Question for the Port Trade : Caramel and Tawny

[Frederick Blais]

What is your opinion on addition of Caramel and color corection in the blending of tawnies and/or other ports? Do you consider using it often/sometimes/rarely/never ?


Any of you guys have opinion on this. I've found out that it is not easy to get information about this, just like refreshing colheita, everybody says it is done but no ones want to admit it.

I'd be interested to do a blind tasting of tawnies with and without addition of caramel and compare the results.

[Marco D.]

From a purely ideological standpoint I can't say I would want caramel added to my tawnies. As you say... it would be educational to taste the same tawny with and without additives.

I was reading Richard Mayson's book on Port and the Douro last night and he mentions how some lower grade tawnies are filtered to strip the wine of some color in order to "look" more tawny. Seems like any kind of filtering would strip flavor and character. I think I would prefer wines that "taste" good, rather than "look" good.

[Bryan Robinson]

Frederick, that is a fantastic question. I’d even be interested in stories from those in the trade who know someone, who knows someone who might have allegedly had anything to do with the practice. It wouldn’t be the names I’d be so interested in, as much as how and why they chose to do it. Is it a taste fix for a fermentation that wasn’t arrested early enough? Or is it just a color correction? Or could it be either depending on how it was applied? What form is the caramel in? Do they throw bits of caramel in the barrel, or get the liquid caramel coloring as is used in Coke or Pepsi?

[Raj Patil]

I recently have discovered that caramel is added to many (if not most) cognac and armagnac.

It seems to give a distinct woodyness sort of like mahogany. Not sure if it contributes any level of RS. Since I'm mostly a ruby drinker I haven't noticed if tawnys carry this characteristic.

[Frederick Blais]

Someone told me it was even more used with Madeira. As Bryan said, I am too more interested to know how it is done than who is making it.