Port Wine
Port originates in the Douro Valley, Portugal. The valley stretches east from the city of Oporto to the border with Spain. The term "port wine" can only refer to these wines.
Port first became popular when the English were at war with France, and could therefore not drink French wines. The English went in search of a new location to set up vineyards, and the Duoro Valley proved to be quite suitable. The vineyards are laid out along very steep hills, terraced to provide footing for the vines.
In the seafaring days when this occurred, something had to be done to wine to allow it to survive the long ocean journeys. Brandy was added to allow the wine to last longer, and to be more resistant to temperature changes. Wines altered like this were called "fortified wines", and port is one of the more famous of the fortifieds.
There are 48 authorized grape varieties which can go into a port. The most common are 8 red and 8 white, with tinta rariz, tinta francisca, touriga nacional and touriga francesca topping the list. Port is kept in oak for a relatively short time, and depending on the quality of the year, is blended with other years for a consistent taste. It is then fortified and aged in bottles. Every Quinta, or 'house', determines its own vintage years.
Ports should also be stored differently depending on their type. The Standard port, with the stopper-with-plastic-top, is not meant to be aged. It should be stored upright, so the cork does not have any contact with the liquid within. Vintage ports, on the other hand, are meant to be aged and have a different, "normal" cork. These should be stored on their sides like any other wine.
A vintage port, once opened, loses its flavor quickly (again, like wine). It should be drunk within 24 hours of decanting if possible. The standard port, on the other hand, can last much longer. If kept corked (stopped), it can last between one (Ruby) and four (Tawny) months before its flavor is lost.
There are five general types of port wine:
Port first became popular when the English were at war with France, and could therefore not drink French wines. The English went in search of a new location to set up vineyards, and the Duoro Valley proved to be quite suitable. The vineyards are laid out along very steep hills, terraced to provide footing for the vines.
In the seafaring days when this occurred, something had to be done to wine to allow it to survive the long ocean journeys. Brandy was added to allow the wine to last longer, and to be more resistant to temperature changes. Wines altered like this were called "fortified wines", and port is one of the more famous of the fortifieds.
There are 48 authorized grape varieties which can go into a port. The most common are 8 red and 8 white, with tinta rariz, tinta francisca, touriga nacional and touriga francesca topping the list. Port is kept in oak for a relatively short time, and depending on the quality of the year, is blended with other years for a consistent taste. It is then fortified and aged in bottles. Every Quinta, or 'house', determines its own vintage years.
Port should be served around 65 degrees, in a narrow wine glass, and the glass should only be half filled. This keeps the alcoholic content from overwhelming the flavors. It often needs to be decanted, and is traditionally served with Stilton or cheddar cheese. Port also goes very well with chocolate. Port aromas include pepper, smoke, truffles and black currant. "Standard" port should be drunk within a year or two of purchase. Vintage Port peaks at around 20 years for good quality port.
Ports should also be stored differently depending on their type. The Standard port, with the stopper-with-plastic-top, is not meant to be aged. It should be stored upright, so the cork does not have any contact with the liquid within. Vintage ports, on the other hand, are meant to be aged and have a different, "normal" cork. These should be stored on their sides like any other wine.
A vintage port, once opened, loses its flavor quickly (again, like wine). It should be drunk within 24 hours of decanting if possible. The standard port, on the other hand, can last much longer. If kept corked (stopped), it can last between one (Ruby) and four (Tawny) months before its flavor is lost.
There are five general types of port wine:
- White, a simple multi-year blend, can be sweet or dry.
- Ruby and Tawny ports, also multi-year blends, are usually sweet, and are older ports.
- Dated ports are quality wines, usually of a "tawny" type, and are marked as to their age.
- Harvest ports are not blended, and are aged at least 7 years.
- Vintage port is a single harvest and of the highest quality.
This was taken from http:// www.about.com /
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