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Types.
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Contents:
1.
Generally: 1a. Blends. - 1b. Standard or Special Category/Premium. - 1c. Cask maturing. - 1d. Filtered or Unfiltered. - 1e. Maturing in V.N. de Gaia or Douro Region. - 1f. Single Quinta Ports. - 1g. Co-operatives. - 1h. Sweetness. - 1i. Biological Ports. - 1j. Quinine. - 1k. Buyers Own Brands. - 1l. Rubricating red Ports. - 1m. National preferences.

2. Last changes rules.

3. Quality gradings.

4.
White Port: 4a. Standard White. - 4b. Reserva/Reserve White. - 4c. Colheita White. - 4d. Aged  White.

5.
Ruby style: 5a. Standard Ruby. - 5b. Reserva/Reserve. - 5c. Crusted.5d. Late Bottled Vintage - LBV. - 5e. Vintage.

6. 
Tawny style: 6a. Colheita (red). - 6b. Garrafeira. - 6c. Standard Tawny. - 6d. Reserva/Reserve Tawny. - 6e. Aged Tawnies.

7.
Rosé Port: 7a. Standard Rosé.

1. Generally.
Before we describe the types first some information about indications and particularities:  

1a. Blends. This indication is used when Port of different years is mixed. Blended Ports form the largest part of the production. When Port of different quintas or grapes from the same year are mixed it is not called a blend.  

1b. Standard Port or Special Category Port/Premium. Standards are young White, young Tawny, Ruby and Rosé. Standard Port is made in very large volumes (some 80% of the total sales).
Special Category Ports/Premium Ports are Reserva/Reserve White, Tawny and Ruby; Crusted; Late Bottled Vintage; Vintage; Colheita white and red; Garrafeira; Aged Tawny and Aged White. Of these much less is produced (some 20%).  



1c.
Cask maturing/storing and oxidation
. Large differences exist in storing Port Wine in casks. If a producer wants to make a Colheita or an  Aged Tawny he will choose small oak casks for an optimal contact of the wine with the wood. In that case he will even help the oxidation process by pumping over the wine regularly and thus oxygenate it extra.
But if a producer wants for example a dark, fruity Late Bottled Vintage he will choose for storing in huge tanks, often not
made of wood.
So, there is a large difference between cask maturing and cask storing.
It demands great skill of wine makers to determine in a very early stage already what will be suitable for the young wine. The wine structure and quality are determinant in the choice for cask maturing or for processing to dark, fruity types.


 

1d. Filtered or Unfiltered bottled Port. Sometimes these types are indicated as matured in cask or bottle matured, but that is inaccurate. All bottle matured Port has after all spend some years in cask too, though the ripening process is then being suppressed sometimes (see 1c).

The filtered – the greater part – are at their peak when they are bottled, after having first been filtered and stabilized, don’t get any better by being in bottle, and are not meant to be kept. In fact filtering and stabilizing clears them of all grape rests so the wine can not develops further. 

The unfiltered become significantly better after years in bottle, sometimes form a substantial crust and often oxidize quickly after opening and coming in contact with oxygen. On the bottles they are indicated with "Unfiltered", "Não filtrado" or "Bottle matured/Envelhecido em garrafa". Sometimes such an indication is absent, while on the back label indication is found that they can improve in bottle and/or can form crust, and that they are in fact unfiltered. 

The classical unfiltered Port is the Vintage. But they also exist as Crusted, Late Bottled Vintage and (Ruby-)Reserve (Vintage Character). For the real fans these are the exciting wines to store, which can result in a long time tasting pleasure.  


Amongst Port lovers more and more irritation arises about the noncommittal attitude of the industry in the use of  indications for Filtered and Unfiltered versions. You often only discover after removing the capsule what you may expect by means of the type of cork. 
The last regulations of the IVDP in Regulamento no. 23/2006 only say that certain indications may be used. The terms “Não filtrado” and “Unfiltered” are allowed for the Vintage, LBV, Crusted or Reserve (Ruby). The terms “Envelhecido em garrafa” and “Bottle Matured” are allowed for the Vintage, LBV, Crusted or Garrafeira.

