Port Wine, A Beginner's Guide By Stacy Slinkard Updated December 13, 2016. Aside from being the world's most notable fortified wine, Port generously offers a remarkable history and much-needed geography lesson, all in a single glass. To understand Port, it's mission critical to know a bit of its compelling history, along with what it is and how it's fortified. Snagging a basic knowledge of the various types of Port (i.e. Ruby, Vintage, LBV) and best bets for serving and pairing it with food only add to a stellar Port experience. Add in a few consistent and trustworthy Port producers to the knowledge base and you are armed and ready to tackle a bottle of the world's most famous fortified wine , one delicious sip at a time. The History of Port Made for centuries in the rugged region of northwest Portugal's Douro Valley, Port is a fortified wine that leans heavily on the sweeter spectrum and comes in a variety of styles ranging from youthful Ruby Port, to aged Tawnies, and Late-Bottled Vintage Ports down to the distinguished character (and pricing) of Vintage Port.

continue reading below our video Types of Port Port wine, though typically associated with Portugal, really owes at least part of its invention to England as a direct (and delicious) by-product of the Brits battling France through the 17th and 18th centuries. Essentially, the English boycotted French wine in the late 17th century as a result of continuous conflict and began sourcing their red wine from Portugal, just around the bend from Bordeaux (the esteemed producer of England's first love, Claret). They started adding a wee bit of brandy to the still wine to help sustain it during the voyage back to England. This brandy addition served to give the fragile still wine the fortitude to make the long trip on a rocking boat without spoiling, but it also made the wine considerably sweeter when it was added early enough to halt fermentation and leave residual sugar levels on the higher end. As a result, Ports have a reputation for being higher in alcohol, noticeably sweeter, with more body and palate density than other still wines. Fans of rich cheese and decadent desserts appreciate Ports pairing versatility and uncanny ability to even function as dessert itself.

What is Port Portugal's Douro Valley, situated in the country's northwest corner, is the key viticultural region for growing more than 50 different local red and white grapes used for making Port. The most common local grapes making their way into bottles of Port are Touriga Nacional (offering consistent structure), Touriga Franca (adds a softer edge with velvety tannins), and Touriga Roriz (same delicious grape as Spain's Tempranillo). While the majority of Port is made from red wine grapes, there is a lesser-known category known as "White Port," that as the name implies, is made from white wine grapes. The name “Port” is derived from the coastal city of Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, strategically located at the mouth of the Douro River, where for centuries merchant ships loaded with casks of Port began their journey back up the coastline to England. How is Port Made Port starts off similar to other still wines as far as the production process goes. Grapes are harvested in the fall after a season of significant struggle in low nutrient, dry schist soil conditions in the patchwork of Douro Valley vineyards. Next, the grapes are pressed to extract the juice and initiate fermentation.

Many Port producers still embrace traditional foot-treading,"I love Lucy-style" in open air Lagares (large stone or cement tanks) for pressing the fruit, though recent years have seen the advent of mechanical treaders, fashioned after the human foot, gaining significant ground. After treading, the grape must, which contains all of the fresh-pressed grape juice that still has the seeds, stems, and grape skins, ferments for several days until alcohol levels reach around 7%. At this point, the young wine is fortified with brandy to bring the fermentation process to a sudden stop, while capturing the new wine's youthful fruit nuances, and preventing the grape sugars from continuing their classic conversion to alcohol. This fortification will leave the residual sugar levels considerably higher than most still wines, typically in the 100 g/L range. Finally, the batch of baby Port is pumped into large oak casks typically for 18 months or so of aging. At the year and a half mark, these young Port wines are blended with other lots of Port wine to find complementary components that will ultimately deliver a delicious wine with well-defined fruit, friendly palate appeal, and over-arching balance.

At this point, the young Port may be transferred to bottles for further aging or continue time in a cask depending on the style and range of Port production in the process. Types of Port In broad terms, Port can be split into two distinct categories: Wood Aged or Bottle Aged. Wood-aged Ports are typically ready for early enjoyment, designed to be consumed while still relatively young. The bottle-aged beauties, like Vintage Port, are built to go the distance, often requiring another decade or two to reach full maturity. Ruby Port Ruby Ports, so named for their distinct ruby color, are young, approachable wines with fresh, fruit-filled aromas and an equally nimble palate presence. These wines are wallet-friendly, entry-level Ports, made from a mix of both grapes and vintages, aged for a total of 3 years and are quite popular in U.S. markets. Ruby Ports are intended to be consumed young and enjoy remarkable food-pairing versatility. Foods to Pair with a Ruby Port: Blue cheese, milk chocolate, and berry-based desserts.

Ruby Port Producers: Cockburn, Croft , Graham's Six Grapes , Nieport, Taylor Fladgate , Warre's Tawny Port A Tawny Port is a blend of older vintage wines, displaying a rich amber color. Tawnies typically lie on the slightly sweeter side of the spectrum. As a tawny port spends more time in oak, its color starts to fade from ruby red to more ruby-orange or a "brick red," often reaching a deep amber or mahogany color by the time it's matured. As the aging process continues, a Tawny's taste will become nuttier and the flavors develop the rich flavors of caramelized figs, dates and prunes compared to the fresh fruit factors found in a Ruby Port. On the label, the age is most commonly designated as 10, 20, or 30 years. These year designations are the average compilation of various vintages used in the Tawny Port blend, not the exact years the wine has been aged as a whole. Tawny Ports come in three different styles: Colheita, Crusted or Indicated Age.

A Colheita Port is considered a Tawny Port that is made from grapes that all share the same vintage year. While a Crusted Port is an unfiltered tawny that develops visible sediment, “crust,” and needs decanting before serving. Tawny Ports that are made from grape blends that are older in average age are referred to as Indicated Age Tawny Port. Foods to Pair with a Tawny Port: Aged cheddar cheese, caramel apples or apple pie, dried fruit, milk or dark chocolate, cheesecake, tiramisu, pumpkin or pecan pie. Tawny Port Producers: Cockburn's 20 years, Dow's 10 Year, Graham's 20 Year, Taylor Fladgate's 10 Year, Warre's Otima 10 Year Vintage Port A Vintage Port is a Port that is made of blended grapes, usually from various vineyards, which are all from the same vintage year. Historically, Vintage Ports are only declared every three out of ten years on average. The best grapes, from the best vineyards in the best years, come together to create a quality Vintage Port.

