Better to have more or fewer grape varieties?

[Michael Hann]

I have read that five port wine grape varieties were identified as preferred in the late 1970's early 1980's (Touriga Nacionale, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, and Tinta Barroca -- please excuse any spelling errors) and that growers have been encouraged to plant these varieties rather than other varities. Also, I have read that formerly a large number of grape varieties have been planted in the Port vineyard as a whole.

It occurs to me that trying to timely harvest grapes of many different varieties that may have different ripening periods could be a problem. Does this in fact pose a problem or is it easily overcome simply by picking those varieties first that ripen early and picking those varieties last that ripen later? Am I over complicating this? From the view of simplifying the problem of harvesting grape varieties that may ripen at different times, fewer grape varieties would seem an improvement.

On the other hand, it also occurs to me that this very diversity may provide an advantage that can be exploited in blending premium ports. For example, choosing to make up one's vintage port from grape varieties A, B, and C in a year in which these varieties excel but making up one's vintage port from grape varieties D, E, and F in a year when these other varieties excel. Are vintage ports and other premium ports composed of different grape varieties in different years or are these premium ports typically made from the same grape varieties year-over-year?

I know that the main reason to encourage growers to adopt the preferred five varieties is that these are deemed to best support high quality. I'm just interested in understanding the issues involved. I sort of feel these may be half-baked questions, but this is the "Port Basics" forum.

[Andy Velebil]

Michael,
This is an outstanding question and I'll wait for others before diving in myself. But you raise some very interesting questions that I hope others will chime in with their thoughts first.

[Moses Botbol]

The grapes used and the percntages used of each grape is an unknown unless you are an insider. Not being an insider, I don't know what to say about this. As long as the product is good and consistent to the house style, I am fine with not knowing.

I'd imagine that they would have to use several varieties to keep everything in balance. It gets more complicated when the discussion gets into field vs. block planting and how does go along with vinifaction of each variety. I know little on this subject, but I know a few here are quite versed.

[Derek T.]

I confess that I know little about each of individual grape varieties but my instinct plus a few conversations with a number of shippers makes me lean towards more being better in terms of producing a wine with great complexity, whilst less probably makes it easier to produce consistent quality.

I was lucky enough to taste a large number of component samples of all of the Symington 2007 VPs earlier this year and one memory that I took from that is that the components made from field blends were much more "complete" that the single varietals or the samples made from only two grape varieties.

Being a traditionalist, I like the idea of VP being made from ancient old field blends where the terrior and mother nature play the major role in what will come out of the other end of the process. For me, block planting adds a clinical element to the production process that somewhat diminishes the concept of where VP started out. That doesn't mean I don't like the wines, just that some of the mystery is removed.

Derek

[Glenn E.]

a. How many total grape types are approved for Port production overall?
b. Do you know the breakdown of that total into White grapes vs. Red grapes approved for Port?
c. Is the number the exact same for Douro wine production?

Total grape varieties approved for Port is 89. Same for table wines.

Approved White grapes :29 (14 are recommended and a further 15 are authorized)

Approved Red grapes :60 (24 are recommended and a further 36 are authorized)

While this number is high, reflecting the richness of the Douro region, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz and Tinto Cão are the favored grapes for Port production and the varieties most often chosen for the new block plantings.

Dan Carbon was our guest of the month for November, and provided us with this information in response to one of Roy's questions. As you can see there are 6 varieties of grapes (thus, Graham's Six Grapes) that make up the bulk of Port production, but every house has its own mixture. I've seen a couple of other varieties mentioned by various people at different times, too, and I assume that those are probably on the list of 24 recommended red grape varieties.

As far as answering your question goes, I think that having a large number of grape varieties available increases the potential of Port. Americans are so tuned into single variety wines that they often don't realize that a blend results in a better wine. The great French wines - Bordeaux, Burgundy, etc - are all blends, and each estate's blend is slightly different than the others.

The same is true for Port. Having the ability to use a large number different varieties allows producers to create a large number of different Ports for our enjoyment. If all the large producers settle in on the "big 6" then that just lets some upstart producer try something new and surprise us all.

[Derek T.]

If all the large producers settle in on the "big 6" then that just lets some upstart producer try something new and surprise us all.

