High potential for classic vintage Port declaration in 2010

Port producers are extremely positive about the quality of the grapes from this year’s harvest and hopes are running high that 2010 could be declared a classic vintage.

Although the official declaration is not made until 18 months after the harvest, Paul Symington, chairman of Symington Family Estates, said that the houses “know by mid-October whether the harvest is good enough,” and added, “we could have something really exciting if the weather holds”.

Speaking further of this year’s conditions, he told the drinks business, present in the Douro at the end of last week, that the summer of 2010 was unusually dry although temperatures weren’t too high.

“Over the last 20 years I have never seen no rain in July or August, but this year there was nothing, zero. However, it had rained so much over the winter that the vines were ok – and it wasn’t too hot in August.”

Talking of the Touriga Nacional grape in particular, the flagship variety of the region, Symington said: “It will ripen without water in this heat and clearly the grape has adapted to this valley and these conditions.”

He did admit however: “The greatest vintages for Port come when there is some rain or a thunderstorm in late August or early September as it softens the grape skins. We didn’t get any rain this year and I would have loved to.”

As for whether there would be a vintage declaration in 2010, he said that it was too early to say and producers would need to wait to see the quality of the Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca grapes which arrive later than other varieties used for Port.

“We need to see how these grapes perform in the lagares, the colours and the smells. If you have raspberry aromas all around the wineries as you drive around you know you’ve got something really good and the last time we had that was 2007.”

He also added: “We now have the ability to be pretty certain by mid-October if it is a phenomenal wine,” even though the producers keep to the tradition of declaring a classic vintage 18 months after the harvest.

Symington also stressed: “We now know a lot more in terms of viticulture and winemaking and the quality of wine from the leading Port houses has never been higher.”

In particular, the implementation of temperature controlled stainless steel lagares with automatic machines that mimic the action of foot treading has made a significant difference to the quality of wines produced at Symington Family Estate’s wineries.

The technology, pioneered by the company in the late 90s, and dubbed the robotic lagar, uses silicon feet to gently crush the grapes, allowing the winemaker to “tread” the grapes as often and whenever they like.

Although the company still employs people to tread the grapes in traditional lagares, Symington said: “While there is a lovely romanticism for traditional foot treading you can’t tread at 3am.”

“The benchmark for robotic lagares was that it would be as good, but we are finding in some years that it’s better.”

Continuing he said: “The robotic lagares are stainless steel and have cooling jackets on three sides so there are advantages in terms of temperature control and cleanliness, as well as the fact you can tread at regular intervals. We have found to our delight that in some years it’s surpassing the quality of traditional food trodden lagares.”

Symington Family Estates currently have 16 robotic lagares: three in Quinta do Senhora da Ribeira, six in Quinta da Cavadinha, four in Quinta do Sol, three in Quinta dos Malvedos.

The company is planning to install more at the Cockburn’s winery in Quinta do Tua which it acquired in 2006 and its Bomfim winery, which Symington is planning to refit after 2011’s vintage.

“We would have more robotic lagares if we could – it’s just a question of raising the cash.”

Click here to see the traditional foot treading as practised at Symington Family Estate’s Quinta do Vesuvio winery for this year’s harvest.

And click here to see the modern approach using automated lagares at Grahams’ Quinta dos Malvedos winery.

Patrick Schmitt, 30.09.2010