11 Sept., 1916.] Notes on Portuguese Vine Varieties. 565 



NOTES ON PORTUGUESE VINE VARIETIES. 



By F. de Castella, Government Viticiilturist. 

 (Continucil from page 408.) 



Bastardo and Touriga, which will form the subject of the next 

 articles differ widely from one another and from Alvarelhao (described 

 in last issue). The last named appears to be mainly responsible for the 

 curious " dry finish " of a high grade Port, but this is only one of the 

 characteristics of this remarkable wine. The special character of .its 

 bouquet and its flavour seem to be largely dependent on Bastardo, 

 whilst Touriga is of, perhaps, equal importance in the direction of colour 

 and body. It is the judicious combination and treatment of the fruit 

 of these three, and of several other sorts to be described later, which 

 result in what is known the world over as Port wine. 



These three sorts differ from each other to such an extent as to really 

 constitute three distinct types, to one or other of which each of the other 

 varieties used in the making of Port may be said to belong. 



Bastardo. 



This variety seems to be responsible for several of the leading 

 features of Port, more especially of the ligliter-coloured type known as 

 tawny Port. The wine yielded by Bastardo, like that of Grenache, con- 

 tains a considerable percentage of alcohol. It is also remarkable for 

 the instability of its colour, rapidly developing the tawny or onion-peel 

 tint as it is termed in France, and the peculiar character known as the 

 " rancio " taste. The small extent to which Grenache is grown on the 

 Doui'o is perhaps explained by the fact that Bastardo possesses several 

 of its leading peculiarities. Bastardo ripens earlier than Grenache ; 

 perhaps, too early, in fact, for northern Victoria. This is a question 

 which can only be answered by practical trial on a large scale, which 

 must also decide as to whether and to what extent the one sort can 

 replace the other in order to communicate a tawny colour and " rancio " 

 taste to wines of Port type. 



Bastardo is one of the oldest Portuguese varieties, it is mentioned 

 as long ago as 1532 by Buy Fernandez* as entering into the composition 

 of a marvellous wine. Vincencio Alartef speaks of Bastardo as a very 

 good grape, excellent to eat, and which, though poor in colour, softens 

 the wine marvellously by its excellent sweetness, and gives its much 

 freshness {noviddde, literally novelty). 



Rebello da Fonseca (1791) refers to Bastardo as softening the rough- 

 ness of Alvarelhao and other grapes (see last issue). He deals with the 

 curious fallacy that Bastardo should be identical with Pinot of Burgundy 

 and Cliampagne, a subject mentioned by other Portuguese writers. The 

 two sorts are really very different, and it is difficult to find how the 

 idea originated. The &u])posed similarity led to a trial which he 

 describes as follows: — 



" On 21.st Det-emher, 1789, 1 tasted a wine tluit Jose Jtnliu Pinto de Queiroz e 

 Figueiredo; Chief dptain of Penaguiiio, iiad ordered to l)e made, tlie previoi's 

 year, in imitation of Champagne, extracted from Bastardo grapes without any 



♦ .\n Interesting description of agriculture in tlio noighbonrhood of Lainego, a town situated about 

 the mi<l(llo of tlio ])ouro Valley. 



t I'-icinloiiyin, adopted by Syivostre Gomes de Moraes, who published a work on PortuRuese 

 ViticuJture in 1711. 



