 of what were considered to be the most important varieties and planted them in larger individual blocks. The intention at the time was to select the best varieties, and by vinifying them seperately, get the most out of each one. Not much attention was given then as to what was in the old vineyards and the reasoning to it.
30 years past, we now have a much greater understanding, not only of the role of each grape variety, but also what was behind the intention to blend the grape varities in a vineyard. All old vineyards in the Douro (older than 40 years) have over twelve varieties planted, however Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Amarella normally make up 60-70% of the mix. It is interesting to note that Touriga Nacional was one of the principal grape varities pre-filoxera (1860's) however this variety was largely abandoned until it was re-introduced on a large scale from the 1970's forward.
The selection of fewer grape varieties, and the capacity to better locate them in the vineyard, has resulted in raising significantly the overall quality of Port, however I also consider that there also is the risk of reducing the greatness and complexity of Port, as well as reducing the differences between Quintas and Houses, as is so often the criticism of many new world wines.
At the moment we are actively working with and planting 10 of our traditional Port grape varieties, and also since 2001 I have returned to co-fermenting different combinations of the grape varieties.
There are physical, chemical and sensory reasons why co-fermenting our grape varieties produces much greater Ports than fermenting them seperately and then blending them later, however this involves a much greater understanding of each variety and location every harvest and it involves more risk, but when you get it right, the results speak for themselves.
The Vargellas Vinhas Velhas to me are the perfect example of this, where it is not only a question of the age of the vineyards that make the difference.

It is true that if we select Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa to make up the majority of the blend, much bigger Ports will be made, but this is at the cost of complexity, flavour, length and overall quality. I do not want out Vintage Ports to become 1 dimensional, and our past experience has shown that there is no lack of colour in our Vinatge Ports, particularly from the 90's forward.
Today, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barrocca will play the majority role in a blend, however varieties such as Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarella, Rufete, Tinta Francisca, etc have a fundamental role in the complexity and individuality of the Ports we make.

David
Last edited by Guimaraens on Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

Jeff B. wrote:[welcome.gif]
Thank you for all the wonderful things you are doing for us port lovers! I'm curious about the foods you enjoy while drinking port. What have you found works the best with them? Do you find that different foods work with younger ports than with older ports? Any exotic or unexpected food combinations that work well? Do you have favorites you enjoy more with food and others that you enjoy by themselves?
Jeff
Jeff,
one of the beauties of Port is how versatile it is, and the different styles are suited to different food pairings as well as different occasions. I will answer the way I enjoy drinking Port, with some suggestions:
Aged Tawny Ports - to be drunk more casualy, often when the occasion does not revolve around the wines you are drinking. Try an older tawny, chilled (30 or 40 year old) with foie gras as a starter. Tawnies are also great with softer egg based desserts.
Bin 27 or LBV - try a rich chocolate tart, with hot melted chocolate inside. Experience how these rich ports show on top of such a rich desert, then cleans the palate for another mouthfull.
Young Vintage Port - to me nothing goes better with a selection of cheese than a glass of young vibrant vintage -try it.
Mature Vintage - I prefer to combine with softer cheese, such as a Portuguese Serra, Camabert, even some Manchega, however I most enjoy a good mature vintage on its own after the desserts.

Never forget how important it is to use a good Port glass, or if none available, a good white wine glass. Half of the pleasure in enjoying a glass of Port at the end of a meal is the aromas they show.

David
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Marco D. »

Hi David,

The 1985 vintage at some houses, according to various reports, seems to perhaps not have stood the test of time as well as initially hoped (although I must say the 1985 Fonseca remains one of my favorite ports of all time). Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you think there is anything to these reports and if so, what might have caused the issue (hygiene, weather at the harvest, etc)?

Also, how do you rate the United States chances against England in group C of the World Cup? :D
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Roy Hersh »

David,

Thanks for the excellent dissertation on the merits of the various Port grapes as well as mentioning co-fermentation vs. fermenting varieties separately and then blending. As you mentioned, this makes for a big difference in the outcome of the Ports.

Along the same line of thought, I know that block planting came into vogue in the mid-1970s with a few distinct Port houses taking credit for starting that practice, (I won't go there in this thread :lol: ). That said, there are still a lot of vinha velha found throughout the Douro. From paying attention to this and reading too, it seems that there is still about (generalizing here) 70%+ older/and some younger vineyards with mixed plantings in them vs. about 30% newer "block plantings" where varieties are strictly segregated. When mentioning this, I am taking the entire Douro as a whole, not just TFP properties.

My question to you ... from your experience, does that percentage seem about right to you and if not, please do share your % breakdown with us.

:thanks:
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Andy Velebil »

David,

The following two questions for you got posted in a different thread so I have copied them here so you can easily see them and reply.

