And Canadians seem to be embracing the notion with arms wide open. Port is a sweet, fortified wine that originates in the arid upper reaches of Douro Valley in northern Portugal, near the Spanish border. The wine is fermented and fortified in wineries or quintas up the Douro, but shipped downstream to the city of Oporto for ageing in barrels in the more humid conditions on the Atlantic coast Fortification is the process of adding grape brandy or distillate to the wine, increasing its strength to about 20 per cent alcohol. This leaves sugar unfermented so the resulting wine is sweet. It is the quality of the grapes grown in the Douro that establishes the quality and price of the wine, but it is the duration of the ageing in Oporto that creates the different styles.
Tawny ports are aged a very long time in barrel, with oxidation turning the colour to tawny brown.
The flavours change from being lushly fruity to very nutty. Reviewing Affordable Ports Here are some commonly-available ports in Canada, as reviewed in the December issue of Wine Access. Our largest issue of the year goes deeper into the subject with Gordon Stimmell's review and tasting notes of the excellent 1997 Vintage Ports. Not hugely complex or deep but hits rating on wonderful finesse. Black cherry, chocolate and cedary notes are appealing.