From the Vine - Pass the Port

My trigger for visiting Oporto was a bottle of Cockburn’s 1963; a classic year, but at £150 well past its best. No-one had warned me about the hills and it took considerable stamina to taste 55 ports in just three days. I returned with 17 different ports from 13 different producers, having barely scratched the surface.

Port, a fortified wine produced in Portugal’s Douro valley, is ranked alongside the world’s finest. Grape spirit is added during production to stop fermentation early, retaining some sugar, producing a sweet wine around 20%abv alcohol.

Although 18th centurywine growers and landowners were Portuguese, we British bought the wines,
aged them in Oporto, and handled their export; familiar names are Grahams, Taylors, Sandeman
and Cockburns. As many port producers are now owned by conglomerates I sought out smaller
producers, with styles and prices to suit everyone.

The main styles are Ruby, Tawny and White, with Rosé being a recent innovation. Most ports are made from a blend of wines from different years, the exception being Colheita, using grapes from a single year’s “vintage” harvest.

Within each port style there are a number of categories:
Aged (10yr, 20yr); Reserve; Late BottledVintage (LBV); Crusted; Single Quinta (single vineyard).

Although over 100 grape varieties are approved for Duoro wine making, five varieties are usually
used for port – Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, and Touriga
Nacional. White port is a blend of white grapes.

Several port houses now offer ports made from a single grape variety, blends such as Graham’s
“6 Grapes”, or Quinta do Portal’s “29 Grapes”.

Colour can vary fromlight brown to rich ruby red, dependent upon age and use ofwood; a comparative tasting can be enlightening as the taste can vary from very sweet to extra dry.

Vintage years are only declared in exceptional years. For those wishing to invest in port, the 2011
vintage is said to be stunning, with the classic character of a good vintage year, with finesse and
polish. Ready for drinking in the next five years, it will keep for another 20. At under £100 a bottle,
prices are not steep for this quality.
Each style has an optimum serving temperature:

Quinta De La Rosa, 10 yr. Old Tawny – £21.50 (The LittleWine Shop, Taunton) – creamy on the
palate, with oodles of chocolate, berries and nuts.
Quinta De La Rosa Finest Reserve – £21 (Tim’s Wines, South Petherton) – deep ruby with plenty
of forward fruit, full bodied with a long dry finish.
Churchill’s LBV 2005 – £21 (Ilminster Book Shop) – herbal, pine notes on the nose, with
pomegranate and chocolate on the palate.
Krohn Colheita 2001,Wiese & Krohn – £18.84 (Rodney Fletcher Vintners – David Hinmer 01460
66165) – award-winning, like soft toffee on the nose, caramelised berries and dried figs on the palate.
Burmester Extra Dry White – £8.75 – strawcoloured, with tropical fruits and citrus. Dry, fruity and smooth.
Quinta Santa Eufemia, 20yr. OldWhite – £27.20 (50cl.) – great complexity from wood ageing, yet
fresh in the mouth.
Quinta Do Estanho Special White Reserve – £15 – Golden amber, with tropical crystallised
fruits and spice on the nose. Balanced sweetness and acidity, long and delicate.
Kopke – the oldest port house still operating, whose speciality is Colheita ports.

Article as seen in Somerset Living Page 46| Living FOOD & DRINK - Feb 2018

Fabulous Franciacorta

Linda Piggott-Vijeh discovers the best bubbly, perfect for any celebratory occasion

When in the mood for celebration, my desire for bubbly tomark the occasion, in particular Champagne, is well recorded. Of course, not everyone’s pocket can run to such luxury. Do be aware though that despite the many supermarket offers that fill the shelves around this time of year, the cheaper offerings make for poor drinking. If real Champagne is your tipple, you should reckon on around £30 a bottle to be sure of something memorable.

If your budget means that you can only afford to splash out at around £10 a bottle, Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine from Catalonia, is a better bet.

I have long since tired of the ubiquitous Prosecco. The market is so flooded that much of it is of poor quality.

On a more positive note, this festive season, during a memorable trip to the opera at La Scala in Milan, I discovered a credible bubbly alternative in the wines of Franciacorta, which enjoys DOCG (Denominazione di OrigineControllata e Garantita) status. DOCG is the highest classification for Italian wines. It denotes controlled production methods and guaranteed wine quality.

Situated in the hills of the Brescia province, lying to the south of Lago d’Iseo, the name Franciacorta is derived from an ancient term, “franca curte,” that was applied to a monastic property in the district, which, as an ecclesiastical possession, was free or “franco” of taxes.

The recent international success of these sparkling wines owes much to the méthode champenoise technique of making them. The introduction of this step, with a secondary fermentation carried out in the bottle, has enabled the area to improve the quality of wines already benefiting from outstanding soil characteristics and a highly favourable microclimate.

During my visit I took every opportunity to try as many as I could. One unforgettable evening was spent in a tiny bistro where, invited to a tasting, I sampled the wines of vineyard 1701.

The owners of the vineyard, brother and sister Federico and Silvia Stefini, were generous in plying us with samples of several of the six wines they produce, totalling around 60,000 bottles per year, produced from grapes grown on their 10-acre site. The name 1701 stems from the fact that this was the first documented date of winemaking here. The vineyard was revived in 2009 by two enthusiastic brothers who believe in the principles and methods of organic and biodynamic viticulture. Their efforts were rewarded when in July 2016, 1701 obtained its official biodynamic/organic certification and the vineyard has gained numerous international awards. Made from two of the traditional Champagne grape varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the wines are available in the UK through importers Les Caves de Pyrenes, and range in price from £15 to around £40.

Look out for their Satèn, made in a style typical of the region. Also worth trying is Sullerba, an old vinification method where the lees remain in the bottle, unfiltered and not disgorged. Made from 100% chardonnay, it is fermented in steel tanks and terracotta amphorae, then transferred into a bottle, using the must of the same vine for second fermentation, and aged for a minimum of 18 months. Their latest offering is Surnàt, which is vinified entirely in amphora.

Other Franciacorta wines to look out for are: Berlucchi Cellarius(2011, £19), La Rotonda Satèn (2013, £20), La Rotonda Dizeta (2009, 12.5%, £25), Ca’ del Bosco Millenium (2006, 12.5%, £36), Montedelma Rosé (NV, £22) and Cavalleri, Blanc de Blancs (NV, 12.5% £30).

The wines are not inexpensive, but will make an interesting alternative for quality bubbles.

Original Article : Somerset Living Magazine - January 2018.  Pg.48| FOOD & DRINK