Port - a short explanation
Hello Robert -
Directly, a good source on things Port and wine like is the 'Wine Bible', by Karen McNeil. A reasonably priced paperback that is an excellent reference. The following paragraph is from Wikipedia:
Port is produced from
grapes grown and processed in the Douro region (of Portugal), the wine produced is then fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the
alcohol content. The wine is then stored and
aged, often
barrels stored in
caves (
Portuguese meaning "cellars") as is the case in
Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "Port" in the latter half of the
17th century from the
seaport city of
Porto at the mouth of the
Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe from the
Leixões docks. The Douro valley where Port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or
appellation in 1756 — thus making it the oldest defined and protected wine region in the world.
(The addition of spirits stops fermentation, so ther is 'lots' of residual sugar left in the port - hence the sweetness and ability to long age.)
Port comes in varied types, of varied quality. Ruby Port is very sweet, and not complex in flavor. Next up is Port, and it can be Late Bottled (meaning it stayed in barrel longer than usual), simply Port, or Vintage Port (the producers have declared that vintage is especially noteworthy.) All are very complex and rich in flavors - vintage stuff needs long ageing. If one leaves the port in barrel a 'long' time (10, 20, 30 years plus), you get tawny port - all the red colors have been 'bleached' out by the barrel. Red ports are full of fruit flavors, while tawny's are nutty and not very fruity. I lova them all, save the Ruby. I hope this helps!
