HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1933
MACAO WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT WEEK-END RADIO
PORTUGAL'S GREAT WINE---PORT
HOW THE ENGLISHMAN · GOT A TASTE FOR PORT
REMINISCENCES THAT GO BACK TO THE CRUSADES
To the Englishman the prinary product of Portugal--- · is port. Honestly he knows very little else about Portugal, except that it is a country in the west part of the Spanish "Peninsula, and is England's oldest and most faithful ally,
"He knows little for example of the poet Camoens, or of the gallant troops, trained by Beresford who fought so well in the Napoleonic wars, or even of the great Portuguese navigators who opened up the Far East and founded cities like Goa and Macao,
We reprint therefore from our Macao contemporary O Imperio Portuguese the following lecture which" Mr. C. M. Tait, à great friend of Portugal, gave in Manches ter to The Lancashire, Whole Wine and Spirit Merchants' Association, on the origins, evolution and commercial de- velopment of Port wine.
A ROMAN WINE IN ORIGIN
ROMAN ORIGINS
"
Mr. Tait said:
To start at the beginning, it would appear certain that the Ro mans, who were in the Peninsula for some 400 years, about two thousand years ago, "introduced the vine into the country," and both Livy and Seneca mention the wines of what is now Portugal in their writing.
b is probable, however, that the advent of Count Henry of Burgu dy at the end of the "11th century did more than anything to atimu- date the cultivation on the vine, and, as he introduced vines and, new methods from his own coun- try, the quantity and quality both improved
The wines of Portugal probably began to become known to the English at the time of the Crusades in the 12th century, ba
not only did members of Knights fulfil their vows by Bght ing against the Moors in.Portugal, but several expeditions destined for the Holy Land broke their
cause
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, landed at Vigo with 5,000 archers and spearmen, and on his arrival at Oporto in 1367 his daughter Philippa was married to King John the first.)
By 1,500 the enterprising fisher- man from Aveiro had established their fisheries on the Newfoundland Banks, whence they exported salt- ed codfish to England. The For tuguese by this time were the world's most enterprising naviga tors, and their little sailing vessels raust have been frequent visitors to our ports, bringing the natural produce of their country, which consisted of wine, oil, figs, wax. honey and raisins.
From ancient records we learn wine was driven, in 1534, by ad- that a Portuguese ship laden with verse winds, to shelter in Balti more Bay, in Southern Ireland, and the crew, having been invited to land and partake of a feast, were seized and thrown into the castle dungeons, whilst 70 tons of their wine was distributed amongst
those of modern times, if we may judge from the letters of a young man named Richard Woodmass who was sent out in 1704" He You will begin now to realise writes to his father that he had Now it came to pass that five huri-jzat visited the wine country dred years ago the wines of Portu, round Monsso, and Melgavo, and gal were known to Englishmen and mention that in spite of the town how a mutual trade sprang up bebeing a military post, "ge robbers tween the two countries. By 1578
are not steered and ye inns are there was a sufficiently numerous community of British merchants very bad and full of thieves and
vagrants," settled in Vianna,” 45-miles" "north of Oporto, to warrant the appoint ment of a Consul to safeguard their interests. The wine which at that time was most favoured for export came from the country lying behind Visans, 'round Monsao, and Melgaco and was nothing like that port you know to-day, but a wine whose chief characteristics were a fresh tartness and a low alcoholic strength.
LIVERPOOL LEADS.
It was many years later that Douro wines began to be shipped from Oporto; but it will be of special interest to you Lancashire merchants to learn how this all important change came about. An old-established wine merchant in Liverpool sent his two sons out to Vianna to learn some of the con ditions on the spot. These young fellows bad not been there very long when,, inspired by a love of adventure and sport, they set of into the interior of the country, their baggage, which included their guns, loaded on three mules. They passed through Chaves and then furred south to the Douro valley which they struck at Regos, which in those days was a tiny place, eo they went on to the more import- ant town of Lamego. Here they were hospitably entertained by the monks who offered them a wine which immediately made them sit
COOPERING TAUGHT FROM
ENGLAND,
make
He also states that "Ye English cupers are a drunken lot, but ye natives now know how to casks." This is a piece of interest ing information as it shows that the Portuguess coopers learnt their trade from Englishmen.
