i86 Journal of Agriculture. [9 March, 1908. 



When fermentation has proceeded far enough the "lagar" is run off and 

 further fermentation checked by the addition to the liquid part of a 

 sufficient quantity of spirit. The marc is pressed in the usual way, but 

 the wine obtained from the press is kept separate and considered to be 

 of inferior quality. Owing to the amount of trampling the grapes have 

 received, the juice is very readily separated from the marc ; the proportion 

 of "press wine" does not amount to more than 10 per cent, of the first 

 qualitv wine. It is remarkable how small a press can deal with the 

 marc from one of these large lagars. 



The point at which fermentation should be stopped is another matter, 

 concerning which opinions differ. Sometimes it is done when the gravity 

 is as high as 6 deg. Beaume, and sometimes when this has fallen to 2 

 deg., and even less, the resulting wine being, of course, sweeter or drier. 

 There is no fixed rule. 



These wines of different degrees of sweetness are afterwards blended 

 by the merchants to one even type. "Geropega" is sometimes made by 

 the fortification of the juice of very ripe grapes which have only fermented 

 to a slight extent. Portuguese "Geropega" is never made by boiling 

 cr concentrating the must in any artificial way. It is thus very different 

 from the "Arrope" of Malaga. The use of Geropega is rather excep- 

 tional, and the quantity of it made is very limited. It is only used to 

 increase the sweetness of an old wine, should such be found necessary. 

 It is not a regular constituent of Port. The addition of the spirit to 

 the wine is very simply carried out. The new wine runs from the 

 "lagar" through a channel cut in the stone floor to the "tonnel" or large 

 cask, in which it is to be stored ; the "adega," where these tonneis are kept, 

 being on a lower level than the lagar. The spirit is syphoned from pipes 

 directly into the stream of wine in this stone channel. In this way an 

 effectual mixing of the two seems to be obtained. The quantity of spirit 

 to be used is arrived at without the use of any instrument beyond the sac- 

 charometer. Enough is added to stop fermentation and to bring the 

 strength of the wine to about 29 per cent, or 30 per cent, (proof spirit). 

 A second addition of spirit is made when the wine is taken to Villa Nova 

 during the winter, and the third and usually the final one at the subsequent 

 racking. It brings the strength to 37 or 38 per cent, proof, the usual 

 strength of Port; though even this is not an absolute rule. Ports of other 

 strengths being sometimes met with. 



The spirit used in fortifying Port is a matter of vital importance, and 

 has a considerable bearing on the character and bouquet of the wine. On 

 the best Douro vineyards a highly rectified silent spirit is never used — 

 ■only a spirit distilled at fairly low strength, and which retains a good 

 deal of the flavour of the wine from which it is made. Its strength when 

 added to the wine is usually 37 per cent, over-proof. This spirit is often 

 distilled in a pot still, and can, of course, only be made from sound wine. 

 When one remembers the low original gravity of the must and the high 

 alcoholic strength of the finished Avine, it is evident that roughly one-half 

 of the alcohol contained in Port consists of added spirit. The type of 

 spirit used, and the fact that it is not silent spirit, are points of great 

 interest. The flavour of this spirit (for it has, even when young, quite 

 ? pronounced character) has, no doubt, much to do with the character of 

 the finished, wine. It is noteworthy that this special spirit is only used 

 for high-class wines, which take a long time to mature. It must be added 

 to the wine a long time before the latter goes into consumption. For 