I know of one such "upstart" - but my lips are sealed

[Michael Hann]

Being a traditionalist, I like the idea of VP being made from ancient old field blends where the terrior and mother nature play the major role in what will come out of the other end of the process. For me, block planting adds a clinical element to the production process that somewhat diminishes the concept of where VP started out. That doesn't mean I don't like the wines, just that some of the mystery is removed.

Derek

Derek: Thanks for your reply. I assume the term "field blend" refers to a sort of ad hoc planting of different grape varieites and an ad hoc location of the vines of different grape varieties in a quinta. The particular catalog of grape varieties in one quinta may be somewhat a result of accident or subjective preferences for what varieties to plant of a grower 50 years ago. The particular location of plantings of the different grape varieites, likewise, might be at least partly the result of accident or subjective preferences of a grower many years ago -- replacing this ailing section of vines of variety A injured by frost with new vines of variety B, replacing old section of vines of variety C that are producing too little juice per vine with a new second of vines of variety D that will produce more juice per vine, etc. I assume all of these things are implied by the term "field blend." What does the term "block planting" mean? I've seen this term used elsewhere by others. Is this just the opposite? Starting a new quinta of 20 hectares and planting it all to Tinta Roriz, for example?

[Michael Hann]

Glenn: Thanks for your reply. I suppose the blending of wine from different grape varieties promotes the shippers being able to adapt their final blend to make a better port and/or to maintain a general port style (sweet and fruity versus moderately sweet and firmly structured -- just pulling adjectives out of the air) in the context of significant variation in the harvested grapes from year to year.

[Glenn E.]

What does the term "block planting" mean?

Block planting is sort of the opposite of a field blend. Grapes are planted in "blocks" - small plots - so that the different varieties can be easily tended to and harvested independently of each other. Although I supposed "small" is relative... in some cases the plots are an entire vineyard.

Block planting allows the winemaker to determine the final blend every year, giving him (or her) more control over the end product.

[Andy Velebil]

In the Douro "field blend" may be used a bit different than in other wine growing regions so I guess i should clarify so we're all on the same page. A field blend in the Douro is a mix of many different varietals all mixed together. So you could have a vine of Touriga Nacional growing next to a vine of Tinta Roriz which is next to a vine of who knows what. With about 60 approved varietals for red that can be a huge mix of things. Matter of fact many producers don't even know all the grape types growing in their fields, hence "field blends."

Block planting has been the popular thing since about the early 1980's and is now the norm when sections of vineyards are replaced. While i've tasted field blends and single varietals as "cask samples", the field blends do show more complexity because they are already in essence blended from the start. But block planting allows a Producer to make a more consistent product as they now have more control each year. I would venture to say that this is why we now see more and better quality SQVP's in non-declared years.

As far as harvesting them. The problem with field blends is not all grapes ripen at the same time. So in a field blend you can see the potential problem a grower may encounter. If some of the vines in a field blend are ready, and some aren't, what does a grower do? Pick now and hope for the best? Or wait and hope for the best? With block planting that issue is moot. If a certain varietal isn't ready you don't pick it. And if it is, then you pick it. Then later you can chose the best lots of grapes to blend together to make a superior product.

IMO, the overall number of grapes used isn't as important as where they plant them, how they take care of them, and how they blend it all together at the end. Of course some cooperation from Mother Nature always helps too.

[Eric Menchen]

As far as harvesting them. The problem with field blends is not all grapes ripen at the same time. So in a field blend you can see the potential problem a grower may encounter. If some of the vines in a field blend are ready, and some aren't, what does a grower do? Pick now and hope for the best? Or wait and hope for the best?

Or walk the rows multiple times and just pick what is ready? In the coffee world this is known as selective picking, as opposed to stripping, and I recently visited a coffee farm that did this, claiming it gave them better quality. Is this done in the wine world, and the Douro in particular?

[Andy Velebil]

As far as harvesting them. The problem with field blends is not all grapes ripen at the same time. So in a field blend you can see the potential problem a grower may encounter. If some of the vines in a field blend are ready, and some aren't, what does a grower do? Pick now and hope for the best? Or wait and hope for the best?

Or walk the rows multiple times and just pick what is ready? In the coffee world this is known as selective picking, as opposed to stripping, and I recently visited a coffee farm that did this, claiming it gave them better quality. Is this done in the wine world, and the Douro in particular?

Not that I am aware of in the Douro. The problem is so many different varietals all mixed in. The time it would take to look and analyze each individual vine would most likely be far too time consuming.