Port wine comes from one of the world’s oldest winemaking regions in Northern Portugal. The region of Porto encompasses both the Douro – where the grapes are grown – and Vila Nova de Gaia, where many of the Port houses are located. The complexity of Port is rooted in the unique qualities of the Douro, where the land, climate and winemaking practices combine to produce a wine that cannot be replicated. And, the hands-on practices of the Port houses in Gaia ensure that the wines are perfected year after year. That’s why Port wine can only come from one place: Porto. To learn more, please click on the links below or scroll down. Or, you can visit the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto web site.
About the Port Appellation
The Process
A Variety of Wines
Enjoying Port
Fun Facts
About the Port Appellation
Port is a fortified wine that comes form the world’s oldest wine region. The region was created with the establishment of the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro in 1756 and demarcated in 1757 with solid granite pillars, called the Marcos de Feitoria.
Port’s grapes are grown in the Alto Douro vineyards, located approximately 60 miles east of the city of Porto in northwest Portugal. The Douro Valley is surrounded by rugged mountain ranges that produce a hot, dry climate. The flaky, arid soil presents unique challenges for winemakers, who build row upon row of terraces – but it’s the combination of climate and soil that make Port wine unique. The demarcated region covers a total 617,000 acres – 96,000 of which are vineyards.
The region is regulated by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, which analyzes, tastes and approves every shipment. The IVDP was created in 1933 and serves as the ultimate guarantee of the authenticity of Port wine. The rigorous quality control procedures and regulations ensure the unique value of any wine that bears the Porto seal of approval.
The Process
The Port winemaking process dates back for centuries, and involves ongoing hands-on, human intervention.
Harvest. It all begins when the grapes are harvested. Each year in late September, the process begins. The exact dates and other specifications for picking the grapes, and indeed the entire process, are set by very strict rules that apply within the demarcated region.
Pressing. After the grapes are picked, they are transferred to the quintas, or estates, where workers crush the grapes. These days, most of the Port producers use machines for pressing the grapes until they are liquefied. A special few still use stone treading tanks where workers march and tread upon the grapes until they have been liquefied.
Fermentation. After crushing, the grape juice is left to ferment just like other wines. The difference with Port, however, is that after half of the initial amount of grape sugar has fermented, grape brandy is added to the wine. This stops fermentation and allows the winemakers to make adjustments for taste and sweetness.
Aging. Historically, Port wine was transported from the quintas on ships down the Douro River to Vila Nova da Gaia. Now, the wine is typically shipped by tanker truck to the houses in Gaia, where it is stored in vats and casks to mature. The length and method of aging depends on the wine variety – Vintage Port continues to age in the bottle, while Tawny Port ages in oak barrels.
A Variety of Wines
There is an enormous variety, from taste to color to age, of Port wines on the market today. Port wines have two families – the bottle-matured and the cask-matured wines.
Bottle-Aged
Ruby. Ruby Port is a blend of several different harvests that ages for two to three years before it is bottled. It usually has a deep red color and tastes young and fruity.
Ruby Reserve. Ruby Reserve Ports consist of younger wines blended together to create a ruby color with a strong and fruity taste.
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV). These high-quality red wines come from grapes harvested in a single year and have been aged for four to six years before being bottled. They are ready to drink earlier than Vintage Port.
Vintage. The finest and most expensive style is Vintage Port. It is produced from a single, exceptional-quality harvest which must be declared a vintage within two years of the harvest. The wine then ages for many years in the bottle and should be decanted before serving. Excellent vintages currently available are 1994, 1997, 2000 and, most recently, 2003.
Cask-Aged
Tawny. Tawny Port is made from various wines that are aged for at least six years in wood casks before being bottled. It is usually light brown or amber in color with flavors of wood, nuts and dried fruit.
Tawny Reserve. Tawny Reserve Ports are aged for a minimum of seven years in wood casks. They are light brown in color and have smooth toasty and woody flavors with hints of fruit.
Aged Tawny. These high-quality wines are produced by combining different wines to achieve just the right complementary tastes and level of complexity. They are then labeled with the approximate average age of the blended wines – 10, 20, 30 or 40+ years old.
Colheita (Single-Year Tawny). Colheita is a Port made from the grapes of a single year’s harvest. It is aged for at least seven years in wood and often longer. This extremely rare wine features the year of bottling on the label.
White. White Port, a lighter style, is often served as an aperitif and can range from dry to sweet. It is made from white grapes and is ready to drink when bottled.
Enjoying Port
When it comes to Port, it’s not just the winemaking process that is steeped in tradition. The experience of drinking Port is also infused with rituals. Historically, the decanter full of Port is placed in front of the host and then passed from right to left. Other intricate traditions add yet another unique level of complexity to the wine, and broaden the many ways there are to enjoy Port.
Serving. While White Port is best chilled, Ruby and Tawny Port should be enjoyed slightly below or at room temperature. There are several different types of glasses from which to drink Port, including some specifically designed to bring out its flavors. The glass should be a good-sized wine glass filled about halfway full in order to allow the aroma to be enjoyed as well.
Decanting. Vintage Ports that have been aged for more than eight years in the bottle need to be decanted prior to serving. To do this, stand the bottle upright for 24 hours and then remove the cork a few hours before serving. Being careful not to disturb the sediment, pour the contents into a clean decanter in one continuous pouring motion. Once you see the sediment appear in the neck of the bottle, stop pouring or pour the wine into a glass and check for sediment.
Pairing. Chilled White Port makes an excellent aperitif either by itself or in a “Portonic” – equal parts of Dry White Port and tonic water, served with ice cubes and a slice of lemon. Tawny Ports are perfect accompaniments to meals that include dried fruit, pâté, smoked ham, foie gras or eggplant. Ruby Ports are also well-paired with cheese, particularly blue cheese, and the traditional pairing of Vintage Port and Stilton is an extraordinary treat. The warm, calming effects of Port are most often enjoyed leisurely after a meal, paired with desserts like chocolate, fresh fruit, pudding and ice cream.
Fun Facts
• When passing the Port, someone who keeps the decanter in front of him for too long might be called “The Bishop of Norwich,” after a famously stingy priest. Likewise, if you would like someone to pass you the Port, simply ask, “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?”
• There are more than 100,000 individual vineyards and approximately 25,000 farmers in the Douro region.
• Percy Croft, a member of the founding family of the House of Croft once said, “Any time not spent drinking Port is a waste of time.”
• Before 1986, all Port wine had to shipped from the Vila Nova da Gaia. But today, Port can also be shipped directly from the Douro demarcated region.
• The French drink the most Port generally, while the U.S. ranks sixth in consumption.
• There are over 90 different grape varieties allowed to grow in the Douro region.
• The corks of some Vintage Port bottles are so difficult to remove that special tongs are used to cut the neck of the bottle.
• The writer Evelyn Waugh once said, “Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.”
