Quinta classification of Port vineyards in the Douro
Encyclopedia
The Quinta classification of Port vineyards in the Douro is a system that grades the terroir
and quality potential of vineyards in the Douro wine region to produce grapes suitable for the production of Port wine
. In Portuguese, a quinta is a wine producing estate, which can be a winery or a vineyard. While other wine classification systems may classify the winery (such as the 1855 Bordeaux classification), the Douro quinta classification is based upon the physical characteristics of the vineyard. The classification system is run by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP) and shares some similarities to the classification of Champagne vineyards
in that one of the purposes of the system is to ensuring that vineyards producing grapes with the highest quality potential receive a high price. A secondary function of the quinta classification is the establishment of permitted yields for production. Quintas with a higher classification (and theoretically capable of producing grapes of higher quality) are permitted to harvest
more grapes than a vineyard that received a lower classification.
The origins of this system dates back to the quality control regulations installed by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal in the mid 18th century. In the early 18th century, British Port producers (known as "shippers") had tight control over the Port industry, including the leverage to dictate pricing for grapes grown in the Douro valley. A series of scandals hit the Port wine industry, including practice of wine fraud
and adulterating poor quality Port with grapes grown outside the region or with foreign ingredients such as elderberry
juice, which had the economic impact of driving down Port wine sales and prices across the board. Following complaints by Portuguese wine growers over the business practice of the British and dealing with the growing economic crisis in the Port wine trade, the Marquis of Pombal established the Douro Wine Company
with the power to install quality control regulations in the Port industry.
One of these powers was establishing licenses for growers of Port wine grapes and dictating limits or "quotas" for what could be harvested. These quotas (known as the beneficio) would change with each vintage
depending on the quality of the vintage and on the current conditions of the wine market. These measures were enacted to ensure that the market wasn't flooded with Port and that the wines that were available were of high quality and not something that could tarnish the reputation of the Douro. Over the years the system of licensing growers turned into a rating classification operated by the IVDP. The system only pertains the production of Port. A quinta that is growing grapes for both Port and table wines, can do whatever they like with the grapes destined for table wine production regardless of its classification rating. Each year the IVDP classifies and rates the vineyards on an A-F scale with A being the highest level. A quinta's rating will dictate the permitted production level of the vineyard and what price the grower can receive for the wine they produce from the grapes.
Quintas are given numerical ratings in several categories-Age of the vines, altitude, aspect, vine density, gradient, granite content of the soil, schist content of the soil, types of grape varieties planted, overall location of the vineyard, microclimate, mixture, vineyard soil type, vine productivity and vineyard maintenance. Vineyards that have favorable attributes in a particular category (such as being planted with an optimal low density of vines) are award points while negative attribute (such as having too high of a vine density) receive point deduction. The totals are added up and the vineyard is then given an A-F rating with A being the best possible rating and F being the worst. The higher a quinta's rating, the more grapes the vineyard is permitted to harvest and the higher a price they can expect to receive for their wine.
Source for graph: T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 334-336 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248
Terroir
Terroir comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties...
and quality potential of vineyards in the Douro wine region to produce grapes suitable for the production of Port wine
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
. In Portuguese, a quinta is a wine producing estate, which can be a winery or a vineyard. While other wine classification systems may classify the winery (such as the 1855 Bordeaux classification), the Douro quinta classification is based upon the physical characteristics of the vineyard. The classification system is run by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP) and shares some similarities to the classification of Champagne vineyards
Classification of Champagne vineyards
The classification of Champagne vineyards developed in the mid 20th century as a means of setting the price of grapes grown through the villages of the Champagne wine region. Unlike the classification of Bordeaux wine estates or Burgundy Grand cru vineyards, the classification of Champagne is...
in that one of the purposes of the system is to ensuring that vineyards producing grapes with the highest quality potential receive a high price. A secondary function of the quinta classification is the establishment of permitted yields for production. Quintas with a higher classification (and theoretically capable of producing grapes of higher quality) are permitted to harvest
Harvest (wine)
The harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to...
more grapes than a vineyard that received a lower classification.
History
Wine fraud
Wine fraud is a form of fraud in which wines are sold to a customer illicitly, usually having the customer spend more money than the product is worth, or causing sickness due to harmful chemicals being mixed into the wine...
and adulterating poor quality Port with grapes grown outside the region or with foreign ingredients such as elderberry
Elderberry
Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
juice, which had the economic impact of driving down Port wine sales and prices across the board. Following complaints by Portuguese wine growers over the business practice of the British and dealing with the growing economic crisis in the Port wine trade, the Marquis of Pombal established the Douro Wine Company
Douro Wine Company
The Douro Wine Company was a government oversight organization established by the Portuguese Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal to regulate the trade and production of Port wine...
with the power to install quality control regulations in the Port industry.
One of these powers was establishing licenses for growers of Port wine grapes and dictating limits or "quotas" for what could be harvested. These quotas (known as the beneficio) would change with each vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
depending on the quality of the vintage and on the current conditions of the wine market. These measures were enacted to ensure that the market wasn't flooded with Port and that the wines that were available were of high quality and not something that could tarnish the reputation of the Douro. Over the years the system of licensing growers turned into a rating classification operated by the IVDP. The system only pertains the production of Port. A quinta that is growing grapes for both Port and table wines, can do whatever they like with the grapes destined for table wine production regardless of its classification rating. Each year the IVDP classifies and rates the vineyards on an A-F scale with A being the highest level. A quinta's rating will dictate the permitted production level of the vineyard and what price the grower can receive for the wine they produce from the grapes.
Ratings
- A rating- 1,200+ points
- B rating- 1,001-1,199 points
- C rating-801-1,000 points
- D rating-601-800 points
- E rating-400-600 points
- F rating-399 and below
Criteria
| Category | Maximum awarded points possible | Maximum deduction | Comments |
| Age of vines | 60 | 0 | Vines that are older are more highly valued due to their naturally lower yields and more concentrated grapes. |
| Altitude Altitude Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context... |
150 | (-900) | Vineyards at lower altitudes are preferred. |
| Aspect (geography) Aspect Aspect may be:*Aspect , a feature that is linked to many parts of a program, but which is not necessarily the primary function of the program... |
250 | (-1000) | |
| Density of planting | 50 | (-50) | Vineyards with a lower density of planting are preferred. |
| Gradient Gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change.... |
100 | (-100) | Vineyards planted on steeper gradients are preferred. |
| Granite Granite Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic... content |
0 | (-350) | Vineyards with more schistous soils, instead of granite, are preferred. |
| Grape varieties planted | 150 | (-300) | Vineyards planted with more the grapes officially recognized as being "Very Good" for Port production, such as Touriga Nacional Touriga Nacional Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. Touriga Nacional provides structure and... , Touriga Francesa Touriga Francesa Touriga Franca is one of the major grape varieties used to produce port wine. Touriga Franca is lighter and more perfumed than Touriga Nacional, adding finesse to the wine. Touriga Franca has been described by Jancis Robinson as playing "Cabernet Franc to Touriga Nacional’s Cabernet Sauvignon"... and Tinta Roriz, are favored. |
| Location | 600 | (-50) | |
| Microclimate | 60 | 0 | Evaluation of general terroir characteristics such as how sheltered the vineyard is from detrimental winds, etc. |
| Mixture | 0 | (-150) | |
| Schist Schist The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is... content |
100 | 0 | Vineyards with higher schist content are preferred. |
| Soil types | 100 | (-350) | |
| Vine productivity | 120 | (-900) | Vines with a propensity for lower yields are preferred. |
| Vineyard maintenance | 100 | (-500) |
Source for graph: T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 334-336 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248