Otherwise, these last terms may not be used earlier than three years after bottling of unfiltered LBV and of the Crusted.


1e. Port matured in Vila Nova de Gaia and in the Douro region. The climate in the Douro region is much less temperate (between –2 and +45 degrees Celsius) than at the coast. Because of this wines mature much quicker and develop a different taste, indicated as Douro Bake; by Spence in The Port Companion (1997) characterized as a cooked taste, not unpleasant but very different.
More and more often companies are changing to storing at the quintas, more attention is being paid to climate control. Quinta do Noval and Quinta do Vesúvio for example have fully air-conditioned storages. The result might be that this special Douro Bake taste will completely disappear in the future.   

1f. Single Quinta Ports (SQP’s). These SQP’s take up different positions.
The large Port companies, which possess many vineyards and/or sell grapes or wine from independent wine farmers, mostly market SQP-Vintages only when they don’t need that harvest for a vintage of the whole company. Here SQP is of minor importance (there are exceptions: see below).

On the other hand there are independent quintas in the Douro area. For a long time they have been prohibited to export their Port from their domain. This was only allowed out of the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia. These independent quintas could only deliver within Portugal or to large shippers. But this rule was abolished in 1986 when Portugal entered the EU. Ever since the development of independent quintas has been slowly increasing. It is obviously that they try to produce the best possible product under their own name and not only Vintages, but also all other types. Their appearance in the top has increased over the past years.
The group of Single Quintas is gradually creating a position equal to French Chateaux. A number of them, not the top SQP's, have their own organization: AVEPOD, with members who produce Port and/or Douro Wine.

The largest exception to the divide mentioned afore is Quinta do Noval which has already  been making SQP’s for decades, while, at the same time, being one of the large Port shippers in Vila Nova de Gaia. In the eighties they have left that town for the greater part. This company is one of the best in its branche. Their 1931 Vintage already gave them world fame. Note that only with the name Quinta do Noval the Port is sure to come from that quinta. With the name Noval it comes from other vineyards of the firm. The very best are marketed with the name of Quinta do Noval Nacional.

The Symington Family group proved that this development is also of concern to the large Port houses. In 1989, when they bought the Quinta do Vesúvio they made it into an independent shipper, not sheltered under one of their other houses (Dow's, Graham's, Warre's, Smith Woodhouse, Quarles Harris and Gould Campbell).  

1g. In the Douro region exist about 20 cooperatives all working on a local basis. This development is strongly stimulated by the government. Members are mostly small wine farmers. Over the last years many cooperatives have difficult times leading to mergers and bankruptcies.
An important reason for this is that the last 20 years more and more larger farmers with good quality of grapes left the cooperatives and started as independent producers. Because of this the cooperatives have to work specifically with small lots of lower quality, which makes the end product most often only suitable for Standard Ports.

Because co-operatives don’t appeal to the imagination and don’t have old names, they often offer a good price/quality ratio. However, far from all co-operatives deliver Port Wine.

The first Vintage ever made by a co-operative was marketed by Adega Cooperativa de Santa Marta de Penaguião, a village between Vila Real and Peso da Régua. It is a Vintage 1998 under the brand Caves Santa Marta.

1h. The sweetness of Port Wine can vary from very sweet to sweet, semi-dry, dry or extra dry. It is the winemaker who determines just how sweet a Port Wine will be according to when he interrupts the fermentation. The IVDP presents at http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?idioma=1&codSeccao=2&codPag=67& the following survey of sweetness degrees of these Port types:

Sweetness

Volumetric mass

*Baumé

Sugars (g/l)