These Ports typically spend about 6 months in oak and then go unfiltered into a bottle for further aging. This extended aging is typical to the tune of another 20 years or more! As a direct result of long-term aging, a pretty heavy layer of sediment forms that requires decanting and a good bit of aeration to take place prior to consumption. If Ruby Ports are the entry-level Port, then Vintage Ports represent the upper echelon both in style and cost. A classification that is common to mistake with the "Vintage Port" designation is the "Late Bottled Vintage" Port (LBV). This particular style of Port is made with grapes from a single vintage, but it has only aged 4-6 years in oak before it is bottled and released. Late Bottled Vintage Port is exceedingly popular in the UK today. Foods to Pair with a Vintage Port: Blue and Stilton cheese, almonds and walnuts, chocolate and chocolate-based desserts and puffed-pastries.

Vintage Port Producers: Cockburn, Churchill, Dow, Fonseca, Graham, Sandeman, Taylor Fladgate, Warres White Port As the name implies, White Port is derived from white grape varietals and can be made in both the very dry to semi- sweet styles. White Port is typically fruitier on the palate and a bit fuller-bodied than other fortified white wines. Often served as an aperitif, this particular Port has found favor as a “gin” replacement when served as a “Port and Tonic” on the rocks. Storing and Serving Port Vintage Ports should be stored on their sides, in a dark, cool environment like their still wine counterparts. Ruby and Tawny Ports are ready to drink once released and can either be stored upright or on their sides. Once opened Ports can last from a day (Vintage Port) to several weeks for Ruby Ports and several months for Tawny Ports. When serving Port, try to keep the serving temperature right around 60-65 degrees. Serving Port wine with a slight chill will lift the aromatics and focus the innate fruit and flavor components. Today, various renditions of Port are made outside of Portugal in several wine-producing countries.

However, these Ports are typically made from raisined grapes and often lack the depth and remarkable acidity that comes with the original. Authentic Portuguese Port is designated as “Porto” on the bottle’s label. Calem, a port house with a range of ruby, vintage, tawny & colheita | BKWine Magazine | You are here: BKWine Magazine > Blog > Features > Wine Producer Profiles > Calem, a port house with a range of ruby, vintage, tawny & colheita Calem, a port house with a range of ruby, vintage, tawny & colheita By Carl-Erik Kanne on December 28, 2013 in Wine Producer Profiles The port wine producer Calem dates back to mid-1850s. Today, like many other port producers, it is part of a group together with several other famous names. It has a wide range of ports, from young ruby to very old tawny. We had the opportunity to taste a number of their wines back to a tawny 1961, together with Sónia Figueira, export manager of Calem. BKWine’s Carl-Erik Kanne reports.

There is all about perfection if you are believe Antonio Alves Calem who in 1859 founded the Port wine house Calem in Porto / Vila Nova da Gaia. Sónia Figueira, Calem Port, Douro, copyright C-E Kanne In order to judge the veracity of this old statement it was with great interest I went to a tasting of the Calems wines. I had an appointment with Sónia Figueira, export manager of Calem. Calem is part of the Sogevinus Group since a number of years, which also includes the famous brands Kopke, Burmester and Barros. The group also owns some vineyards, Quinta S.Luiz with about 125 ha in central Douro and Quinta da Arnozelo with some 200 ha in the more prestigious and difficult to access Douro Superior. Here they also grow olives and other crop on the steep slopes of the river. The grapes for the Calem wines come from Arnozelo. The company logo symbolizes that during the 1800s they exported their wines, mainly to Brazil, on their own ships.

It is interesting to note, from a historical point of view, that the Douro wine region was classified as early as the 1750s by the Marquis of Pombal who had been commissioned to improve the quality of wines from the Douro. Another personality with great importance for the quality of Douro wines was JJ Forrester, who in the mid-1800s mapped the entire Douro Valley meticulously to analyse the different conditions that the vineyard and different locations had. You could say that he was a thorough man of terroir and a big proponent of “natural” (non-fortified) wines. Ironically his countrymen preferred to a greater extent the fortified wines. Baron Offley Forrester’s new house, Douro Valley, copyright BKWine Photography Douro covers 250,000 ha of which only 41,000 ha are planted with vines. The main reason is the rugged terrain with very steep slopes down to the river that require extensive terracing and manual vineyard work.

The region is divided into 3 areas where Baixo Corgo (about 14,000 ha of vineyards) is located in the far west, that is closest to Porto and the coast. Next, upstream, is Cima Corgo (about 18,000 ha of vineyards). Closest to the Spanish border is the area’s largest sub-region, the Douro Superior (about 9,000 ha vineyards). The climate is a typical inland climate, and becomes hotter and drier the farther east you go. Winters are cold and summers are extremely hot, with big differences between night and day. This greatly improves the grapes’ suitability for quality wines since the important acidity is not overwhelmed by too much ripe fruit. The soil is largely composed of slate and granite. Schist soil in the Douro Valley, copyright BKWine Photography In the port region producers are allowed to use a variety of grapes, the vast majority indigenous, with certain restrictions. The most common are Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (tempranillo), touriga franca, and tinta amarelas.

Also worth knowing of the history of the Douro wines is that the spirits added as “fortification” was in the 16th and 17th centuries done largely for reasons of hygiene and at that time the spirit was mostly added to the wines that had finished fermenting, ie dry wines. It was not until the 1820s that people started using the method of terminating the fermentation by adding alcohol to get sweetness left in the wine. And it was not until the 1850s that this method became more widespread and can be seen as the forerunner of the modern port wines we see today. Calem vineyards near Pinhao, Douro Valley, copyright BKWine Photography Today the Port Wine Institute (IVDP) regulates and rigorously controls all the port wine production. And the Casa do Douro controls all the growing of the grapes for port wine in the Douro and the classification and registration of the vineyards in the so called “beneficio” system. These organizations also collaborate with the Port Wine Shippers Association that controls the trade in port wine. It is not easy for newcomers to get an entry!

A peculiar feature of port wine production is that grapes are “pressed” (or more accurately crushed) through foot treading in large open vats, called lagares. This is considered the most effective and gentle form of pressing, because it avoids getting crushing the pips. Maceration takes place over a few days on the skins to extract as much as possible of the flavour and colour. After fermentation to a certain level alcohol is added. (Editor’s note: Today it is common with both foot treading and mechanical treading.) Vats and port pipes in a cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia, Douro, copyright BKWine Photography Whatever the subsequent aging method, the first two years are always in barrel. Thereafter it depend on the type of port wine how the aging is done. It can be bottle aging or aging in wood. A rough overview of the types of (red) port wines: Wood aged: Tawny: aged in oak barrels of 600 litres Ruby and late bottled vintage (LBV): aged in large oak vats (sometimes over 20,000 litres) Bottle aged: Vintage, with only two years in barrel and then in bottle (Not included here: white and rosé port wines.