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7-7.16 p.m.-Scottish selections.
Reminiscences of Scotland (arr.: Godfrey) -- Highland Military Band.-0121.
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Will Eyffe (Comedian)-DI
7.16-7.48 p.m.
360,
Many of the British merchants gramme. who established themselves in Por-7-11.30 p.m.-European programme. tugal combined the export of wine 7-9.30 p.m.- programme of Colum
bia records, with the import of woollen and cotton goods, and, as a result of the development of the American colonies, ships often called at Vianns or Oporto and took on provisions, exchanging, sometimes a nigger for a pipe of wines Dur ing four or five years at the be- ginning of last century Welling- ton's army, and all the civilian followers which trailed behind it, were swarming all over the coun try, and not only did they become accustomed to drinking wine fair- ly regularly, but they must have seen how it grew and how it was code and no doubt, acted as good: advertising agents when they re- turned to England.
THE PORT TREATT: :am
In 1864 the Douro district was
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(Continued on Page 6)
more fullbodied, Had mors.colour and and took longer to mature, that is the reason why we shall never again see those great big wines which lasted 60 years or more in bottle without losing too much body or colour and without becom
ing"passe.” This is to be "re gretted, as much as the sad falling off in the number of persona who drink and appreciate vintage ports.
There is a great temptation these days of strenuous competi
journey by calling at a Portuguese the inhabitants of the countryside, they were informed that the wine altered in 1908, up to which time tion and difficult trade conditions,
por; and fighting for the Christian kings of that country against the African invaders. Notably was "this the case in 1142 when a fleet of 164
́VIANNA
Yony must also realise that in the 10th century, Lisbon was one of "ships which had sailed from the great ports of the world, to mouth for Palestine, landed a force which came most of the rich mer of warriors who assisted Alfonsochandise of the East,, from India, Henriques to capture Lisbon from Chinn and Spice Islandes where the Moore. These Crusaders, we may be sure, not only partook libe. rally of the wine whilst in the country, but also provisioned their
ships with it.
#
.
the Portuguese held the monopoly of the trade. In the latter half of the same century and in the 17th, the produce of Brazil also came to Lisbon, and as English merchants
was
cane from near Pinhao, a day's journey further up the river. Sport now forgotten they were on to a good thing, and with letters of recommendation to the most "im- portant farmer in the Pinho dis triet, (which, by the way, is still the centre of the fine wine dis trict) they hurried off up-stream. Their hopes were not disappointed and they fasted a number of wines, some of them of considerable age, which was something novel, as it generally accepted that the wines
were not matured.
of the
now
the wines from the South had been used to blend with some cheaper qualities. This, was forbidden, and it is safe to that all port shipped come from the legal district.
say
to buy on price and not on qual ity. I think it is a mistake. No lasting and sound business ever was or ever will be built "ap. un- lesa pou give good quality and good value for money.
PRICES
were interested in all these pro- consumed in England in those days but, unfortunately, as is often the You have probably wondered why
twa
EARLY TRADE
ducts, there was a constant coming The Lancastrian nobles played and going of ships between the an important part in consolidating countries, and British mer- the political and commercial rela-chants catablished themselves in tians between the two countries. Portugal, where they have remain. ta 134, Henry, Earl of Lancastered ever since. went to Portugal with the Earl of Arundel and signed a Treaty of Alliance on behalf of Edward III; and in accordance with the provi sions of the Treaty of Windsor.
One more political connection between the countries should be mentioned, namely the marriage of Catherine of Braganza to Charles the Second in 1682.
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case in legal documents and trea- ties, all the loop-holes were not closed and the guarantee in this country has for years been more real in theory than in fact.
