Port Wine
From LoveToKnow Wine
Discover what Port wine is and what makes its flavor distinct.
Worth Trying
“No thank you, I really don’t care for sweet wine,” my friend said, “I only drink dry wines.” Fair enough, I thought. But I coerced him into trying it anyway, insisting that if he just tried it I would shut up and leave him alone. Apparently it was an offer too good to pass up, and he tried it. And he liked it. A lot. By "it", I mean Port. It was a 1966, straight from Portugal, that I had picked up at a wine store a while back for a very good price. My friend was being honest when he said he didn’t care for sweet wines, but this one was different. Port wine IS different. It’s an animal unto itself, and there is a lot of confusion and mystery surrounding it.
Call It a Port?
First off, Port is sort of like champagne. The French hate us using the term Champagne for our sparkling wines when in fact there are no laws saying we can’t (yes, there really aren’t). People who create the true Ports from Portugal would like the same rules applied to us, but alas, we in the U.S. can call a port-style wine “Port.” So to describe Port wine we have to figure out what we’re talking about.
Portuguese Port Wine
True Port from Portugal is a tightly controlled, regulated (by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto), and regarded wine. Port wine is a sweet Portuguese fortified wine from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. The port grapes are picked and made into wine, and then fortified. The grapes used? Ones that are very rare here in America, but by law are the only grapes you can use to make Port Wine in Portugal: Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional. Whew! OK, so it’s picked and then made into wine with residual sugar left in it for sweetness, but the trick is that it’s fortified. Simply put, a distilled spirit is added to the wine. To make a complicated process simple: a high-alcohol spirit added to fermenting wine stops fermentation. So the alcohol level of the spirit paired with the fairly low alcohol of the fermenting wine puts Port at about 18-21% alcohol total. Obviously it’s not for the faint of heart.
Two Styles
After the wine is made and fortified, it then heads in different directions. They can go into tawny-style ports or ruby-styled ports. There are basically two styles of port: tawny and ruby. They are both completely different. Tawny ports are aged in barrels for a longer period of time and left to sit. They are not “topped off” and left to basically evaporate and oxidize in the barrel. This process gives a golden orange/red/brown hue and a very notable nutty taste. The tannins are very soft and is actually gentle on the palate. Ruby port is the cheapest and most extensively produced type of port. The flavors are more fresh and fruity, with a definite darker red color.
Vintage Port and More
The cream of the crop of the “Vinho Porto” wines are Vintage Ports. They account for less than 2% of total production. These are ports that are made from a specific vintage designated by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto and can only be made in those vintages approved by this group. These things are the “big boys.” They are made in a style that requires at least another 10-50+ years of aging on your part until they reach optimal drinking conditions. Yikes! These guys aren’t cheap, but the plus side is they can age for quite a while. Some of the top brands like Grahams, Taylor-Fladgate, Cockburns, etc. can fetch $100 for current releases and much, much more for older vintages.
Let me just say that this just scrapes the edge of what the Port wine world is all about. There are many more different types of ports, types, styles, etc. I would highly recommend that if you do not normally drink digestif wines to give it a shot. They are not as sweet as late harvest wines (which we’ll talk about) and they really are a nice end to a great dinner. I convinced my stubborn friend to try, so hopefully you will too!
American Port Wines
In America we do ports, too. Our styles are more of the ruby style with the fresh red fruit and rich berry flavors. Here we do ports out of almost any grape, both white and red. Most of the ports are made from red grapes and can be a Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet, or Merlot to name the most common. Port is done in the same style, meaning that grapes are harvested a little sweeter than normal and then fortified with a spirit (usually brandy). These can range from ultra-sweet to just barely sweet or off-dry. Since these things are high in alcohol, the bottles usually come in 375ml (a little bit goes a long way). Now remember, port is different than late harvest wines! Late harvest wines are just that: wines that are made from late-harvested grapes. No fortification. Ports are fortified and usually aged a little longer.
Try For Yourself
I am a huge fan of port wine. If you are a fan of sweeter wines try picking up an American port or Ruby Port. If you aren’t a fan of too sweet I encourage you to pick up a tawny port and give that a try. If you’re wallet is big enough and you have the patience, then of course feel free to buy a vintage port (and invite me over, please!) Either way, the world of Port wine is worth trying. Enjoy!
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