Port harvest ‘surprisingly good’, Sogevinus reports

Port producer Sogevinus has reported a “surprisingly” good harvest for 2016 despite the difficult conditions.

The growing year started with a warm winter and above average temperatures in December and January which plunged into a colder and wet spring, which produced perfect conditions for mildew. This, along with hailstorms in July resulted in “significant” losses of grapes in specific areas, and a lack of uniform maturity at harvest time.

“The maturation analysis showed good results, and our visits to the vineyards confirmed this year was going to be good. Although the berries and bunches were smaller than other years, they showed a good pulp/skin ratio, a sign of richer and more complex wines,” the company’s latest report said. “But the maturation of the parcels in the vineyards was not uniform, which required careful planning in the picking decisions.”

Harvesting grapes for port was slightly delayed, it noted but was completed before rain in the middle of October, although picking for the still white wines proved more of a challenge.

The overall health and yield this year was good and there was “freshness, medium acidity and good colour” in the red wines, with lower alcohol levels than seen in 2015. It noted fresh minerality in Tinta Roriz, with good maturation with Tourgia Franca despite the smaller berries than 2014 and 2015, which had produced wines with good structure, colour, and “elegant body”. The Tourigia Franca, along with Touriga Nacional performed particularly well, producing “rich and fat” wines.

“The Port Wines are already proving to be clean and quite aromatic, and concentrated in colour. However, their tannins are not quite fully rounded, which tells us the wines from this harvest will need ageing time to refine and reveal all their potential,” the report said.

White wines including Malvasia Fina, Folgasão, Gouveio,Viosinho, Fernão Pires were fresh and fruity, with a depth of minerality for wines from higher levels in the vineyard such as Arinto, it noted, while white wines destined to become Colheitas were full-bodied and fat, giving great ageing potential.

Kopke success

The company has also secured a listing in Waitrose for its top-tier Reserve Tawny Port Kopke, the second listing in a national multiple following the launch of its 1996 Colheita M&S in September.

Tania Branco Oliveira, PR & Communications Director for Sogevinus, said it was pleasing to see Kopke listed in two major multiples after the company had spent time raising awareness of the brand.

“Sogevinus is the leader in the production of Tawny Ports, a category which is now grabbing the attention of buyers in the UK. We are proud to see this historic Portuguese brand available at Waitrose, a leading British retailer, just in time for Christmas.”