Extra dry

< 0,9980 g/cm3

0,0

<40

Dry

de 0,9980 g/cm3 a 1,0079 g/cm3

0,0 - 1,3

40 - 65

Semi dry

de 1,0080 g/cm3 a 1,0179 g/cm3

1,4 - 2,7

65 - 90

Sweet

de 1,0180 g/cm3 a 1,0339 g/cm3

2,8 - 5,0

90 - 130

Very sweet

> 1,0340 g/cm3

>5,0

>130

You especially find these variations in White Ports.
Among the Tawnies and Rubies you find less sweet products for instance of Dow's or Cockburn's. Quinta do Infantado makes a Ruby Medium Dry, a Tawny Demi Sec and a VC/Reserve Meio Seco (Medium Dry). Roseira and Ricou also make a VC/Reserve Meio Seco with the name Rol Roi.
Ramos Pinto makes an extra sweet the Lágrima Tinto or Red, available in Portugal (see
https://www.garrafeiranacional.com/pt_pt/maxshop/produto/5362/porto-tawnyrubybranco/ramos-pinto-lagrima-tinto/).

1i. Quinta do Infantado as well as Romariz, Casal dos Jordões and Quinta do Panascal make biological Ports according to the rules of Agrobio and the EU. They are often (always?) bottled traditionally. Several other companies develop biological vineyards. 

1j. A special Port is made by Ramos Pinto. It is a Ruby to which quinine has been added. This version bearing the name Quinado is mainly marketed in Portugal, Brasil and the former colonies in Africa. It will not come as a surprise that it has a medicinal reputation.  


1k. Bob’s or Buyers Own Brands are own brands from importers or shop chains. However, the actual Portuguese producer’s name is always mentioned on the bottle in small letters. Sometimes these BOB’s offer a good price/quality ratio.  

1l. Red Ports are rubricated in different ways:
-        
cask matured compared to bottle matured,
-        
Ruby coloured or Ruby style compared to Tawny coloured or Tawny style,
-        
without harvest year compared to with harvest year.
When we started in 2001 we made a choice for the segmentation including and excluding  harvest year. In 2006 we have changed this to Ruby style and Tawny style as this fits in better with the most important taste differences.

1m. Finally, it’s good to know for travellers that many Port firms adapt their tastes to national preferences. Here too a voyage of discovery can be made. (France: delicate and fine; England: strapping, gutsy; Portugal: jammy and caramel.)  

2.
Last changes rules. 
With Portaria no. 1484/2002 of November 22nd , 2002 a step was taken in the regulation of types and indications. The most important changes in this law were the replacement of the Vintage Character by the Reserva/Reserve (Ruby), the introduction of the Reserva Tawny/Tawny Reserve and the Reserva Branco/White Reserve and the demands for the Garrafeira. In August 2009 this Portaria has been admitted in Decreto-Lei no. 173/2009 and the Aged White and Rosé Port became official.

In Regulamento no. 36/2005 of April 18th, 2005 descriptions and quality norms have been recorded for the Special Categories.

In Regulamento no. 23/2006 of March 29th, 2006 regulations have been recorded with regard to indications, presentation and protection of Port Wine.

We have tried to make as well as possible use of the sometimes-confusing regulations in the descriptions of the different types.

3. Quality gradings.
In May 2005 the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto published Regulation no. 36/2005 with regard to the Special Categories. The following quality gradings are distinguished in Appendix 1: 

- Reserva/Reserve White, Tawny and Ruby: very good - 7.

- LBV, Crusted, Colheita, Garrafeira, Aged Tawny and Aged White: super - 8.

- Vintage: exceptional - 9.

The appreciation criterion for Standard White, Tawny, Ruby and Rosé is a 5.

These criterions are used for the testing by the Câmara de Provadores of the IVDP (see What’s Port?).

4. White Port.
White Port certainly is a minority (in 2006 ca. 12.5% of the total sales) and is usually least appreciated. It is made from white grapes only and knows the following styles:
- Lágrima or Very Sweet,
- Doces or Sweet,
- Meio Seco or Semi Dry,
- Seco or Dry,
- Extra Seco or Extra Dry.
See also the tabel with sweetness degrees in 1h.
The alcohol level of these styles varies between 19 and 22%.
Beside these there is also the Leve Seco or Light Dry with about 16,5% alcohol.
Often is said that the first duty of Port Wine is to be red, but this white variant also has elementary smell and taste qualities of other Port Wines.   

