Diogo Lopes and Maria Susete Melo adhere to a ritual when it comes time to blend Port. They set the date, prepare samples of the wines ageing in the cellars, and taste nothing else. It’s a special occasion because they will create the blends of tawny Port to be bottled for the broader market. The art of blending is shrouded in secret and mystery. Each Port wine producer has its own rules, depending on their desired profiles, passed on from generation to generation as a cherished tradition. The master blender, the professional in charge of tasting and developing the blends, is the chief guardian of that tradition.
Port wine dates back hundreds of years but remains a timeless classic, with minimal updates. Kranemann Wine Estates has carefully considered how our ports can best reflect a sense of place. The project, conceived at the legendary Quinta do Convento de São Pedro das Águias in 2018, acquired a vast heritage of old Port wines that were maturing in the cellars. The current team of winemakers, Diogo Lopes and Susete Melo, is tasked with redefining the profile of Port wines created here. They follow a simple maxim: aiming for the wines to be a unique, authentic expression of the terroir from which they come; in other words, identifying the unique identity of the Távora Valley. In the words of Maria Susete Melo, “What makes us stand out, and what we aim to enhance, particularly in our tawnies, is that sense of freshness and acidity that is so unique to wines from our Távora Valley. That’s what enables us to find the balance between sweetness and acidity. And I believe that’s exactly why our first tawnies, the 10-year-old and 20-year-old Kranemanns, are so well received.”
Tasting and blending are complex sensory processes influenced by ancient and mystical traditions with many possible outcomes. The winemaker is an artist, the palate of wines from different years and casks create unique port wines.
“For example, a certain harvest might highlight the sweetness of a particular wine, and if what we’re truly looking for is that balance between sweetness and acidity, we’ll have to find it in combination with other batches. However, within this space afforded by creating a blend, we must always bear in mind the directives set out by the Port and Douro Wines Institute (IVDP),” concludes Susete Melo.
The joy of blending continues. Kranemann Wine Estates will build on the legacy of Port wine held, including a 10-year-old white Port and a 30-year-old Kranemann Tawny.
