This past Christmas my Father-In-Law sent us a bottle of W.& J. Graham’s 20 year aged Tawny Port. I must confess, ports are a wine I have overlooked in the past but after just one sip of that warming liquid, that has all changed. Lucky for me and you, this is truly the perfect time of year to dabble in a little Port tasting. With the temperatures dropping, fire pit going strong, sweaters and gloves donned, a few sips of Port will truly warm your soul.
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine meaning the wine has been blended with Brandy. In the latter part of the sixteenth century, red wines from Portugal were shipped to Britain only to discover the wines did not travel well. The British market grew tired of the poorly exported wines and the Portuguese king didn’t want to lose this potential financial windfall. Long story short, a monastery in Douro frequently added brandy to stop the ongoing fermentation. The blend produced a thick, sweet, high alcohol wine that Britain loved.
After some arguments with the British over adulterated port wine, Jose de Carvhallo e Mello, established the first government controlled regional demarcation for wine production in Portugal. Much like Champagne, to be called a port, the fortified wine must come from Portugal. There are several styles of port, too many really to list here, but I’ll cover a few.
Barrel-aged ports:
Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels, gradually turning a golden-brown color.
Colheita is a Tawny port from a single vintage and will mention the actual year on the bottle.
Bottle-aged ports:
Ruby port is the most inexpensive style of port. After fermentation it’s stored in tanks and does not improve with age.
Reserve port is a premium Ruby port approved by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.
Port doesn’t come cheap but then again nothing is when aged for 10, 20 or 30 years. So go ahead and imbibe, it’s a fine sipping wine which means the bottle can easily last up to six months after opening. Pair with some pungent and great tasting cheese and enjoy.
2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/
Follow me on:
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Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine meaning the wine has been blended with Brandy. In the latter part of the sixteenth century, red wines from Portugal were shipped to Britain only to discover the wines did not travel well. The British market grew tired of the poorly exported wines and the Portuguese king didn’t want to lose this potential financial windfall. Long story short, a monastery in Douro frequently added brandy to stop the ongoing fermentation. The blend produced a thick, sweet, high alcohol wine that Britain loved.
After some arguments with the British over adulterated port wine, Jose de Carvhallo e Mello, established the first government controlled regional demarcation for wine production in Portugal. Much like Champagne, to be called a port, the fortified wine must come from Portugal. There are several styles of port, too many really to list here, but I’ll cover a few.
Barrel-aged ports:
Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels, gradually turning a golden-brown color.
Colheita is a Tawny port from a single vintage and will mention the actual year on the bottle.
Bottle-aged ports:
Ruby port is the most inexpensive style of port. After fermentation it’s stored in tanks and does not improve with age.
Reserve port is a premium Ruby port approved by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.
Port doesn’t come cheap but then again nothing is when aged for 10, 20 or 30 years. So go ahead and imbibe, it’s a fine sipping wine which means the bottle can easily last up to six months after opening. Pair with some pungent and great tasting cheese and enjoy.
2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/
Follow me on:
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=114185461044&ref=ts
Twitter:http://twitter.com/WineChicksGuide
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