4a. Standard White (5).
The Standard White Port is already bottled after some years. It is allowed to use the indication “Fine” on the label of the Standard White.

The Standard White Ports are well suited to be used in a mix like the Portonic. This is an aperitif with equal parts of Dry White Port and tonic, with a slice of lemon or lime and an ice cube. The versions with Sweet and Light Dry should also be given a try. The Portonic is served in a high, narrow long drink glass.



4b. Reserva/Reserve White (very good - 7).
On November 22nd, 2002 the Reserva Branco or White Reserve is introduced officially (see 2). It has to been matured in casks for at least 7 years. It is only allowed to use one of the indications “Especial”, “Special” or “Finest” on the label of the Reserva Branco/White Reserve.

4c. Colheita White (super - 8).
See 6a. Colheita (red).
The only one we know is the Dalva (C. da Silva) Colheita Golden White 1952.

4d. Aged White (super - 8).
On 09/10/06 the Interprofessional Council of the IVDP agreed on the white version of the Aged Tawnies. The name is officially Vinho do Porto Branco com Indicação de Idade de 10, 20, 30 e 40 Anos or White Port Wine with Indication of Age of 10, 20, 30 and 40 Years.

The difference between young and old White Port is enormous. The young are mostly drunk as an aperitif. Cask matured Old are more oxidized and after some decades there is only less difference in colour and appreciation with the same old Tawnies. A good old White Port is as nice as an old Tawny. However, old Whites are rare and expensive.

Some examples of old whites are:
-        
Barros Branco Seco Muito Velho (based on a Reserve from 1924),
-        
Churchill’s Dry White 10 Years Old,
-        
Casa Santa Eufémia Reserva Especial Branco 1973 (actually a Colheita?).

5. Ruby style.
The style of the Ruby types especially characterizes itself by its fruity taste and its dark-red, sometimes purple or black-red colour. 

5a. Ruby (5).
Standard Ruby is the most produced; it is young, fruity and ruby-red. First it spends two to three years in cask. To avoid oxidation as far as possible, these often are huge tanks, not made of wood (see also 1c). It is allowed to use the indication “Fine” on the label of the Standard Ruby.

5b. Reserva/Reserve (very good - 7).
On November 22nd, 2002 the Vintage Character (VC) has been replaced by the Reserva or Reserve (see also 2)
The Reserva or Reserve is a good quality Ruby with variable cask maturing (not limited anymore to 4-6 years as for VC). It is only allowed to use one of the indications “Especial”, “Special” or “Finest” on the label of the Reserva/Reserve.
Vintage Character did not in any way resemble a Vintage. It has been nothing else than a good Ruby laid down in large casks for a minimum of about 4 and a maximum of about 6 years (see also 1c). A better indication would have been: Super Ruby or Premium Ruby.
Nevertheless this name had already been in existence for over 70 years. The indication not became current really. Many companies had their own names like: Fonseca BIN 27, Graham's Six Grapes, Sandeman Founder’s Reserve, Noval LB, Cockburn's Special Reserve, Ramos Pinto Quinta da Urtiga, Warre’s Warrior, Quinta do Infantado Estate Reserve, Dow’s A.J.S. and Taylor’s First Estate.
Some VC has also traditionally been made, like W. and J. Graham’s Six Grapes-Unfiltered.  

5c. Crusted (super - 8).
In the past Crusted Port was made especially by the importers in England. It was and is a blend of red Port wine, usually of good quality. It was bottled unfiltered after some 3 years, and therefore developed a crust.

Bottling of Port outside Portugal has been totally prohibited since 1996. Because it is a storage wine you still can find one of the England-made Crusted Ports here or there, but obviously they do not have an IVP (nowadays IVDP) guarantee seal.
Crusted Port is still made, but nowadays in Portugal by for example Dow's and Churchill's.  


The moment a Crusted has to be bottled is not fixed. Regulamento no. 36/2005 says no more about it than that it is a wine of different years and that bottling has to be done within a maximum of 30 days after approval by the IVDP. It is allowed to use the indications “Bottle matured” or “Envelhecido em garrafa” on the label of Crusted Port Wines, but not earlier than three years after bottling (see also 1d.).
It is not allowed to market the Crusted earlier than three years after the approval by the IVDP.


