Port – much more than an old wine

It’s a bit mysterious. You may have heard of it, but never experienced it. You hear people talk about it using descriptions such as “It has succulent berry flavors of moderate extraction converge with ripe stone fruit nuances supported by direct, firm tannins in a fresh, balanced texture.." Ok….WHAT?!? What the heck are they talking about? They are talking about port.

What is port? Port is a wine. To be more specific, it’s considered a dessert wine. It’s been described as ‘one of the greatest dessert wines in the world’. That’s saying something. But what exactly is it? Port, or port wine is a fortified wine that comes exclusively from the Douro Valley in the northern province of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Only wines from this region can truly be called port. Other regions in the world make fortified wines in the style of port, but it cannot be called port.

Port takes its name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the 560-mile long Rio Douro or River of Gold. Although many port-style wines are made around the world – most notably Australia, South Africa and the United States – the strict usage of the terms Port or Porto refer only to wines produced in Portugal. The Port vineyard zone of the Douro River Valley, was officially demarcated by the Portuguese in the 18th Century. It covers just over 1,000 square miles, with less than 15% of that area being planted in vines. Doesn’t seem like a whole lot of grapes to make a whole lot of wine, does it? In fact, the Red Grape varieties used in making port actually have to be authorized by the Portuguese wine institute, the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (IVP).

The history of Port begins in the 17th-century, in the Douro Valley. Many people claim that it is the land that time forgot – but in oh-such-a-good way! Douro Valley is not a place to find the latest wine making techniques and fancy equipment. Instead, the Douro Valley supports a wine industry that still functions today the way it was over a hundred years ago. The Portuguese of course, had been making wine for hundreds of years since the Romans introduced wine to the Iberian Peninsula in the first century B.C. And they were making quite a bit of it. By the beginning of the 17th-century, they were shipping as many as 1,200,000 cases of wine down the Douro River to Oporto each year. Saúde! From there it was sold throughout Portugal, to the Dutch, and to the British. Port is created in a unique way that captures the fruit and flavor of the ripe grapes in wines that possess astonishing durability. During fermentation, prior to reaching the point where all of the natural grape sugars have been converted into alcohol, high-proof brandy is added to the vats to stop the fermentation. This leaves a wine with great depth of color and a high natural sweetness. After fermentation is complete, the wines are transported to "lodges" where they rest in large oak casks called "pipes."

Nine types of port are certified by the IVP for production. The quality and complexity of the wine vary according to the time it spends aging and the grapes used to make it. Many port manufacturers pride themselves on using wine-making processes that are the same today as they were nearly 400 years ago. Indeed, some vintage port is still made using grapes crushed by foot. Here’s a quick an easy guide to ports.

Ruby port. Ruby is considered the most basic and least expensive type of port. It's blended from the produce of several harvests and aged for two to three years in stainless steel or wood before being bottled. Ruby ports are meant to be drunk immediately, and their taste is considered a warming blend of sweet and spicy. Always choose a premium ruby, as lesser quality rubies can be quite harsh.

Tawny port. Tawny is aged in a wood cask for a longer period -- between three and 40 years. The best tawny ports take their pale amber or tawny color from longer aging in wood. Since some tawnies can be a mix of red and white port, look for the wine's age, which should be displayed on the bottle. True tawny, also called "aged tawny," comes in 10-, 20-, 30-, and 40-year-old versions, the best of which -- for the money -- is the 20-year version. Tawny is a good starter port for the novice. Its dry, nutty flavor carries raisin overtones and is considered quite accessible.

Colheita. A Colheita is a tawny from a single vintage that is aged at least seven years in wood before bottling. It is the rarest of ports, amounting to less than 0.5% of all port production. The wine label should indicate the year of bottling and the wine should be drunk within a year of that date. A Colheita has a faded color and a nutty flavor with a lingering rich dried fruit finish.

White port. White ports are comparatively new to the market. First introduced by Taylor's in 1934, the wine is made from white grapes and comes in both a sweet and a dry style. White port is produced in the same manner as red port, with the drier styles aged in casks for up to 10 years. White port is typically consumed chilled as an aperitif, but its distinctive taste isn't considered to have a universal appeal.

Crusted port. So named because of the deposit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, a crusted port is not filtered before being bottled. The wine was invented for the British palette as an alternative to a vintage or late-bottled vintage port. It's a full-bodied wine available at an economical price, but it must be decanted before serving.

Vintage character port. These are also called Super or Premium Ruby ports. The wine is aged four to six years before being filtered and bottled. A vintage character port has more body and fruit than a tawny, but lacks the complexity of a true vintage port.

Single-quinta (estate) port. A single-quinta port is made in both the tawny and vintage styles; it simply means that the wine comes from a single vineyard. These wines are generally produced in years that are not declared. "Declared" is a port-maker's term for years of grape production that are considered to be exceptional and during which vintage ports are produced.

Late-bottled vintage (LBV) port. An LBV is a port made from a single vineyard, but typically one that is not good enough to make a true vintage port. The wine is left to age in wood for four to six years before being filtered and bottled. LBVs are ready to drink sooner than full vintages and do have some sediment in the bottle.

Vintage port. Vintage port is considered the king of ports. It is the finest and most expensive style of port, accounting for about 4% to 5% of all port production. Vintners often stake their reputations on the quality of their vintage. A vintage port comes from a single harvest of exceptional quality; winemakers will declare their grapes in a particular year if they feel the production is good enough. The first vintages were declared in 1734 and vintage production years are considered to occur once or twice a decade, with the exception of the 1990s, which saw four years (1991, 1992, 1994, and 1997) declared. The wine itself is bottled after two or three years of cask aging and is then allowed to age in the bottle for between five and 50 years.

So the next time you find yourself wanting to tickle your tongue with something new, venture into the world of ports. This wonderfully surprising aged and fortified wine offers such a variety that there is something to please everyone. So raise a toast with a glass of port to your health. Or as they say in Portugal: Para sua saúde!