Sunday, June 8, 2014

Port wine - treading the grapes to the sound of the drum, and later machines

Port comes from Portugal and this video on Youtube shows you how the barrels used to be carried, bounced up the Douro river. For armchair travellers, a good explanation of the Portuguese history and countryside. How and why they damned that fast-moving river Douro, the high hills either side which were ideal candidates for growing wines - and not much else. the amazing and dangerous job of racing along the fast-flowing river with barrels on board, whilst rowing with long oars perched on what one might call the crow's nest.

Finally, that aged port - they are now putting into barrels and bottles wine which will be drunk in two years time, ten years time, and even a 100 years time.

You'll find out what those words vintage and late mean on bottles describing the port.

You'll learn about the good relationship between the Portuguese and British.
You can also see the men treading the grapes to extract colour and flavour.

Later, in recent times, the company Graham's Port, has found new machines to do this and you can see the machines in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yndonMIWL_E

Some other port wines you'll see in supermarkets:


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