Tolchards Wine Brochure 2023 - Magazine - Page 261
GRAHAM’S PORT - 261
Quinta dos Malvedos has a boutique
winery with three modern treading
lagares. Originally built in 1890, the
winery is exclusively dedicated to
producing Graham’s ports.
Installed in 2000, the lagares are
designed to replicate the heat and gentle
treading action of human feet. During
the harvest grapes are sorted by hand
before being gently de-stemmed and
transferred to one of the lagares.
Once fermentation has taken place and
the wines have been fortified, they are
transferred to the lodge and housed in
tonéis (large barrels) over the winter,
before being taken to the Graham’s
Lodge in Gaia.
All Port wines are aged in the Graham’s
1890 Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia as it
benefits from a cooler maritime climate.
A Port’s character is largely determined
by the way it has been aged, and Port
styles can be divided into those aged
in bottle and those in seasoned wood,
whether small oak casks or large vats.
Graham’s is one of the few remaining
Port houses to employ its own team of
coopers. Their expertise in the ancient
art of cooperage is fundamental to Port
winemaking, and especially for wines
that spend decades ageing in the lodge.
Led by Master Cooper Snr. Alberto,
the coopers are responsible for the
maintenance of each vat and cask
throughout the lodge. At any one time,
there are lodge around 3,500 casks,
holding several million litres of wine.
As each cask is typically 75-100 years
old, they require constant and
careful attention.
