Port Wines — A Popular Fortified Wine
Port is a sweet fortified wine that originated in the Douro Valley in the northern region of Portugal. Contrary to a popular misconception, it’s name is not short for “Portugal.” It’s name was derived from the seaport of Porto at the mouth of the Douro river.
Port is a sweet red wine. It is a fortified wine, which means that during processing the fermentation is halted through the addition of distilled grape spirits. This leaves a higher residual sugar in the wine, as well as boosting it alcohol content. Port wines are therefore sweeter, richer and have a higher alcohol content than most other wines. Port wines are knows as “dessert wines” and are commonly served after meals with cheese. There are some varieties of tawny ports (a light-colored port) that are served as an aperitif before meals. A tawny port is one that has been aged longer in wooden barrels. This reduces the pigmentation and induced a slightly “nutty” flavor.
Port wines were developed in the 1600s, in part to serve the needs of the British, who were forever battling with the French. As a result of their feuding, very little French wine was shipped to England. Wines from Portugal were known for being harsh and raw, and tended to spoil easily during the sea journey to the British Isles. Enterprising merchants soon discovered that throwing a few gallons of distilled grape brandy into the wine vats helped them weather the trip north. It also stopped fermentation process before all of the wine’s sugar was converted into alcohol, resulting in a wine with a particular sweetness.
Ports, sherries and other wines made through the addition of brandy to the fermenting wine came to be known as “fortified” wines. Their alcohol levels range between 18 to 20 percent, as opposed to table wines, with alcohol contents of 8 to 14 percent.
Many port wines are aged for five years or more. There are two types of aging processes, and each produces a slightly different color and flavor. Reductive aging ages the port in sealed glass bottles. This produces a wine that is less tannic and smoother. The other aging process utilizes wooden barrels. The wood absorbs some of the pigment, which produces the lighter-colored tawny ports. While tawny ports are lighter in color, they tend to have a more intense flavor due to evaporation that occurs while aging in the wooden barrels.
Port wines tend to be a bit pricey. However, its very sweet profile allows it to be stretched out over several meals, and it does not spoil as quickly as most other wines. Most ports can be kept fresh for three weeks after opening (slightly less for vintage ports) just by re-corking the bottle.
One port has emerged as a solid value: Graham’s Six-Grape Port, a rich, sweet, smooth port bottled after six years in barrel. At $19, it packs the taste of a vintage port at one-half to one-third the cost, and needs no further aging.
If the genuine Portuguese ports are out of your price range, consider the less-expensive ports from California producers such as Ficklin and Quady, or some of the newer introductions from Australia. Or you can start experimenting with cream sherries, which offer similar sweetness levels and rich flavors.
The dessert wine is best served at room temperature or very slightly chilled. Due to its sweetness, it goes well with fruits such as apples, pears and grapes. The sweetness and alcoholic bite also allows port to go well with strong cheeses, and some like to drink it with dark chocolate.
Port wines can be a very nice choice to simply sip in front of a crackling fire on a chilly autumn or winter evening. If you like wines that are on the sweeter side, buy a bottle of port and see if it suits your taste.
