Ours Ports are made using traditional vinification processes. After the stalk-removal grapes are crushed in presses, where they ferment for 2 or 3 days. This operation, known as treading, is traditionally man-made . During this period, successive treading operations are carried out, in order to maximise the extraction of colouring matter and other components that will add structure and longevity to the wines.
The port maturing process can take dozen of years and it is guided depending on the wine one wish to obtain. After the first transfers which happen in the following winter of the harvest, wines are tasted and classified in accordance with their sensorial quality.
In the case of Vintages and Late Bottled Vintages (LBV) maturing is done in large vessels for 2 years for the Vintages, and 4-6 years for LBVs. Only after that is bottling carried out.??Ageing in this type of container is made in an oxide-reducing environment, thus keeping the original wine colour as well as their primary characteristics. All remaining types of Port Wine are aged in an oxidising environment, in 550 litre pipes .
During maturing through oxidation the wine loses its coarseness due to the softening of tannins and develops admirable, rich and complex bouquets. Chromatic variations during oxidation ageing are also very distinct. The intense colour of young wines undergoes a gradual evolution, going through red-tawny hues to end up in the clear tones of old Tawnies.