The latter is generally kept in steel tank and the whites follow largely the same principle as tawny.) Worth noting here is that tawny has much more contact with the barrel and with oxygen and thus develop faster than the reds in the large vats or than vintage ports in bottle. Most port wines are blends of different vintages except colheita, vintage and LBV. Late bottled vintage have first matured a few years in large barrels and then been bottled for further aging. A boat on the Douro and the Calem port lodge, Vila Nova de Gaia, copyright BKWine Photography Tawny reservas are generally aged on the same type of large oak vats as ruby reserva and is made from wine of between 5 and 7 years of age, while the tawnies that have an age indication (10 years, 20 years, etc.) are often aged in so-called pipes (port wine barrels) of 550 litres. The age indication refers to the average age of the wines if included. The characteristics of tawnies differ from the other types, not only in colour but also in aroma and flavour.

They are generally softer, and have more complex aromas with hints of nuts, spices, figs, etc. This also means that the different types of port go with different types of food. The wines that do not develop in bottle usually have a cork with a wooden plate on top which one can open just by turning it. These wines can therefore be stored upright because the closure does not need protection from dehydration. The wines aged in bottle should be decanted before serving. Especially vintage ports of some age may contain a lot of deposit. Calem port lodge, Vila Nova de Gaia, Douro, copyright BKWine Photography Tasting the Calem wines, food and wine matching After this introduction to port, it is time to move on to the five wines tasted. We also tried them with some types of food: blue cheese, gingerbread, dates, and walnuts. Calem ports, copyright C-E Kanne Calem Ruby Port: deep dark red colour with young edges, good fruit and acidity and balanced sweetness, a little almond scent and a pleasant aftertaste. Went well with the stilton cheese.

(30 % tinta roriz, 30 % tinta barroca, 20 % tinta cão, 20 % touriga franca) Calem Vintage 2002: dark red colour and raisins on the nose, well integrated fruit and acidity and a complex long finish. Went well with the cheese and the chocolate truffle. Calem Vintage 2011: a real stunner with sweet fruit aromas with notes of raisins and dates; flavour of dense fruit and a silky soft acidity that lingered long in the mouth. This wine has received 93-95 points from Parker and will continue to develop for at least 40 years. Vintage wines from 2011 are considered the best wines ever made in the Douro and both Parker and Jancis Robinson are lyrical in their descriptions of the different wines. Calem’s Vintage 2011 is a bargain (less than 30 euros in Sweden) and very good Christmas present or gift for the new-born child or grandchild to be opened on their 40th or 50th anniversaries!

Port accompaniments, copyright C-E Kanne Calem 10 years tawny: A completely different type of wine, amber with an aroma of raisins and nuts and some caramel sweetness. Goes less well with the cheese and truffle, but is excellent with gingerbread and the dates. Just perfect for a crème caramel, which also happens to be a very popular dessert in Portugal. Tawny wines also happens to be more popular in Portugal than the ruby / vintage versions. The is particularly true for the tawnies with a specific vintage indication, so called colheitas. And thus: Calem Colheita 1961: In glass number five Sonia eventually poured a Calem Colheita 1961 bottled in 2013 and after 52 years in the barrel. Fantastic light amber wine with ripe aromas of raisins and figs. The taste was very fresh with a pleasant caramel sweetness and a long, complex finish. This wine you can without a problem drink on its own in small sips, even without any food. A very elegant colheita 1961! Perfection? Yes, something like that!

The tasting was arranged by Tryffelsvinet, a Swedish wine importer. Andreas Blomquist and Sanna Bronell from Tryffelsvinet welcomed us together with Sónia Figueira, export manager at Sogevinus, who led the tasting of the Càlem wines. Editor’s addition: By pure coincidence, we happened to uncork a Calem vintage 1975 yesterday: a port with good maturity without being in any way over-mature. Surprisingly dry in style (compared with a tawny and a colheita we also drank it almost felt barely semi-sweet), good fruit, some raisins, quite discreet on the nose, surprisingly light and quite elegant. Can perhaps be interesting to keep an opened bottle for a few days to see if the aromas develop a bit more with some added oxygenation? Carl-Erik Kanne is a long time wine enthusiast and fervent wine taster. He reports from wine tastings and wine events in Stockholm for BKWine Magazine. There are many good and great wines to discover in the Douro Valley, both the sweet port wines and “regular” table wines.

Both the port and table wines will be plentiful, at tastings and at gourmet meals, along with Portuguese food on a wine tour to the Douro Valley with BKWine. Book now! Travel to wine regions with the experts on wine and with the specialist on wine travel. Calem vineyards near Pinhao, Douro Valley, copyright BKWine Photography This post is also available in: Swedish A port primer Ruby / Whether ruby, tawny or classic vintage, port is a sweet fortified wine with a history as rich as its many personalities - SFGate MenuSections A port primer Ruby / Whether ruby, tawny or classic vintage, port is a sweet fortified wine with a history as rich as its many personalities Steve Pitcher, Special to The Chronicle Published 4:00 am, Thursday, November 13, 2003 Photo: Chris Stewart Close Image 1 of 3 port130279_cs.jpg Event on 10/20/03 in San Francisco.

Miguel Corte-Real, managing and viticultural director of Cockburn's, one of the most famous names in port wine production, conducted a retrospective tasting of its wines Monday, October 10, 2003, for media and key trade at the Hotel Palomar, 12 Fourth Street, SF. Corte-Real lead the sit-down group through a tasting of Oporto, Portugal-based Cockburn ports from 1912, '27, 35, 47, 55, 63, 70, 77, 83 and 1994. Chris Stewart / The Chronicle less port130279_cs.jpg Event on 10/20/03 in San Francisco. Miguel Corte-Real, managing and viticultural director of Cockburn's, one of the most famous names in port wine production, conducted a retrospective tasting ... more Photo: Chris Stewart Image 2 of 3 port13.jpg 094_enl.jpg.TIF Bottle shot of the 1944 Cockburn's Crusted Port 11/7/03 in San Francisco.

ERIC LUSE / port13.jpg 094_enl.jpg.TIF Bottle shot of the 1944 Cockburn's Crusted Port 11/7/03 in San Francisco. ERIC LUSE / Photo: ERIC LUSE - Photo: Chris Stewart A port primer Ruby / Whether ruby, tawny or classic vintage, port is a sweet fortified wine with a history as rich as its many personalities 1 / 3 Back to Gallery Port is one of the very few good things ever to come out of warfare. The origins of the trade in this sweet fortified wine date back to the 17th century, when wars with France deprived the British and Dutch of French wines and they were forced to find a new supply. The Portuguese were more than willing to oblige. The first recorded shipment of Vinho do Porto to England was in 1678, but it wasn't until the mid-18th century that experimentation with fortification began to stabilize the wines on their journey across the sea, and it was at this point that modern port began to take form. Port is extremely versatile, some might say bewilderingly so.