5d. Late Bottled Vintage - LBV (super - 8).
Late Bottled Vintage, probable first made in the early sixties, is a Port of one, usually better, harvest year, and has to lay down in casks for a minimum of about 4 and a maximum of about 6 years. To be exactly: the bottling has to be done between about March 1st of the 4th year and December 31st of the 6th year from the harvest. Both the harvest year and the year of bottling must be mentioned on the bottle.

The way of storing in casks differs strongly between producers (see also 1c).
Some want to make a dark, fruity LBV and store it in huge stainless steel tanks. In that case it will make little difference if the wine is bottled after 4 or 5 or 6 years. Sometimes it happens that the whole stock is bottled in one go.
Others want a little more oxidized type and let the wine mature more or less in wooden casks (for example: Churchill’s, Ramos Pinto and Vallegre). In this case there will be a clear difference between one bottled after 4 years and one that has stayed in casks 1 or 2 years longer.

LBV is often bottled unfiltered and than it is a fine wine for storage. It is said that only four years old are suitable for further bottle maturing, but regularly there are six years old unfiltered available (see also 1d.)
It is not allowed to mention the terms "Evelhecido em garrafa" or "Bottle Matured" on the label of the unfiltered LBV earlier than three years after bottling.
An interesting fact is that of the total 1997 LBV selling Great Britain was responsible for consumption of not less than 44,4%.  


5e. Vintage (exceptional - 9).
Vintage, the king of Port Wines, is of one harvest year and is always bottled unfiltered. A Vintage used to be made only in the best years, from the best grapes, from the best/oldest vines, from the best vineyards and produced in the best way (often foot trodden). On average a Vintage was produced by a shipper or independent quinta three times a decade. Nowadays Vintages are often made as much as possible. The Symington Family for instance have made a Vintage of every Quinta do Vesúvio harvest since the purchase in 1989, unless the quality does not allow this at all (1993 and 2002).

Peter Symington wrote about the 2000 harvest how a top Vintage should be:
“It has been many years since so many of the quality indicators have been present in one year. Namely the excellent fruit quality; high sugar readings; ideal weather throughout picking; very low yields; purple colours already apparent from the beginning of fermentation; wonderful aromas from the musts and the low juice to skin ratio. Fermentations took place under near ideal conditions, no cooling being required, in fact a little heating was needed due to quite cool nights. The ideal fermentation temperatures produced wonderfully aromatic musts.” 


Before bottling, Vintage is stored in large tanks between some 16 and 33 months (see 1c). To be exactly: sales may start from May 1st of the 2nd year and bottling has to be stopped on July 30th of the 3rd year from the harvest. The harvest year must be mentioned on the bottle.


The duration of maturing in bottle varies strongly. Some do not improve anymore after 10 or 15 years, but for the supreme product 50 years may pass before they reach their top. There have been Vintages, which were found to be fantastic after more than a 100 years. See also Files/To store ...

Until 1972 Vintages were also bottled outside Portugal, especially in England. For this the dictated bottle period was used freely. These bottles however don’t have a guarantee seal of the IVP (nowadays IVDP). Particularly in England you still can find these Vintages (up to the harvest year 1970).

Especially in the USA people started to drink Vintage very young. This is a matter of taste and circumstances. Over the last years their approach has been copied more and more.

James Suckling, a well known wine writer and editor of the American magazine Wine Spectator, says in an interview with Susana Máximo in Revista de Vinhos of July 2002:
“A Vintage is fruity and attractive in its first 2-3 years, after that it closes itself ’, ‘to open again’ after 15-20 years.” About the preference of Americans to drink Vintages young, he says that it has to do with impatience to wait for a very good wine for 15-20 years, with preference for fruity wines and with the fact that less Americans have good storing possibilities.