Kurt Wieneke wrote:Hello David. Thank you for being our guest. What is it that differentiates the Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port from the regular Vintage Port?
and

Frederick Blais wrote:Hi David, what is the greatest challenge you've been faced to and accomplished so far in your wine making career at the Fladgate Partnership.
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Derek T. »

Derek T. wrote:Excellent - this should be a very interesting thread.
Roy Hersh wrote:Please hold off any questions, until right before David comes on line to join us. :thanks:
OK - I won't mention 1991/92 just yet :wink:
David,

The above post was slightly "tongue-in cheek" but I would be interested to know your views now, almost a generation on, as to the respective merits of the 1991 v 1992 vintages. Much has been written about whether or not TFP declared 92 rather than 91 for reasons other than purely the quality of the wines but, now that the dust has settled on that debate, I would love to know your views on how these wines have developed and which you think was the better vintage.

Derek
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

Marco D. wrote:Hi David,

The 1985 vintage at some houses, according to various reports, seems to perhaps not have stood the test of time as well as initially hoped (although I must say the 1985 Fonseca remains one of my favorite ports of all time). Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you think there is anything to these reports and if so, what might have caused the issue (hygiene, weather at the harvest, etc)?

Also, how do you rate the United States chances against England in group C of the World Cup? :D
The English soccer championship is by far the most extraordinary league in the World, however it is remarcable how few British players are in the teams! England has not had a good run in the last few European and World cups, but maybe this time??? vs the US team, the chance is slim, but you never know.

The 1985 Vintage is sadly very variable. The harvest was extremely hot, with very high fermentation temperatures. With the less strict hygene practices of the time, sadly in some situations the Ports remained affected up to bottling. As Vintage Port is not filtered prior to bottling, the risk was even higher.
Fortunately both the Fonseca and Taylor 1985 were not affected, and you are are completely right when you say the Fonseca 1985 is one of your favorites, it is for me too.
It has been a huge Vintage for such a long time, and it is now starting to show some wonderfull bottle mature characters, but still with a massive structure behind.

David
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

[quote="Roy Hersh"]David,

Thanks for the excellent dissertation on the merits of the various Port grapes as well as mentioning co-fermentation vs. fermenting varieties separately and then blending. As you mentioned, this makes for a big difference in the outcome of the Ports.

Along the same line of thought, I know that block planting came into vogue in the mid-1970s with a few distinct Port houses taking credit for starting that practice, (I won't go there in this thread :lol: ). That said, there are still a lot of vinha velha found throughout the Douro. From paying attention to this and reading too, it seems that there is still about (generalizing here) 70%+ older/and some younger vineyards with mixed plantings in them vs. about 30% newer "block plantings" where varieties are strictly segregated. When mentioning this, I am taking the entire Douro as a whole, not just TFP properties.

My question to you ... from your experience, does that percentage seem about right to you and if not, please do share your % breakdown with us.

Your percentage as a region overall is fairly close, although I would consider the percentage of old random mix vineyards to be closer to 60%. However when we look at where these vineyards are, they are mainly in the Baixo Corgo. In the Cima Corgo, where the majority of Vintage Port is produced, the percentage I believe is more in the order of 30%.

It is also important to note that you cannot conclude that just because a vineyard is very old and random mix, it is not necessarily great. I know of plenty of this type of vineyards which are not, and fortunatelt these are the first to be re-planted.

In our vineyards we now have many individual grape variety block plantings which are over 30 years old. This is the best situation you can have, as you have the advantages of both age and of being able to care for them individually, and when it comes to harvest I have the choice as to what other varieties to blend with in the lagar.

David
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Post by Guimaraens »

The above post was slightly "tongue-in cheek" but I would be interested to know your views now, almost a generation on, as to the respective merits of the 1991 v 1992 vintages. Much has been written about whether or not TFP declared 92 rather than 91 for reasons other than purely the quality of the wines but, now that the dust has settled on that debate, I would love to know your views on how these wines have developed and which you think was the better vintage.

Derek[/quote]


Derek,
I like this question very much. I returned home to join the company in June 1990, very much at the beginning of a magnificent decade for Port, the 1990's. The decision to declare the 1992's over the 1991's was an experience that only went to reinforce the statement that when it comes to Vintage Port, it is the Port in the glass in front of you that counts, above all other external factors.
1991 was a very good year, although also extremely hot, a character that shows in the Vintages from this year. Our previous declaration had been the 1985's and the whole trade was enthusiastic about declaring the 1991's. in January 1993, prior to the decision on the declaration of the 1991's, I was standing around the table in the tasting room with the young 1992 ports with my father Bruce, Mario Araujo (the Fonseca Blender), Isidoro Pereira (Taylor Blender) and Rui Lameiras (Winemaker, now the Taylor Blender), and we were discussing the wonderfull dilema of how extraordinarily good the Ports were from the 1992 harvest. The characteristic that made them stand out, and what is today so extraordinary in this Vintage year, was the incredible fresh fruit and enourmous silky fine tannins.
The Ports spoke for themselves, and although we knew the decision to declare the 1992's for Taylor would be criticesed due to the Tricentenary link, we had no doubt that after tasting the Ports, all doubts would be set aside. Thus is evident today, and I still consider the Taylor 1992 to be one of the greatest Vintage Ports of the last 40 years, at least.
There is not a shadow of doubt that the 1992's are better than the 1991's (which are also extremely good), but the best way to solve this question is to open a bottle from each year side by side (eg Guimaraens 1991 and Fonseca 1992) and taste them blind.