It is smooth and supple on the palate, a cornucopia of ripe fruit that's sometimes bold and powerful, sometimes supremely elegant and refined, sometimes a complex meld of the two. It's guiltless hedonism in a bottle. According to Portugal's Port Wine Institute, Americans are sixth in worldwide consumption of all port, with 4.4 percent of the market and 402,000 cases a year. In first place -- ironically, given that they were indirectly responsible for the English infatuation with port -- are the French, with 33 percent of the market (just over 3 million cases, much of it consisting of white port and young tawnies, which the French regard as perfect aperitifs), almost three times as much as the British, followed by the Dutch at 20 percent and, in third place, the British with 12 percent. In the high-end, premium port market, ranging from reserve to vintage, Britain is the No.

1 importing nation with 27 percent of the world market (191,500 cases), followed by the United States with 18 percent (128,000 cases), Canada with 16 percent and France with 13 percent. While many countries produce wine labeled as port, the genuine item comes from the Douro Valley, a remote, mountainous region of steep, hillside vineyards in northern Portugal east of Porto, the country's second-largest city, from which the wine derives its name. True port is made from among a dozen of the more than 30 approved grape varieties grown within the official boundaries of the Douro and seldom found elsewhere. The varieties include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) and Tinto Cão. The Douro became the world's first wine appellation when its boundaries, and strict regulations to ensure the authenticity of port, were officially set by the Portuguese in the mid-1700s. Sometimes labeled porto, it is available as a vintage wine and as a multivintage blend, wood aged or bottle aged, or a combination of both.

It's always made from several grape varieties, sometimes from a single vineyard, sometimes from several vineyards. It comes in a vast array of styles -- something for everyone and every budget. There are ruby ports and tawny ports, tawnies with an indication of age, reserve ports, late-bottled vintage, single quinta vintage and colheita ports and even white port. Port winemaking Most harvesting in the 45,000 vineyards of the Douro is done by hand. From the vineyard, the grapes are taken to the winery for pressing. Traditionally, the fruit was crushed under the feet of workers, in a rectangular granite or cement trough called a lagar. Today, most of the crushing is done by robotic lagares equipped with rectangular-shaped, silicon feet, and high-tech, computerized stainless steel vats. Once it gets to the fermentation stage, port goes through a process that distinguishes it from table wine. All ports -- no matter the style that eventually emerges in the bottle -- are fortified with the addition of aguardente, a natural, distilled grape spirit with an alcoholic strength of 77 percent.

It's added before the wine has fully fermented and normally when only half the natural grape sugars have been converted into alcohol. This stops the fermentation, preserving the wine's natural sugars and sweetness, but also increases port's alcohol to almost double that of table wine -- between 19 and 22 percent. Over the winter, young port is stored at the production site in large casks made of oak or mahogany and is allowed to settle. The wines are tasted out of cask to determine how they will be blended. Those destined for aged tawnies are put into 145-gallon casks called pipes, which allow the wines to mature to their characteristic orange-brown (tawny) color. In the spring following harvest, most of the port is transported to the shippers' maturing warehouses in Vila Nova de Gaia, the center of the port trade just across the mouth of the Douro River from Porto on the Atlantic Coast. Wine not shipped downriver is aged and bottled by some of the 28,000 independent growers for their own estate-bottled "Quinta Portos," a relatively recent development in Portugal.

Famous port houses Over the years, there has been considerable consolidation among the companies constituting the port trade, most of which bear British names because English families established the trade. The first company was Warre, founded in Porto in 1670 and almost certainly the oldest British firm outside the British Isles that is still trading today, followed by Croft in 1678. Another venerable and greatly respected house is George Sandeman, founded in 1790, followed by W. & J. Graham in 1814 and Cockburn's in 1815. Today, the Symington Family Port Companies are responsible for more than 25 percent of the worldwide premium port trade, selling Warre's, W. & J. Graham's, Dow's, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell, Quarles Harris, Quinta do Vesuvio or Quinta de Roriz, each with its own house style. The family firm of Taylor Fladgate includes in its portfolio not only the well-known Taylor brand but also the famous Fonseca brand as well as Croft and Delaforce.

Sogrape, owned by the Portuguese Guedes family, controls Ferreira and Offley, the No. 1 and No. 2 brands in Portugal, and recently purchased the Sandeman brand from Seagram. Cockburn's is now part of the Allied Domecq portfolio of wines. Types and styles of port There are two main types of port: bottle-aged ports, which are blended and require several years of cellaring, and wood-aged ports, which are ready to drink on release. There are different styles available within each type. Classic vintage port is at the top of the bottle-aged category, ranking among the greatest wines produced anywhere in the world. Accounting for less than 2 percent of all port shipments, it is made only in years when the harvest is truly exceptional, which in the Douro occurs on average three years in 10. Producers are always meticulous about declaring a vintage, which requires the approval of the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (IVP, or Port Wine Institute) in Porto. Less than 10 percent of the total production from a declared year will actually be bottled as vintage port.

The most recent declared port vintages are 1994 (the best of the century, say many critics), 1995, 1997 and 2000. None of these vintages is anywhere near ready to drink today, and will stay put for 20 to 25 years. Vintage port is made from an extremely rigorous selection of the best lots of wine from all the vineyards to which the producer has access. It is bottled only two years after fermentation, and once bottled, the aging process slows almost to a standstill, giving the young wine time to develop into a mature vintage port, distinguished by exquisite structure and balance, memorable richness and concentration of flavor (luscious blackberry and black currant fruit, violets, chocolate, walnuts and roasted coffee bean) and a distinctive house style that the producer seeks to replicate in such wines. Classic vintage port is the ultimate collector's wine because it's rare to begin with, requires careful storage for many years and not only gets better after all that patient waiting, but also more valuable.

A single quinta vintage port is the product of a single year and the grapes of a single vineyard or estate (quinta), such as Quinta do Noval. These ports are declared only in very good years (those falling just short of the rigorous standards demanded of the classic vintage), and normally mature more quickly than the multisource vintage ports, usually displaying a strong, powerful style after 10 years in the cellar. All vintage ports will throw a heavy deposit of natural sediments after years of cellaring and should be decanted ahead of service. Wood-aged ports Wood-aged ports are blended wines that are aged in wooden casks for their entire maturation period before being bottled. These ports can be enjoyed the day they're brought home with no decanting. And while most of them will stay sound in a properly stored, unopened bottle for several years, they won't improve with cellaring. After opening they have a "shelf life" of about a month under the stopper cork, longer if gassed or vacuum pumped. In contrast, bottle-aged vintage ports have a shelf life of only a week when recorked, after which they become stale.

