For The Love Of Port

Hi all,
I am having a hard time finding a definition for the word "torrefacted" (at least in reference to wine/Port). Roy used it in his description of the Quevedo Colheita that is on offer for the buying op, and I'm curious what it means. I know Roy is away, but I figured someone else might be able to offer help in his absence.

Here's the sentence from his tasting notes: "It delivers lots of subtlety, is blessed with plenty of acidity and the finish is long and infused with nuts and torrefacted flavors."

This won't affect my order either way, so I don't need an immediate answer, just curious.

Torrefaction, at least with regards to coffee beans, is the drying or roasting process.

Since Colheitas often exhibit flavors of dried fruits and/or nuts, my guess is that those are what Roy is talking about, just in a sesquipedalian manner.

Wikipedia says it is drying at medium-high temperature (200-320C) in the absence of oxygen. Volatiles are given off, all biological processes are stopped. It makes a clean, hot-burning, safe-to-store combustible product from ordinary biomass. Slightly higher temperatures will create charcoal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrefaction

It doesn't mention any kind of food stuffs, but I can see where the term might be used in that way if drying in the absence of oxygen (at a somewhat lower temperature) is intended.

Torrified (not torrefacted) grain is cooked to pregelatinize it for further use--think of precooking oats to make instant oatmeal. I don't know how this relates, but it is at a lower temperature than Peter's process.

A term in chemisty. With regard to food/wine, I've always understood it to mean roasted, caramelized.

Sounds like the common thread here is heat/roasting. That must have been what he meant, a caramelized sort of flavor. Maybe sometime Roy will chime in to confirm.

He'll probably make us wait.

Lesson for Roy (and anyone else who writes TNs): Don't use fluffy descriptors that other people won't understand.

I don't know, I like to learn a new word every now and then.

Eric Ifune was spot on with his description. I have seen torrefaction and especially torrefacted in wine descriptors for years. Roasted, toffee, caramel and candied nuts like a praline (candied hazelnut) is what it represents and is often in Madeira TNs as well as Port. I've also seen it used in TNs on Sherry, Vin Santo and a description by a wine/spirits writer friend who was doing an article on Frangelico earlier in the decade when I first learned what this was. Torrefaction has nothing to do with cotton candy or other fluff that Derek likes, along with his Pink Port.

Roy Hersh wrote:Torrefaction has nothing to do with cotton candy or other fluff that Derek likes, along with his Pink Port.

It does if you add brown sugar and boil it for 45 minutes

Thanks for clarifying, Roy. And note to self: If visiting the UK for a Port tasting, perhaps I better try not get invited to Derek's for dinner. At least not if he's cooking.

Melanie R. wrote:And note to self: If visiting the UK for a Port tasting, perhaps I better try not get invited to Derek's for dinner. At least not if he's cooking.

Derek in a kitchen = bad idea, on more than one front

I happened across this term while reading Port and the Douro the other night, so I was glad that I had learned what it meant. Thanks all.

Melanie R. wrote:I happened across this term while reading Port and the Douro the other night, so I was glad that I had learned what it meant. Thanks all.

You must be on about the same page I am. I saw it today, in the chapter describing all of the quintas, including one that typically produces torrefacted Port I too was glad to know what that meant.

Yes, that's funny that we're reading the same part. I had to look back and see where it was, but it's quintas in the Roncao Valley that he mentions. "The British shippers refer to 'roasted Roncao' and after a hot summer it is not uncommon for these wines to take on more than a hint of torrefaction." I'm thinking these Ports would be right up my alley.

On two occasions, I've been on wild, open air truck rides down the back roads of the Roncão Valley, which is quite remote in terms of the vineyard areas and this hidden part of the Douro (most tourists never go back there ... at least the way we headed in, as Romaneira is visited by another route). Maybe one of the next tours will do that ride again, I think the last time was in 2006. Anyway, it is good to see that others are using the same term.

I've coined at least two famous terms related to Port that I know were never used before, but that's not it.

Roy Hersh wrote:On two occasions, I've been on wild, open air truck rides down the back roads of the Roncão Valley, which is quite remote in terms of the vineyard areas and this hidden part of the Douro (most tourists never go back there ... at least the way we headed in, as Romaneira is visited by another route). Maybe one of the next tours will do that ride again, I think the last time was in 2006. Anyway, it is good to see that others are using the same term.

I've coined at least two famous terms related to Port that I know were never used before, but that's not it.

Yes it was 2006 and what a fun, and scary, ride at the same time. I thought I was dreaming....

Scary ride?

This from an officer of the law, who speeds around on a huge motorcycle through the highways and byways in LA traffic?

Was it because two wheels of the truck carrying a dozen people, had two of the wheels within 3" of the edge of the cliffs with a sheer 1500' drop w/o guard rails and whilst looking over the side of the old jallopy, you could literally see straight down? It wasn't you who pooped themself on that tour was it? Don't blame Derek.

Roy Hersh wrote:Scary ride?

This from an officer of the law, who speeds around on a huge motorcycle through the highways and byways in LA traffic?

Was it because two wheels of the truck carrying a dozen people, had two of the wheels within 3" of the edge of the cliffs with a sheer 1500' drop w/o guard rails and whilst looking over the side of the old jallopy, you could literally see straight down? It wasn't you who pooped themself on that tour was it? Don't blame Derek.

3" from the edge...uh, I remember part of the tire hanging over the edge of a sheer drop off at one point. And I think it was a slightly bigger Brit than Derek that did that