White Port: A Blend of Varieties Unknown to Many

When we think of Port wine, most of us automatically envision an after-dinner Ruby Port with a cigar (smoking jacket included) or a tawny Port savored with a dessert of crème brulee. Count me in on those thoughts! But there’s another Port style that I’ve come to love –dry White Port.

The introduction to this wine was during my first work trip to Portugal where late one summer evening, I sipped a deliciously cool and refreshing White Port Cocktail (white port over ice and tonic water with a sprig of mint) with a group of journalists and sommeliers. I loved this wine from the first taste to the last and, but I craved more information. What varieties are in white port? How is it produced? Clearly, research was needed and I was on it!

This month, members of the Wine Pairing Weekend crew (#WinePW) have been inspired by Godforsaken Grapes: A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Underappreciated Wine by Jason Wilson. We’re delving deep into under-the-radar varieties of which most winelovers aren’t aware. An excerpt from the book explains, “In recent years, you may have noticed some unfamiliar names on wine lists alongside your usual chardonnays and pinot noirs — strange, hard-to-pronounce grapes from places where, until recently, many people didn’t even realize wine was made.” Truth!

Naturally, this was a perfect opportunity to finally investigate the varieties in White Port and share my love for this wine. I will say that my wine knowledge has expanded and I hope yours will be, too. (For my colleagues’ articles about their choices of “Godforsaken grapes”, see below.)

White Port

White port is a blend of several grape varieties authorized and grown in the Douro Valley in Portugal. Malvasia Fina, Gouveio, Rabigato and Viosinho are used in the blend that varies according to each Port house and the style it wants to produce. White port, light, fresh and fruit-forward, may present subtle honey and nut aromas and may range from sweet to dry. Classic white ports are aged for 2-3 years in large vats. Fine White Ports are aged for 3-4 years in a combination of large wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks. Aged whites are blends with 10, 20, 30 or more than 40 years of ageing in seasoned oak casks.

So, what about those unfamiliar grape varieties that may be found in white port?

Malvasia Fina is an old variety from the Douro or the Dao region in Portugal. With vigorous, large yields, the grape is easy to grow and is only mildly susceptible to downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot. This variety is the basis for most white port wines due to its moderate acidity, elegant and intense aromatics and ability to age. On the palate, Malvasia Fina may express notes of molasses, nutmet, beeswax and hints of smoke even though it hasn’t matured in wood.

Gouveio, also known as Godello, was almost extinct in the 1970s. Thanks to the efforts of Horacio Fernandez and Luis Hidalgo’s “Godello Revival”, the variety has made a comeback especially in Spain’s Galicia region. It’s also cultivated in the Douro and is compared to the Verdelho variety. Gouveio presents green berries in small bunches and is fresh and vibrant with moderate acidity, plenty of body and lovely aromatics of citrus, peach and anise.

Rabigato is grown almost exclusively in the Douro. Highly acidic with bright aromas and flavors of orange peel, acacia, and lemon, this variety is fresh and vivid with elements of minerality and plenty of ageing potential. Because of its acidity, it’s usually blended with varieties expressing lower acid such as Gouveio.

Viosinho is a premium quality, highly aromatic variety from the Douro. Fresh and full-bodied, with good balance of acidity and sugar in the berries, Viosinho offers a structured foundation to white port (and unfortified white blends). It, too, has great potential for ageing.

During my second work trip to Portugal this past September, our group enjoyed lunch at Barão Fladgate Restaurant where I sipped and savored white port once again – this time it was dry. Fresh, fruit aromas with moderate acidity and subtle notes of oak and bright fruit notes on the palate led to a lingering finish. Since the lunch at Taylor’s, I’ve sipped white port as an aperitif with potato chips, pate and salted almonds and as a dessert with a generous pour over lime sorbet!

Taylor Fladgate was the first to create a dry white port offered as an aperitif. According to those at Taylor’s, their Chip Dry White Port was first blended in 1934 and the rest is history. The Chip Dry is made from “selected dry white ports produced from grapes grown in the Douro Superior (the eastern area of the Douro Valley).” The Malvasia Fina variety predominates in the blend.

 

Chip Dry is produced using the traditional method of port wine vinifications whereby brandy is added to the must to halt fermentation and preserve much of the grape’s natural sugar. With Chip Dry, brandy is added later, when much of the sugar has been converted into alcohol. A dry port is produced. Individual wines are matured separately in oak barrels for four to five years then blended together before bottling “to give balance and character.”

In the spirit of research, keep a chilled bottle of Taylor’s white port to sip and savor and appreciate fascinating grape varieties you may have never known existed!

Cheers! ~ Cindy

For more Grape Experiences delivered directly to you, click here.

You’d like to discover more unusual grape varieties? Check out the articles from my #WinePW colleagues.

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An Ode to Godforsaken Grapes on Somm’s Table

An Unlikely Match: A Thai Favorite + A Qvevri-Aged Wine from the Republic of Georgia by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Cesanese, Schioppettino and More Interesting Wine to Try by Cooking Chat

Falanghina and Lagrein from California? Of course! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Godforsaken Grapes: The Book and Thoughts about Wine by Our Good Life

Godforsaken Grapes: The Book, The Wine, The Pairing by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Pairing Blaufrankisch from Austria with Dark Soya Marinated Chicken Legs by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings

Pair Petit Manseng with Asian Food by Asian Test Kitchen

Pairing the Unpairable: Traditional Turkish Manti and Yogurt with Öküzgözü Rosé by The Quirky Cork

Saperavi is Super with Khachapuri by Dracaena Wines

Southwest France: A Pool of Grape Diversity by L’Occasion

Tasting & Pairing Tannat – #WinePW Exploration of Godforsaken Grapes by The Corkscrew Concierge

To Try in 2020: Paso Whites– Unexpected Grapes In an Unexpected Region by Wine Predator

The Forgotten Grapes of Calabria: Gaglioppo of Ceraudo with Salsiccia by Vino Travels

 

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