Sandeman was the first to zero in on this preference with its Vau Vintage. At first the company failed to gain an approval. This has clearly changed. In 2005 Paul Symington said the following on this:
“The Brits are really very tied to the traditions of Vintage Port. Many will not countenance opening a bottle until it is 20 years old. But we need to get them to be more adventurous. A lot of people sneer the Americans for serving Vintage Port young, but why not?” From
‘How to get people to buy 2003 Vintage Port’ - Column by Jancis Robinson in The Financial Times of May 21st 2005.
“We’re not making the wines in a different way, to drink young - we’re making better wines which will age fabulously too.” From
‘2003 Port: a “modern” classic’ at Harpers Online of May 13th 2005. 

It seems that the first Vintages are already made in 1756 and 1765. The top years of the nineteenth century are: 1847, 52, 53, 54, 58, 59, 63, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 78, 90, 96 and 97. And of the twentieth century: 1900, 04, 08, 12, 27, 31, 34, 35, 45, 47, 48, 55, 63, 66, 70, 77, 83, 85, 91, 92, 94, 95, 97, 2000 and 2003.

There are made Vintages of one grape variety, like Quinta da Foz Vintage Touriga Nacional 1996 of Cálem. Although ever more planting of large areas with one grape type are available, it is not probable that there will be made much of this type in the future.
Better results are achieved with more grape types in a Vintage.

Much information about Vintage Port can be found on www.thevintageportsite.com of The Symington Family. Finally they promote only their own brands, but that is understandable and forgivable.  

6. Tawny style.
The style of the older wood matured Tawny types characterizes itself by the colour changes from red-brown through clear-brown to gold-brown with orange and light-green rims. When tasting the older Tawny types you especially find vanilla, nuts and caramel.

6a. Colheita (red) (super - 8).
The Colheita (Portuguese for harvest) is a wood matured Port Wine of one harvest year, which is also called ‘Harvest dated Tawny’. It officially exists in red as well as in white, though the white variant is rare (see 4c. Colheita White). The Colheita is considered to be originally a red Port. This is so obvious that we have never seen the indication red on labels of Colheitas.

This type is marketed in small volumes as Colheita, but is especially used as ‘base material’ for Aged Tawnies.

Colheita  has to mature in cask for at least 7 years, but often much longer. It is the wood matured counterpart of the Vintage Port.
It  is allowed to indicate Colheitas older than 10 years with “Velho” or “Old” and those older than 30 years with “Muito velho” or “Very old”.
Both the harvest year and the year of bottling must be mentioned on the bottle. The year of bottling is of great importance. Is it too long ago, there is a great risk that the quality has become less, certainly if it is not known what has happened with the bottle in the meantime.
Striking is that in 1997 Holland consumed 15,7% of all Colheita sold that year. Quite a lot for such a small country. Together with the number at the end of 5d. it says much about national taste differences.  

Colheitas are often given as a present to commemorate a year of birth or something like that. They are easier to get than Vintages, because a new small, always older lot can be bottled every time. Mostly, they are cheaper than Vintages of the same age. 
Though Colheitas are meant to be drunk directly, João Paulo Martins writes in A Wine Lover’s Guide (2001) (see: Files/Library):
“However, if you should happen to keep some Colheita type wines in your cellar, over time they may acquire some very interesting additional aromas, the so-called bottle nose, that confers them some crispness
(in Portuguese "frescura" = freshness) and even some elegance.”

6b. Garrafeira (super - 8).
The Garrafeira is a ‘subspecies’ of the Colheita (see 6a.). It is very rare.

Garrafeira (Portuguese for bottle cellar, bottle rack) is a Port of one harvest year. After maturing in cask during at least 7 years (just like the Colheita) it is bottled traditionally in about 10 litres glass demijohns (officially glass containers). After at least 8 years it is rebottled in standard bottles. In style it is classified between Colheita and Vintage. It is rare. As far as we know it is only made by Niepoort.
For the normal, not fortified, wines the term Garrafeira is mostly used as indication for a special lot chosen by a wine farmer.  