David
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Post by Derek T. »

David,

Thank you for your response.

I have to confess that I have not tasted many wines from the 1992 vintage but do have fairly wide experience of 1991. From your response above I obviously need to redress the balance as a matter of some urgency :wink:

I think many of the 91's, including some of the SQVPs and second-brand wines produced by those who opted to declare their classic blends of 1992, are of sufficiently high quality to justify the decision of those who declared it. That being the case, do you think that purely from the standpoint of "when it comes to Vintage Port, it is the Port in the glass in front of you that counts, above all other external factors" 1991 and 1992 should have been back-to-back declarations?

Derek
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

Andy Velebil wrote:David,

The following two questions for you got posted in a different thread so I have copied them here so you can easily see them and reply.

Kurt Wieneke wrote:Hello David. Thank you for being our guest. What is it that differentiates the Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port from the regular Vintage Port?
and

Frederick Blais wrote:Hi David, what is the greatest challenge you've been faced to and accomplished so far in your wine making career at the Fladgate Partnership.



Following my previous response to Derek regarding the 1991/1992 Declaration, it is appropriate to address the question from Kurt Wieneke which asks to explain the difference between a Guimaraens Vintage and a Fonseca Vintage.
One of the priveledges that I have as a winemaker and the consumer has when selecting a bottle of Vintage Port is the almost unique distinction the Port trade makes between the Quality of different years.
However important us winemakers may pretend we are, it is nature that has the upper hand and makes one year to be different from the next. One of the beauties of working in our industry, and continuing to respect the lesson of many generations of experience, is that our winemaking focuses much more on carefully extracting the maximum potential of our grapes each year, than the winemaker imposing his personality and style on the ports he makes from a determined set of grapes.
In any region around the world, when we look back over one particular decade, we always come to the conclusion that no more than 3 or 4 years stand out above the rest for being particularly good. The Port trade took this understanding and distinguishes these extraordinary years by declaring them as a classic Vintage, where the traditional Port houses will bottle them as a Fonseca, Taylor, Croft, Warre, etc. These Ports are not only distinctive for their quality of flavour and harmony, but also they have the most potential to age for the many decades in bottle that we expect them to.
A classic Vintage Port will select the best parcels of Port from our different Quintas. This combination of the best components from different Quintas, each with its own character and attribute is fundamental to put together the best "blend" for a classic Vintage. In years where we do not declare a Classic Vintage, and the Quality of the year is also very good, the trade has opted to bottle great Vintage Ports, but keeping the individual Quintas seperate. This works very well as the consumer gets the opprtunity to drink wonderfull Vintage Ports with the personality of a single Terroir (Quinta). Here we have the great examples of Qta de Vargellas, Qta do Panascal, Qta de Terra Feita, etc,.
Fonseca, as a merchant who blended its own Vintages from properties it controlled, but did not own until the 1970's, maintained the tradition of bottling its non-classic Vintage Ports as a Guimaraens Vintage, where the same principal of blending your best components from our different Quintas is maintained.
At a time when modern day marketing does not like to use negative terms such as non-classic or second vintage, it is easier to explain the distinction between a Classic Vintage and Single Quinta years. The Guimaraens Vintage Ports are vintage Ports from the in-between years, and today is almost unique, and as a winemaker and blender this concept is perfect. In a lesser year it is even more advantageous to be able to select the best components from all of our Quintas.

The best way to consider a Guimaraens Vintage, is a Vintage Port in exactly the same style and concept as a Fonseca Vintage, from an in-between year, which also have a very good ageing potential, and can be purchased at significantly lesser price than a classic Vintage. Take the example of 1991. If the 1992 year had not been so extra-ordinary, the Guimaraens 1991 would most likely have been declared as a Fonseca.
Make the most of the great value for money you get with a Gumaraens Vintage Port!
[cheers.gif] :ftlop:
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Moses Botbol »

David:

General Motors ran into trouble with having so many lines competing with each other.

