1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

The Fort Wine Carpital—Villa Nova TFiwe Lodges. 119

tlieir way between the long jBles of casks, balancing cane90s, or wooden pitcbei's,full of wine deftly on their heads, or emptying them into rows of pipes which are being got readyfor shipment. Most of the lodges contain huge vats,in which new wines on their arrival from the Upper Douro,after being carefully classed, are equally carefully blended,only vintage winesfrom particularly prized quintas being kept intact. After the late autumn raius, when the Douro has risen sufficiently forthe passage of boats of heavy burden,the recently- vintaged -wine commences ar-riving at the Villa Nova lodges, where, after being sampled and classed, all wine similar in character and quality is commonly blended together. This operation is usually effected in large vats holding from 40 to 100 pipes each, pressure pumps and flexible tubing being occa sionally used to conveythe ■wine from the pipes to the vats, and vice versa. At times the vats are provided with revol'ving fans worked by steam or hand labour, or withpaddles kept inmotion by men stationed above, so as to secure a proper amalgamation of the wine. At a few lodges the wines are filtered prior to being blended, and at others the ancient system is adhered to, and the blend made in ordinary pipes by the aid of the caneco, a wooden pitcher holding about five and a-half gallons, equal to the one-and-twentieth part of a pipe. However the blend ing may take place, a small quantity of spirit is ordinarily added during the operation. The sweet and drier varieties of wine are usually kept distinct, and only mingled as required when a shipping order has to be made up. The blending in the vats having been thoroughly effected, the wine is dra-ra off into pipes and racked at intervals of three months, until it is in a condition for shipment, which may be in from fifteen to four- and-twentymonths' time, according to its quality. This racking is accomplished by means of the cane90, in order that the wine, by being dra'wn off a few gallons at a time, may come well in contact with the air during its passage from one part of the lodge to another—a circumstance which materially assists its development. Every year that Port is kept in the lodge adds