Would you like to make Port?
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
Would you like to make Port?
I am considering a few programs for our trips later in the fall. What do you think about having the chance to make or blend your own Port?
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
First of all, I was just asking a question to see if there was enough interest to investigate the "legalities" of doing this. I am sure we could do it in a lab, but have no idea if it would be against IVDP regulations to blend wine and bottle it and leave with it. I doubt it is possible but even if it is ... I think the real fun is learning how to blend. I have taken part in this in the past and it is a great experience.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Frederick Blais
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Derek T.
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Roy,
I hear what you say about the fun of learning how to blend the wines to make a great VP but I think that's another trip altogether. My original suggestion to you was intended to be more of a novalty (no pun intended) project.
My idea was that a group of half-drunk port geeks meet up in the Douro to pick some grapes out of a friendly Quinta owners field, tread them all night in a lagare, drain off the juice, chuck in some spirit a couple of days later and pour it into a pipe to be left on the Quinta for a couple of years. We could then all meet back up to bottle it and take it or send it home. All I was thinking of having was the fun of doing it and a couple of dozen bottles each to allow us to drink one every once in a while as a tangible reminder of the experience until we all go off to the big cellar in the sky. I didn't have it in mind that this "Quinta do FTLOP 2006" would go through the IDVP testing/approval process or be classified as real VP.
Derek
I hear what you say about the fun of learning how to blend the wines to make a great VP but I think that's another trip altogether. My original suggestion to you was intended to be more of a novalty (no pun intended) project.
My idea was that a group of half-drunk port geeks meet up in the Douro to pick some grapes out of a friendly Quinta owners field, tread them all night in a lagare, drain off the juice, chuck in some spirit a couple of days later and pour it into a pipe to be left on the Quinta for a couple of years. We could then all meet back up to bottle it and take it or send it home. All I was thinking of having was the fun of doing it and a couple of dozen bottles each to allow us to drink one every once in a while as a tangible reminder of the experience until we all go off to the big cellar in the sky. I didn't have it in mind that this "Quinta do FTLOP 2006" would go through the IDVP testing/approval process or be classified as real VP.
Derek
Now that does sound like fun.
Kind of reminds me of when I used to live in a town where there was a big Italian community. Every October, the lorries would arrive from Italy full of fresh grapes picked the previous day and driven through the night to arrive in the UK.
Families would rush down the road to meet the lorries and there would be a huge and chaotic impromptu market with the drivers selling off the grapes in 100kg lots.
The grapes would then disappear to peoples homes, get crushed, fermented and bottled. There was real fierce competition between families as to who could produce the best wine and there were some astonishingly good bottles produced. Anything went, some families only ever made serious reds that needed several years in the bottle to peak, others only made light sparkling fruity red lambrusco style wines. Others made some wonderful summer glugging whites. There were even serious wine competitions held, with medals awarded.
Oh those were fun days. Some of the friends I went to school with were Italian and we had some great parties.
A bit off-topic, but a fond memory of mine that was brought back by Derek's note.
You can take it that I like the romanticism of the idea - if the logistics can be worked out, then I would love to do this.
Alex
Kind of reminds me of when I used to live in a town where there was a big Italian community. Every October, the lorries would arrive from Italy full of fresh grapes picked the previous day and driven through the night to arrive in the UK.
Families would rush down the road to meet the lorries and there would be a huge and chaotic impromptu market with the drivers selling off the grapes in 100kg lots.
The grapes would then disappear to peoples homes, get crushed, fermented and bottled. There was real fierce competition between families as to who could produce the best wine and there were some astonishingly good bottles produced. Anything went, some families only ever made serious reds that needed several years in the bottle to peak, others only made light sparkling fruity red lambrusco style wines. Others made some wonderful summer glugging whites. There were even serious wine competitions held, with medals awarded.
Oh those were fun days. Some of the friends I went to school with were Italian and we had some great parties.
A bit off-topic, but a fond memory of mine that was brought back by Derek's note.
You can take it that I like the romanticism of the idea - if the logistics can be worked out, then I would love to do this.
Alex
Last edited by Al B. on Mon May 22, 2006 2:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Here are some responses from the heads of different Port Shippers:
1. I think it is a great idea and believe that it is most exciting for them.
2. The problem with this is that blending a tawny is simply not like blending a wine. The process takes places over many years as we mould the wine to the final style. We do not have a wide palette of different tawnies waiting for the ‘ensemblage’. This works with vintage Port as we do put together the final blend but the problem here is that when vintage Port is young it is very difficult to taste and I am not sure where people would end up. Equally, we are not set up to fine, filter and bottle a few single bottles of Port. With correct preparation you could include in your visit a chance to see the tawnies being racked or visit the cooperage to see that working.