In July 2004 Roy Hersh published an extensive report on a Niepoort Colheita, Garrafeira and Vintage tasting with tasting notes of the Garrafeiras 1952 (91 points) and 1977 (94 points). His article can be found at: www.fortheloveofport.com/articles/a_colheita.htm 

6c. Tawny (5).
Tawny takes its name from the amber/tawny colour, which originates - first at the rims - after long maturing in cask. However most Tawny is bottled as young as Ruby. At that age no hint of the amber/tawny colour can be found. Even the most of 7 years old Colheita shows very little colour changes.
Nevertheless young Standard Tawny mostly has quite another colour than Ruby. The nearest description would be light red. And this colour originates in different ways.
First these young Tawnies are made by adding White Port. But they also come into existence when the wine gets less colour in the production process especially. Usually wines from the Baixo Corgo are known for their lighter colour, because there the ripening of grapes is often inferior to the ripening in the Cima Corgo and the Douro Superior where weather conditions are better. These less ripened grapes give less colour (and taste).
It will be clear that the foregoing methods produce a wine with a different character. Nevertheless many people rightfully like it. In France large quantities of this type of Port is consumed.  
It is allowed to use the indication “Fine” on the label of the Standard Tawny.

6d. Reserva/Reserve Tawny (very good - 7).
On November 22nd, 2002 the Reserva Tawny or Tawny Reserve is introduced officially (see 2). It has to been matured in casks for at least 7 years. It is only allowed to use one of the indications “Especial”, “Special” or “Finest” on the label of the Reserva Tawny/Tawny Reserve.
It will be clear that the real quality of the Tawny types starts from here.

6e. Aged Tawnies (super - 8).
Aged Tawnies or Tawnies with indication of age (Porto com indicação de idade) are blends of Port Wines maturing in casks for long, up to a very long time.
The categories are: 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and More than 40 years or Over 40 years. The use of this final indication is not allowed in the USA where it is simply known as: 40 years. 
It is allowed to indicate Tawnies of 10 and 20 years old with “Velho” or “Old” and those older than 30 years and over 40 years with “Muito velho” or “Very old”.
The indications of old age of Aged Tawnies are not exact. Bento Amaral, head of the IVDP's technical section, said  in the article
'Tawny Port Plays it Cool' by Roger Voss in Wine Enthusiast of August 2006 on this:
"It's a question of characteristics. They are blended wines, not just 10 or 20 years old. There is no strict control of the blend, but what we look for when we approve the blends is a style which is consistent." 

Good examples of  blends are those of the Graham’s 10 Years Old and the 20 Years Old presented during Blending Contests in Amsterdam:
The 10 Years Old had been made with 10% of a 7 and 9 years old Port each, 20% of a 13 years old and 60% of a 10 years old (see our News item Graham’s Blending Contest of 04/10/03)

The 20 Years had been put together from 10% of a 9 years old and 30% of a 13, 20 and 29 years old Port each (see our News item Graham’s Trophy Contest of 07/02/04).

The year of bottling must be mentioned on the bottle.

The differences can be enormous. In Portuguese Wines of June 2001 has been written about a tasting of some 40 ten-year-old Tawnies: “Some had the colour of a 30-year-old (very pale, completely tawny or golden), while others appeared younger than 10 years.”.
To get a real good impression of this older Tawnies you should try one of at least 20 years old.

João Paulo Martins wrote in Portuguese Wines of June 2001: “Unlike Vintage Port, which is a gift of nature, an old Tawny is the absolute expression of the winemaker’s skill and craftsmanship in moulding a wine to his taste. It is for this reason that some call Tawny Port the President, and Vintage the King”.
 

Much information can be found in the article A Question for the Port Trade in de FTLOP Newsletter No. 44 of Juli 2009 (see: http://www.fortheloveofport.com/) and in a later arrived contribution at: http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopforum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7464.html   

7.
Rosé Port: 7a. Standard Rosé.
In January 2008, the introduction of the Rosé Port or Porto Rosado by the Fladgate Partnership was accompanied by fierce critism and violent discussions (see our News items of 07/06/08 The first rosé "Port Wine" and of 05/07/08 Croft Pink (2): a reply by Adrian Bridge. 

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