Rubies and tawnies A tawny port is a fortified wine that has been aged in wood long enough to lose some of its ruby color, hence the name tawny, which is close to mahogany. Ruby ports are a blend of youthful wines selected for their concentration and richness, whose basic characteristics haven't been altered by long exposure to air through the wood of oak aging casks, and which have retained their primary flavors and intense fruit aromas. Both rubies and tawnies benefit from being chilled when served. Youth is the essence of a good ruby port. These young wines mature in neutral oak or stainless steel from two to three years, giving them the chance to assimilate the jolt of grape spirit added during fermentation, but not to cast off their striking ruby-red color and intense, red-fruit aromas of plums, strawberries and red apples. The average among these wines are bolstered by blending with some older wines, aging the blend a little longer and then bottled simply as ruby port.

Slightly higher in quality and price (still under $15) are wines that are blended from finer lots and often labeled with proprietary names, such as "Founders Reserve" from the house of Sandeman, and Warre's "Warrior" ruby port. Tawnies offer real value for the wine lover who craves richness and depth of flavor at a reasonable price. At the basic level are wines labeled simply as tawny port, which are aged not much longer than ruby port and derive their lightness and elegance from having less color extraction because of shorter skin-to-juice contact at the time of fermentation, or by blending with white port. Aged tawnies Tawnies with an indication of age are prized by port lovers and by the port shippers themselves. The age on the label -- 10, 20, 30 or 40 years -- is an average of the numerous lots of varying age that make up the blend. Younger wines contribute vigor and freshness, while older wines add complexity and breed. The aroma and flavor characteristics are in the hands of a master blender who strives to create a wine with a unique personality that is maintained year after year.

The front label must state the average age of the wine and indicate that it was aged in cask. The year of bottling must be stated on either the front or back label. Aged tawnies range in price from around $25 for a 10-year-old to about $150 for a 40-year-old from houses like W. & J. Graham, Taylor and Sandeman, whose 40-year-old ($140) is an intense, rich, deeply flavored wine with a bouquet suggesting vanilla, toasty oak and honey, and complex flavors of dried fruits, spices and nutmeat. A dated tawny of a single vintage -- called a colheita (Portuguese for vintage, pronounced cole-YATE-ah) -- is by law at least 7 years old at release, and the label must state both vintage and year of bottling. Colheitas are the rarest of all ports, with production amounting to less than 1 percent of all port made. They range widely in price depending on the quality of the vintage. One example is the 1976 colheita from Smith Woodhouse, currently available in shops for about $42.

Vintage character, or reserve Wedged in between the tawny and ruby categories are the so-called vintage- character ports. These wines, like tawnies, are blends of several vintages, but the emphasis is on fruit and richness rather than lightness and delicacy. They might be better characterized as super or premium rubies. As of last year, new Porto regulations require shippers to refrain from using the term vintage character for this style of port, and to use instead the term reserve. The grapes for vintage-character or reserve ports come from the best properties in the Douro Valley. The top-ranked properties account for about 18 percent of port production. Vintage port, late-bottled vintage port, colheita and age-indicated tawnies absorb only about 6 percent of this. Most of the remaining 12 percent is used for vintage-character or reserve port, making it the largest of the elite categories. Most are priced under $20. Some of the best examples have not used the now-scrapped term vintage character on the label, including Fonseca Bin 27, W. & J.

Graham's Six Grapes, Cockburn's Special Reserve and Ramos-Pinto's Quinta da Urtiga. Among those that have used the term are Calem's Vintage Character, Churchill's Finest Vintage Character and Niepoort's Vintage Character. These ports will have new labels in due course reflecting the changeover to the "reserve" terminology. Late-bottled vintage Unlike vintage-character ports, which are not the product of a single year or vintage, a late-bottled vintage port is a wine from a single year's harvest from better vineyards, aged in cask for four to six years and, for the most part, ready to drink on release. The label must indicate both the year of harvest and the year the wine was bottled, a consumer-friendly approach. These ports generally retail in the $15 to $25 range. Late-bottled vintage ports are made not every year, but more frequently than declared-vintage ports and only from a single harvest of good quality, as determined by the Port Wine Institute.

Less rich and concentrated than vintage port, they come from wine lots that don't make the grade for vintage port, but still possess character and flavor sufficient to work within the producer's house style, offering fine aroma and vigorous flavor. A late-bottled vintage port bottled with a regular cork may have some sediment and should be decanted; if it's bottled with a stopper cork that can be extracted by hand, it will be sediment free. Getting started with port Look no further than the local supermarket or bottle shop to find a wide selection at reasonable prices - most are under $20. Start with a ruby or tawny to sip lightly chilled as an aperitif. A reserve port, such as Graham's Six Grapes, can be enjoyed with hearty dishes such as grilled peppered steak, and can complete the meal served with a chocolate- based dessert or with blue cheese. A late-bottled vintage port from Dow, Graham, Noval or Osborne, among others, is equally serviceable. Aged tawnies are quintessential sipping wines, available wherever fine wines are sold. The same holds for vintage port and single-quinta vintage port.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage: Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page. U-Line Stay Warm this Winter with the Best Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage Port Wines December 30, 2015 by Dave Barna Winter has made its inevitable return and along with it comes time once again to hunker down, stoke the fireplace and imbibe on one of the world’s most historically rich sweet wines, namely Port. Now let’s be clear right out of the gate, we’re talking about Port from the Douro Valley in Northeastern Portugal. Port style wines also fill store shelves from Australia, California, and other wine producing nations. But as any wine aficionado knows, true Port only comes from Portugal. Prized by collectors around the world, Port is considered by many to be the “Nectar of Gods”. There is even a saying in the Port trade “all wine would be Port… if it could”. Port receives its name from the Portuguese city of Porto.

The wine’s very existence can be credited to the ongoing conflicts between England and France during the 17th century. British wine merchants needed to find an alternative to the French claret that they were so fond of, but could no longer expect to get it now that their neighbor from across the channel was once again an arch enemy. As British merchants began to import Portuguese reds as a substitute for the embargoed French wines, it became clear that the wines were more tannic and acidic than French reds, so they began to look further inland for wines more in line with British tastes, that being heavier, sweeter reds. Their search finally led them to a monastery far up the Douro river where it was discovered that some outstanding wines they had been tasting were in fact created by an abbot that had added a neutral grape spirit (brandy) to the wine, thereby arresting fermentation and setting the alcohol content to around 20%. In the end, this process preserved the grapes natural sugars from completely converting into alcohol and led to Port wine, as we know it today. Port wines can be broken down into three basic categories: Ruby, Tawny and Vintage Port.

