Port wines are sweet, alcoholic and satisfying. They also are a good wine for moderation because a single glass is often all one needs to enjoy a port. Wine Press Northwest magazine recently managed to find 27 Pacific Northwest ports for a comparison tasting. As far as we know, this is the largest assemblage of Pacific Northwest ports ever put together in a single tasting. Port wine is a sweet, most often dark red wine with flavors of chocolate, black cherries, licorice, prunes and the consistency of cough syrup.
Port is made by adding brandy, generally made from grapes, to the fermenting wine.
It's been popular since the late 1600s. There are generally four types of port wines. Ruby port is the most common. It is aged in bulk for two to three years and often comes from one or more vintages. It's very red and fruity.