Port Wine (Portugal)

Port is a Fortified Wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal.

It is a Sweet Red Dessert Wine, but it also comes in White and Rosé varieties.

Port aging in oak barrels

Taylor's Port Cellar (since 1692) is one of the oldest Port houses

Production Method

Port wine is made like other wine, but grape brandy is added to stop fermentation.

This creates a sweet wine with high alcohol and residual sugar.

Ruby Port is the least expensive type of port, made from simpler grapes with varying quality.

It is a young wine, aged for 2 years in large oak vessel to preserve its Fruity flavors and Ruby Red color.

Tawny Port is aged for a long period in oak, which imparts a nice nutty flavor in the wine.

Tawny Ports carry an indication of the average age of the blended wines, like 10, 20, 30, or 40 years, and the wine has a Tawny Brown color.

Vintage Port is considered the Top of Port Wines.

It is made from grapes harvested in an exceptional year, stored a short time in barrels, and then aged in the bottle for tens of years.

White Port can be dry or sweet and is often served chilled as an Aperitif.

Most ports are red and made from red grapes. White Port is made from White Grapes.

This a simplified description of Port Wine.

A more complete description is found at Level 3.