How does TFP deal with Fonseca, Taylor and Croft competing for the same buyer? How do you decide how much and how to promote each brand? How do you guide the consumer to pick one over the other? They are similarly priced all have quite a history and reputation.
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Post by Guimaraens »

Derek T. wrote:David,

Thank you for your response.

I have to confess that I have not tasted many wines from the 1992 vintage but do have fairly wide experience of 1991. From your response above I obviously need to redress the balance as a matter of some urgency :wink:

I think many of the 91's, including some of the SQVPs and second-brand wines produced by those who opted to declare their classic blends of 1992, are of sufficiently high quality to justify the decision of those who declared it. That being the case, do you think that purely from the standpoint of "when it comes to Vintage Port, it is the Port in the glass in front of you that counts, above all other external factors" 1991 and 1992 should have been back-to-back declarations?

Derek

Derek,
it is very difficult when you have two good years side by side to not prefer one over another. We also have a very good example of 2000/2001, to me even closer a call than 1991/1992.
Maybe one day a prominent Port house will declare back-to-back, but I guarantee, if it does, there will be even more discussion than the 1991/1992 declaration.
This is a good problem to be faced with, and whichever the decision, any Port enthusiast will always benefit.

David
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Guimaraens »

Moses Botbol wrote:David:

General Motors ran into trouble with having so many lines competing with each other.

How does TFP deal with Fonseca, Taylor and Croft competing for the same buyer? How do you decide how much and how to promote each brand? How do you guide the consumer to pick one over the other? They are similarly priced all have quite a history and reputation.

Moses,
I won't discuss the quality of General Motors cars versus the quality of these Ports!
Your point is a valid one for Ports other than Vintage, but even here the different houses have traditionally taken seperate approaches. For example at Fonseca we have always focused on Bin 27 as our flagship Port for every day consumption, making it the leader of its segment both for quality and sales. At Taylor's we very much focus on our LBV, resulting in its magnificent quality. At the retail outlets and on-trade these sit very well side by side.

As far as Vintage Port is concerned, the individuality of style of each house is so distinct that they complement each other side by side. Fortunately Vintage Port is not expensive as a car from General Motors, and the Vintage Port enthusiast enjoys varying the vintages he consumes from one occasion to another.

I consider myself very priveledged to lead the team of extremely skilled people in our vineyards and wineries who work so hard in producing and maintaining the indivual style of each one of these three magnificent Port Houses, with their centuries of tradition and quality.

David
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Andy Velebil »

David,
Thank you for your answer regarding Bin 27.

Since we're talking about declared vintages, 2000 vs. 2003 is often talked about with some people leaning toward 2000's being the overall better year for VP and some people leaning toward 2003. The years were characterized by very different growing seasons. Not referring to just TFP Vintage Ports, but the vintages overall, what year do you feel will produced the better VP for the long haul, 2000 or 2003, and why?
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Moses Botbol »

Guimaraens wrote:For example at Fonseca we have always focused on Bin 27 as our flagship Port for every day consumption, making it the leader of its segment both for quality and sales. At Taylor's we very much focus on our LBV, resulting in its magnificent quality. At the retail outlets and on-trade these sit very well side by side.
What about Croft?
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Re: David Guimaraens - December's Forum Guest Corner Host

Post by Edward Nemergut »

David:

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and be part of this forum: it's much appreciated.

I have two questions that I will hope will be fun to answer:

1) Of all the ports that you've personally made, is there one (or two) of which you are especially proud? (I recognize this is a difficult question: a bit like asking a father of many children to pick his favorite; however, I'm interested in your answer).

2) Along similar lines, we often talk of our favorite all time VPs? What pre-1995 VP's are among your favorites?

Thank you in advance for you thoughtful answers!
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Post by Marco D. »

Congratulations on the 2003 Croft. Your hard work in Q. d. Roeda has indeed paid off. Is there a decision to only use Roeda fruit in Croft from now on, or is this a vintage by vintage decision?
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Post by Derek T. »

David,

Have any decisions been made about the future of Quinta de Eira Velha as a source of Single Quinta Vintage Ports and, if so, under which of the TFP shippers would it operate?

Thanks
Derek
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Post by Glenn E. »

I'm really enjoying reading all of the questions and your answers. Thanks again for coming to visit us!

As the regulars here know, I tend to prefer tawny Port over ruby Port. I do have a collection of Vintage Ports, but in my cellar it is rivaled in size by my collection of Colheitas. I guess I just like wood-aged Ports!

The Taylor 40 Year Old is one of the better 40s available. I have also seen a Fonseca 40 Year Old and a Croft 20 Year Old. The existence of these wood-aged Ports tells me that you have stocks of tawny Ports aging in your lodges, yet I never see any of it available as Colheita.

Is this a strategic decision by TFP? Is there any chance that we will some day see a Taylor, Fonseca, or Croft Colheita?
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