3. It is always possible to blend wines from different varieties and casks but to cork and purchase these cuvees created would be a problem once the IVDP would create some difficulties here. It has to do with previous lot approvals and so on… I am sure you are somehow familiar with the bureaucracy and law in the Douro.
1. I think it is a great idea and believe that it is most exciting for them.
2. The problem with this is that blending a tawny is simply not like blending a wine. The process takes places over many years as we mould the wine to the final style. We do not have a wide palette of different tawnies waiting for the ‘ensemblage’. This works with vintage Port as we do put together the final blend but the problem here is that when vintage Port is young it is very difficult to taste and I am not sure where people would end up. Equally, we are not set up to fine, filter and bottle a few single bottles of Port. With correct preparation you could include in your visit a chance to see the tawnies being racked or visit the cooperage to see that working.
3. It is always possible to blend wines from different varieties and casks but to cork and purchase these cuvees created would be a problem once the IVDP would create some difficulties here. It has to do with previous lot approvals and so on… I am sure you are somehow familiar with the bureaucracy and law in the Douro.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Andy Velebil
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I like #1's response.."Buy that man a drink!"
OK #2, were not talking rocket science here, just pure fun. Take some small quantities from a barrel and let us play around a bit and see what we turn up. After all it's a 50/50 chance of being good or......
As for #3, rules are meant to be broken, opps, did I say that
OK #2, were not talking rocket science here, just pure fun. Take some small quantities from a barrel and let us play around a bit and see what we turn up. After all it's a 50/50 chance of being good or......
As for #3, rules are meant to be broken, opps, did I say that
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Derek T.
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I'm with Andy - Shipper #1 is our new best friend 8)
I think the main problem with answers 2 and 3 is that there still seems to be a misconception that we would be trying to create real VP. What I had in mind was a dark purple/black liquid that smells of fruit that would be poured into empty bottles and corked. I have no expectation that this could every be considered real VP and did ot envisage the IDVP ever having to know or care about its existence.
Perhaps we chould create our own FTLOP Guarantee labels so that we can make up our own rules and then break them whenever we feel like it
Derek
I think the main problem with answers 2 and 3 is that there still seems to be a misconception that we would be trying to create real VP. What I had in mind was a dark purple/black liquid that smells of fruit that would be poured into empty bottles and corked. I have no expectation that this could every be considered real VP and did ot envisage the IDVP ever having to know or care about its existence.
Perhaps we chould create our own FTLOP Guarantee labels so that we can make up our own rules and then break them whenever we feel like it
Derek
Derek,
You do the design, I'll get 'em printed!
Seriously speaking, it is difficult to bottle and remove the wines because the IVDP accounts for all wines in tanks and if juice is removed (not meaning a "thief" full) for bottling, the IVDP regulations are quite strict. Any bottling, even for cask samples ... must be pre-approved by the IVDP as I understand the regs.
You do the design, I'll get 'em printed!
Seriously speaking, it is difficult to bottle and remove the wines because the IVDP accounts for all wines in tanks and if juice is removed (not meaning a "thief" full) for bottling, the IVDP regulations are quite strict. Any bottling, even for cask samples ... must be pre-approved by the IVDP as I understand the regs.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Derek T.
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Roy,
Do any shippers you know of, especially small independants, make "Mooshine VP" for their own consumption? I find it hard to believe that the IDVP are able or willing to keep track of every litre of juice that comes out of the lagares and would be surprised if all shippers went to the trouble of having all of their own produce approved by the IDVP before dinking it at a family wedding :?
If such practices do exist then this is very much what I'm thinking of. The problem may be finding someone willing to admit to doing it :?
Derek
Do any shippers you know of, especially small independants, make "Mooshine VP" for their own consumption? I find it hard to believe that the IDVP are able or willing to keep track of every litre of juice that comes out of the lagares and would be surprised if all shippers went to the trouble of having all of their own produce approved by the IDVP before dinking it at a family wedding :?
If such practices do exist then this is very much what I'm thinking of. The problem may be finding someone willing to admit to doing it :?
Derek
I fully understand what you'd like to accomplish. If I do make the trip over in June, I will certainly ask the question of a number of producers. I think the idea of a special barrell is cool too. Then again, you are unable to go with us ... but I am sure we'd put a few bottles aside. What I'd do is find out the cost of the 25 cases and then would help to allocate them. Priority quantities for those that are there to do the work in lagar and then all the rest for those here that could not join us.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com