Tasting notes:
Ferreira, Tawny Port. Pale brick red in colour. On the nose, aromas of mellow red fruits are married with notes of baking spice and roasted nuts. On the palate, smooth tannins create a velvety mouthfeel. And a vibrant acidity balances the sweetness and carries the flavours onto the elegant finish.
Food Match:
Complements rich caramel desserts, apple tarts, roasted almonds, or mild, creamy cheeses like Camembert. It is also exceptionally well-suited as a post-dinner digestif.
Producer/Region:
Founded in 1751, when the Port trade was dominated by British shippers, Ferreira is the oldest Portuguese Port house and remains the leader in the domestic market. It was under the leadership of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira. One of the formidable widows of the world of wine, that the company became the force it is today. LuÃs Sottomayor is at the winemaking helm and uses grapes from prime Douro vineyard sites. And Ferreira’s flagship ‘Quinta do Porto’ to produce the Ports. These ports are characterised by their exuberant ripeness, exceptional concentration, weight and structure, yet wonderful balance.
Vinification: Ferreira, Tawny Port
The grapes for the Ferreira Tawny Port are sourced from prime vineyard sites in the Cima Corgo and Baixo Corgo sub-regions. The Douro is the largest mountainous vineyard area on earth and vines are planted on steep terraces sloping down to the Douro river. Many of which are supported by ancient, UNESCO-world-heritage -protected, dry stone walls. Given the steep gradients and the inaccessibility for machinery, vineyard operations and harvesting are carried out by hand. Soils in the Douro are composed of a dense, slate-like, metamorphic rock called schist. In the Douro, the schist fractures vertically. This allows the vine roots to delve deep to access water and nutrients to sustain them through the hot Douro summers.
Upon arrival at the winery, the hand harvested grapes were partially destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation took place at controlled temperatures with regular pump overs and punch downs. This is to ensure extraction of optimum levels of colour, flavour and tannin. The ferment was closely monitored to determine the ideal moment to halt the fermentation by fortifying with grape spirit. Leaving some of the grapes’ natural sugars. The wines remained in the Douro until the spring following the harvest .They are then transported downstream to the historic Ferreira cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for oxidative ageing in oak casks. The Tawny Port is a carefully assembled blend of wines. Between two to five years of age with an average age of around four years.