THE WINE.
In 1814 the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty was signed and its terms were supposed and, I venture to
While I am on the subject of state, intended to prevent any wine except genuine port being sold as quality and price I shall give you such. In this age, of cheap imite some information about an in- tion the Treaty has gone far toportant point, which is little un- wards helping the true port trade, dezatood by many wine, merchants. some firms ask a certain figure for their cheapest ports while others FIRST DOURO SHIPMENT
quote £3 or even £10 per pipe lese. In spite of the fact that they
You will realise the reason when I explain the following facts to were quite young men, the fact
you. In the Douro district there that they were the sons of a wine
are vineyards which produce one pipe per 1,000 vines and other merchant enabled them to have suf
I now propose to say something which produce alx or seven pipes ficient knowledge to perceive that the wines were possessed of much more fruitiness and body than any about the wine itsell Some wri-from the same number of vines, they had ever tasted, not exclud-tore state that there were a great This is due to the soil, the quality ing burgundy, and they at once many complaints that the first of the grapes and the aspect of proceeded to buy up all the good Douro wines were "harsh," but I the vineyard, but you can take it wines they could lay their hands think there must be some confusion. as a fundamental rule, that the. on. These were sent down to I am inclined to think that the quality varies with inverse ratio Oporto in boste and stored there, criticism was due to the wines be of the quantity; so that those firms some brandy, we are told, having ing much more alcoholic than anywhich, buy, the good quality wine been added to keep them sound wines which bad ever been ship must pay much more for it than firms which buy: wines from the It was thus that in 1673, 254 years ped to this country.
cheapest districts and situation 120, the first Dournings were There can be no doubt that the and made from prolife put poor shipped to England. The trade more general use of bottles early quality of wines. Again, reliable rapidly grew and by 1,700 the year in the 18th century, and especially firms, are ready to pay more for shipments had risen to some the modification of their shape their rand and also for their thing like 10,000 pipes. The trade from the broad-bottomed type to cacks, and they also spend much from Vianna naturally decreased, the long, type, which could be bit more on giving their casks, a long but there is reason to suppose that ned away on its side, greatly in-
sessening with wine. it continued certainly up to 1720. greased the popularity of portr The Methuen Treaty of 1703 gave because it has the characteristic, greatly increased facilities for the only possessed by really fine wines, development of trade between the of greatly improving with age I think we are all agreed that two countries, btat curiously The acid test of a fine wine, beeport is very well suited for the nough the shipments of winey did from France, Portugal or any other stimate of the British Isles and the not increase till some fifteen years country, is that it should impleve chamctor of its abrata Pro- atar. The conditions under which in bottle, provided always of sors Saintshary put it in a nut- the British community in For course, that it is not bottled at hell. fra engines while it tugaly or the viators from Eng- the wrong time A great many of gladdens as no other wine can de land carried out their business in us alive today have tasted very and there 12 something about it. those days were far different to old vintage ports. When most of which must have been created in the port conshined was old vintage pre-established harmony with the type, matured in bottle, it could be English character." Mr. and I speak from experience, be imen is of the opinion that there very pleasing even if made dry, no place in the world whem port because though dry it was fruity can be so thoroughly appreciated and full of body and had lost any as in England and lays strese on harshness it may originally have the fact that, apart from ita in- had, but if we shippers were to trinsic value, it owes its existence return to the old custom and try and make the public drink bone dry wines matured in dark, we should most certainly not succeed.
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THE ENGLISHMAN'S WINE
we
chiefly to the industry of English- men. Add to this the facts which have detailed to you about the eight hundred years old alliance
Whilst on the subject of vintage and the continuous close politics! port as it was in the days of our and commercial relations between sacestors, I should mention that it the two countri
T
is the generally accepted view that the millions
before it became necessary, owing capital inves
yloxeray to-day, and
to the ravages of the to graft vines on to
Fibock, the vines prod
Continued on new column
not doubt
looked
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