Each of these wines can be further broken down into more detailed variations, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll focus on these three basic styles. Ruby Port: Ruby Port represents the vast majority of Ports released today. Simple and pleasing would best describe these “everyday” wines. The wines are generally aged in wood, released and sold within three years of being produced. Rubies are generally blended into a house style and are non-vintage. Better quality ruby Ports are also available and may be aged from four to six years, but are still rarely considered special or collectable, rather these are inexpensive, young, soundly made wines for everyday consumption. Ruby Port Recommendations: Warre’s Heritage Ruby Port Tawny Port: Tawny Ports typically are broken down into three categories: Basic Tawny, Aged Tawny and Colheita (pronounced “col-yate-ta”). Basic Tawnies are aged in a similar manner to ruby Port, meaning a lighter style (often by blending Ruby and White Port) then aged two to three years in wood. These Ports, like Ruby Port should also be considered every day Ports that are meant to be enjoyed upon release and not over analyzed.

Aged Tawnies generally are much higher quality wines that have been aged in wood for 10, 20, 30, and 40 years, though this may be a bit misleading as these are average ages of the blend, not a minimum age. These aged Tawnies represent the best of the category, shedding their youthful fruitiness and developing mature mellow characteristics of nuts, caramel, figs and spice. Finally, we have the less often seen Colheita. Although Colheita means “harvest” or loosely “vintage”, these wines should not be confused with vintage Ports, as these are still Tawnies. The uniqueness of these wines lay in the fact that they are single vintage Tawnies, rather than multi-year blends like the aged versions noted previously. Colheitas remain in the cask a minimum of eight years before being bottled. Unlike other Ports, Tawnies are popular summer wines served chilled and are often paired with dried fruit, strawberries, and chocolate. Tawny Port Recommendations: Graham’s Vintage Port: Vintage Port, unlike most other wines, is not produced every year. Considered the flagship wine of Port producers, less than 2% of Port production ends up as Vintage Port.

Typically only three vintages are declared per decade by the better shippers. Made primarily from a blend of five specific grape varieties, these wines are bottled after being aged in wood for two years then cellared. Most Port connoisseurs wouldn’t dream of opening a Vintage Port until it is at least 20 years old. In an age when many wine producers throughout the world incorporate the latest technologies into their craft, some Port houses, albeit less and less, still choose to stay with the traditional methods of crushing grapes by foot treading in lagares (large open concrete vats). Pickers will spend their days gathering grapes in the vineyards and their evenings treading them barefoot to extract the optimum color and tannin. Notable classic Vintage Port and food marriages include, Stilton cheese with younger, more powerful Vintage Ports and cheddar with older fragile Ports. Nuts also match up well, walnuts in particular. Vintage Port Recommendations: Fonseca Warre’s & Dows Regardless of which style Port you ultimately select, you are certain to be treated with one of the world’s most unique wine experiences.

That well-chosen bottle shared on a cold wintery evening along with a group of close friends can create some of life’s most unforgettable moments. Salude and Happy New Year from everyone at U-Line! As with any fine wine, Port should be preserved at a stable temperature to ensure proper preservation. Learn more about U-Line’s Wine Captain® Models by clicking here . About U-Line: For over five decades U-Line continues to be the American leader in innovation, quality and performance in the premium built-in modular ice making, refrigeration and wine preservation market. Delivering versatility and flexibility for multiple applications including residential, light commercial, outdoor and marine use, U-Line’s complete product collection includes modular Wine Captain® Models, Beverage Centers, Clear Ice Machines, Crescent Ice Makers, Glass & Solid Door Refrigerators, Drawer Models, Freezers, and Combo® Models. U-Line is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a west coast office located in Laguna Beach, California. U-Line offers the right product, in the right place, at the right temperature. For more information on U-Line and its products visit U-Line.com .

Author Dave Barna Dave Barna has been a wine collector since 1979 and boasts a high quality collection of approximately 1,000 bottles. His storied collection contains wines dating back to the 1700′s, and wines so exceptional that they’re registered with Christie’s in London to ensure a formal record of their current location. Dave is recognized as an expert in Ports and Madeiras and is active in international wine auctions. In addition, his published contributions can be found in various epicurean magazines. Though Dave is known for his extensive wine collection, he also enjoys collecting books, specifically American “First Editions”. Dave Barna has been married for 27 years and is the proud father of two daughters. He also enjoys Corvettes and motorcycling. Leave a Reply What is Port Wine? | Wine Folly What is Port Wine? dessert wine , Favorite , Infographic , Intermediate , Port Wine , Portugal What is Port Wine? Port is a sweet, red, fortified wine from Portugal. Port is most commonly enjoyed as a dessert wine because it is rich and sweet. There are several styles of Port, including red, white, rosé and an aged style called Tawny Port.

While much of the Port we see in the supermarket is of average quality, there are fine Ports that are highly treasured for sipping and can cost several hundred dollars. Let’s get up to speed on this fascinating and historic sweet wine. Real Port Wine can only be made in Portugal. What does Port Taste Like? Port is a sweet wine with flavors of raspberry, blackberry, caramel, cinnamon and chocolate sauce. There are several different kinds of port, but the 2 primary styles of Port include a red Port with more berry and chocolate flavors (and slightly less sweetness), and a tawny-colored Port with more caramel and nut flavors (and more sweetness). Port should be served just below room temperature, around 60 °F (16 °C). Fine aged Vintage Port or 30+ year Tawny Port have an even wider array of subtle flavors including graphite, green peppercorn, hazelnut, almond, butterscotch and graham cracker. FOOD PAIRING: Port wine pairs wonderfully with richly flavored cheeses (including blue cheese and washed-rind cheeses), chocolate and caramel desserts, salted and smoked nuts, and even sweet-smoky meats (barbecue anyone?).

A popular way to serve Ruby Port in the summer (with a meal) is on the rocks with a peel of lime! What Makes Port Unique? One of the most important qualities of true Port is the unique blend of Portuguese indigenous grapes. Port grapes include Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cão, and there are said to be at least 52 varieties! Each grape adds a unique flavor to the blend. For example, Touriga Nacional adds blueberry and vanilla notes, and Touriga Franca adds raspberry and cinnamon notes. Grape stomping Port is traditionally fermented in lagars where people stomp grapes with their feet while the wine ferments. Today, most Port wineries use automatic lagars with mechanical “feet” in place of manual labor. Special wine glass A Port wine glass is smaller than a regular wine glass and the serving size is approximately 3 oz.

The Common Styles of Port Wine There are many different official categories of Port, but most will fall under 4 main styles: Ruby (Red) Port: a deeply-colored red Port which includes Vintage, Late-bottled Vintage (LBV), Crusted and Ruby Port Tawny Port: a very sweet barrel-aged port with oxidative nut and caramel flavors White Port: made with indigenous white grapes including Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio and Malvasia Rosé Port: This is a new style of Port wine made like rosé wine with flavors of strawberry, violets and caramel Port Wine and Cooking Port is a popular addition to chocolate cakes, sweet gooey chocolate sauces and even used as a reduction for savory dishes like steak (especially a blue cheese topped steak). Chefs simmer Port wine and reduce it to a thick sauce . Then, you can add the port syrup to recipes or just drizzle it over the top of a dish, much like one might use balsamic glaze. Port is a great flavorful alternative to brown sugar or maple syrup. Which Port to Use in Cooking? Most recipes call for the affordable Ruby Port. This style is red and will impart red berry and cinnamon-like flavors into your sauce.

Remember, a true Portuguese Ruby Port may cost $6–10 a bottle, but will last a long time. Port Wine Substitute In a pinch, you can use 2 parts dry bold red wine, 1 part alcohol (brandy or vodka) and about 1/4 part sugar. It won’t be ideal, but better than just using red wine! How long does Port last open? A Ruby-style Port will stay fresh for about 2 weeks (a month if preserved properly in your fridge ) and a Tawny Port will stay fresh for about a month. Keep wines longer by storing your wine in a cool dark place and using a vacuum preserver to remove oxygen. How long will Port Cellar? Vintage Port is designed to age a long, long time. There are highly-prized Vintage Ports over 100 years old! However, most Port we see in the supermarket is bottled in a way that should be drunk upon purchase. You can tell which is which by looking at the cork. A Vintage Port has a regular long cork, and the “drink now” style of Port has a plastic-topped cork cap. Explore Dessert Wines Port is a dessert wine similar to Marsala and Madeira.

Find out more about the different types of dessert wine. Tawny vs. Port Wines from the same producer | | Q&A Tag Cloud Search | | Ask The Expert | | The Vintage Port Site Tawny vs. Port Wines from the same producer December 2, 2011 Question by: Scott, USA Q: In general, which is better, a tawny or late bottled vintage port from a high quality producer such as Graham's or Taylor? A: Hi Scott, Firstly, as you probably know, neither of these wines are Vintage Ports and come under two different categories - Tawny style and Ruby style (for the LBV). Graham's produces several Tawnies: Graham’s Tawny (a standard tawny of around 3 yrs of age), The Tawny (7-9 yrs of age) as well as the magnificent 10, 20, 30 and 40 Year Old Tawnies, all of which are aged in small barrels called pipes or pipas (550 lts).

Ageing in small barrels means these wines have had a greater exposure to oxygen, which reduces and concentrates the wines, and changes the colour as well as the flavours quite dramatically. A wood aged Tawny port will be characterised by aromas and flavours of dried fruit, citrus, honey and nuts, and as they age to 30 years or more, you will get woderful complex aromas such as saddle leather, herbs and tobacco, and the finish just goes on and on. The Graham's Blog has an article comparing several of our Tawnies that might interest you. Ruby ports are aged in large barrels, called balseiros, containing anything up to 75,000 litres, so the wine actually has very little exposure to oxygen during its ageing. Late Bottled Vintage is aged five or six years in these balseiros before bottling. As a result, the port retains its primary fruit flavours and Graham's LBV is has a dark, opaque ruby colour and a complex nose packed with opulent and powerful aromas of rich dark blackberries, black cherries and hints of chocolate. As to which is better, naturally we think they are all very good!

Your choice will depend on your personal taste preferences, and the occasion. Whilst both Tawny and LBV are appropriate to serve after a meal with a dessert or cheese course, Tawnies are very refreshing served chilled as an aperitif, or to accompany a first course such as foie gras. If price is a consideration, LBV and younger Tawnies are quite accessible, with the older Tawnies being naturally more expensive. Again, we can refer you to an article on the Graham's Blog which compares the LBV to two Tawny styles . WINES: Port VII. WINES Port Port is a " fortified wine." Brandy is added to the wine to stop fermentation before the yeasts eat all the grape sugar, thus yielding a sweeter wine and higher alcohol content. True Port comes from Portugal (the Duouro region, to be exact). But since winemakers in other countries have taken to producing "Port," Duouro Port makers have started to call their Port, " Porto," or " Oporto" (from the city in Duouro). There are two main categories of Port: Vintage Port and Wood Port.

Vintage Port Wineries will decide (" declared year") that the harvest in a some particular year (or "vintage") is worthy of producing this port, which is aged for two years in wood from grapes of that harvest year only. It will also continue to mature once bottled. Not only are not all years declared to be vintage years, but not all wineries may decide within a particular year that their wine is a vintage year, and even in a declared year (which may occur two or three times in a decade) perhaps only 10% of the grapes will go into vintage port (with the balance going to wood ports). So in most years there just is no vintage Port at all! Vintage Ports get much better with age. Generally don't drink them before they've aged fifteen years. Some can keep getting better for a long time after that--even one-hundred years. Like most good wine, a vintage port shouldn't be left around undrunk once opened. Single-Quinta Vintage Port. Single-Quinta Vintage Port is true vintage Port--wine from one harvest year bottled unblended after two years in cask.

When a shipper "declares a vintage," the vintage Port from that year usually comes from wines produced by grapes from various vineyards ( quintas). It is said that no one vineyard has all the characteristics to make the best vintage Port--it needs to be blended with other vineyards to be the most complete and complex wine. However, sometimes a producer's single best vineyard will yield grapes fine enough to warrant bottling on their own, while the rest of the vineyards that would normally contribute to a vintage Port weren't as successful. The producer may then choose to vinify this wine from that single vineyard, or "quinta". This is called "single-quinta vintage Port" and the quinta name will appear on the label. So, whereas a Port labelled "Graham's 1991 Vintage Porto" is a vintage Port from a declared year, "Graham's Malvedos 1988 Vintage Porto" is a single-quinta vintage Port from the Quinta dos Malvedos, the best vineyard that Graham's owns. The one exception to this nomenclature is the Quinta do Noval, which is actually a producer, not a single quinta.

(Noval's best vineyard is called Nacional, and its single-quinta Port is the rarest, most expensive, and reportedly best of all.) Wood Port There are three sub-categories of Wood Port, based on color: Ruby Port, Tawny Port and White Port. Ruby Port. A dark red, somewhat sweet "full-bodied" wine which has probably been aged in wood for several years. Tawny Port. Not such a deep color, it is a "smoother," less sweet wine which may have been aged in wood for 20 years. The difference between tawny Port and ruby Port is simply the amount of time that the wine spends in the wood cask before it is blended and bottled. As the wine ages, the ruby-red color of the young wine becomes paler and browner. Top tawny Ports from the best producers are just as complex and fine (and expensive) as vintage Port, though they will have a different character. (If you find something labeled tawny Port which seems inexpensive--or shall we say, "cheap?," you may have found something produced by blending "tawny" Port with "white" Port.

Needless to say, you'll tell the difference and Port connoisseurs will tell you that they aren't worthy of the name "Port" at all.) White Port. A sweet white wine made from white grapes grown in the Oporto region of Portugal. As with red Port, fermentation is stopped by adding brandy to the partly fermented wine. Not really like the other (red) Ports, which are usually drunk after a meal, this is usually drunk before a meal. Wood Ports will not get any better by cellaring, so you can drink them as you buy. Decanting Port As you age your good Port it is going to "throw off" a good amount of sediment which is going to end up in your glass if you don't decant. So, get into the habit of decanting. Unless you like to eat sediment, of course. For Further Information on Port I have no knowledge of, but repeat posted information that there is a a quarterly newsletter called Re: Port. P.O. Box 981, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 09003. Said to list availability and best retail prices for vintage port in the U.S. Apparently a sample copy is available.

[For the Future: Expanded discussion of Port. I've got forty pages of notes!] Best Port – Reviews of Top Rated Port Wines | Bestcovery Best Vintage Port Best Tawny Port Port is a style of fortified wine that hails from the Douro Valley in north Portugal. Though many New World countries now make Port-styled drinks, just as with Champagne, in order to be called Port with a capital P it technically needs to be produced in this tiny corner of the world. Made from red or white wine grapes, port starts out its life like any late-harvest wine. It's mashed and fermented in neutral steel or tangy oak until most of the sugars have been metabolized into alcohol. It's here that port journeys in a different direction however, because at some point in the middle of the fermentation process, it's fortified with hard liquor until it reaches an alcohol content that reaches between 19 and 23 percent. The addition of extra alcohol, which is usually a distilled grape spirit, stops the fermentation, keeping sugar content high and giving port its characteristically sweet taste. Since port has a higher alcohol content than wine, it will keep for around a month after you open a bottle.

There are a number of different styles of port to choose from. Portos fortified wines that have not been barrel aged at all. Portos that that come from a single harvest will carry the vintage year and usually need to be aged for decades before they are ready to drink. Portos that are Non-Vintage are blended in such a way that they are ready to drink right away. There are also ruby ports, which have been aged in barrels for 1 to 3 years. Then there are the tawnies, which get their name from the tawny, or amber color that they fade to after 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years of aging. Both ruby and tawny ports are made to be enjoyed right away, since all the aging was done at the winery. Best Port Overall: If you're looking for an excellent bottle of port, some of the best port made in recent years comes from the 2011 harvest. This year saw excellent conditions in Portugal, and many of the 2011 portos are expected to age beautifully, rivaling any port made in the past hundred years.

Other incredible recent vintages include 2000 and 1994, some of which are already quite drinkable, though most ports from these years would benefit from a decade or two in the wine cellar. Of course, if you want to enjoy your port at its peak right away, you could always choose a bottle of 40 year old tawny that's ready to drink right away. When making up this list, we chose high quality vintage and well-aged tawny ports that show off the best qualities of this style of fortified wine. We looked for ports that weren't priced through the roof, as well as ports that received the highest scores from professional wine critics. Whether you're looking for a port to enjoy right away, or one to hold onto for a few decades, these ports are the best of the best. How to Pair Port Wine with Cheese How to Pair Port Wine with Cheese How to Taste Wine How to Pair Port Wines with Cheese Although port is typically consumed as a dessert wine, there are some savory foods which go extremely well with it, one of which is cheese. With these few guidelines in mind, choosing the right cheese for your port or the occasion becomes a much easier task.

Consider the assertiveness of the cheese and the weight of the port Is the cheese pungent, salty, or sweet? Look at the texture of the cheese - for example, Brie or Camembert with their soft, creamy texture, are not ideal cheeses for ports - they are too mild and sweet. Ruby Vintage Port and Late Bottled Vintage Port One of the best-known cheese and port combinations is vintage port and Stilton, or any of the robust blue-veined cheeses. Vintage character or Late Bottled Vintage Port pairs well with a full-flavored, slightly salty or soft-ripened cheese. Cheese Suggestions: Azeitao (a ewe's milk cheese from Portugal) Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 1994 A wine of dark ruby color with a blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry nose on the palate, with bold, rich flesh and succulent fruit finishing on delicate tannins. Cheese Suggestions: Bath & Camembert Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas 1986 From Taylor's premier single vineyard. Full dark ruby, a matured nose of cherry, rose, and violet.

Full-bodied with blackberry character, fine to be drunk now but has at least 10 years of potential aging. Cheese Suggestions: Waterloo & Pont-l'Eveque Fonseca Vintage Port Inky ruby-like color, enhancing a complex anise, licorice, blackcurrant, minty nose. Big structure backbone and charisma, smashing the palate with a long finish. Cheese Suggestions: Finest Stilton & Fourme d'Ambert Pairing Tawny Ports of Age with Cheese The right pairing of cheese and tawnies will greatly depend upon the age of the tawny. With younger 10 year tawnies having more ruby characteristics and less residual sugar, one might choose a milder, less assertive cheese. However, the traditional 20 year-old tawny marries very well with dry, hard and significantly salty cheeses to balance out the sweetness of the wine. A perfect example would be Parmesan. Cheese Suggestions: Parmesan Reggiano 10 Year-Old Tawny Tawny color with charming ruby flames with a plum, grapy, licorice, Christmas fruit cake like nose. Supple and up front fruit on the palate, light and pleasant nutty finish.

Cheese Suggestions: Double Gloucester & Comte 20 Year-Old Tawny A much clearer tawny color than the 10 year-old with a brownish rim nose of caramel, blackberries and plums in jam. Mellow sweet due to a higher residual sugar content caused by evaporation, well balanced and subtle. Both 10 and 20 year-old tawny could also be served chilled. Cheese Suggestions: Berkswell & Etorki Wine: 30 Year-Old Tawny Brown tawny enhancing a nose of dry fruits like figs, raisins, raspberries and strawberries as well as nuts and wood character. Distinction and great elegance are the keywords here, finishing on a long aftertaste. Cheese Suggestions: Emlett & Frais de Brebis Wine: 40 Year-Old Tawny Fox tail brown tawny-like color with a honey, leather and caramelized fruits nose, mouth filling wine with concentration, finesse and balance, leaving an aftertaste of licorice. Cheese Suggestions:

Question: Which wine could be ruby, tawny or vintage?
Answer: Port