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You might think of Port as something you only drink at Christmas – but Portugal's famous fortified wine has much more to offer. Read on to find out more ...
Picture the scene…
In the smartest boardroom in the capital, in St James, the traditional heart of London’s clubland, the candles flicker expectantly. There’s a hush as the Duke of Wellington raises his glass. The liquid inside glints pink amber. It is smoky, tarry … and still very sweet …
Hugh Johnson OBE remembers the moment well. In his book, “Wine, A Life Uncorked”, he writes that it was “a wine of extraordinary quality… with the final quality of great old wines, an after taste that refuses to stop”. The year is 1990, and to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, Christie’s has hosted a special dinner during which they uncorked one of the very last bottles of ‘Waterloo port’ – from that treasured 1815 vintage.
It says so much about our traditional view of Port. Old fashioned. Slightly posh. The sort of gift godfathers lay down for their god children at christening – to be reclaimed on their 18th birthdays, if said godfather hasn’t already drunk it. The smart after-dinner drink, passed to the left, formal dinners, naval, army or otherwise … or just seen, once a year, at Christmas. It deserves better...
What is Port?
Put very simply, Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine. It is actually one of four the country makes, including Madeira, Moscatel and Carcavelos. But Port is the sweet nectar we tend to associate with Portugal the most. Yes, you can find similar fortified wines in countries like Argentina, Australia, India, and Canada, but - just as Champagne has to be made in Champagne - only those wines ‘fortified’ in Portugal can legally be labelled as “Port”.
To find Port country, you need to head north. Named after the historic town of Porto, this powerful wine actually comes from grapes grown upriver, in the stunningly beautiful Douro Valley. Here, the steep and savage landscape has been partially tamed by mile after mile of stone terraces – blasted with gunpowder out of the high, craggy, curving hillsides. In 2001, UNESCO gave it world heritage status, but thanks to rules laid out in 1756, it is also the oldest regulated wine region in the world.
And rightly so. Port is a wine of powerful character and immense potential. Because of its richness, many of us think of it as a dessert wine. But it actually comes in various styles, not just sweet, including dry, off dry and white. Which makes it so much more than just something to sip with a decadent chocolate pud or a lavish cheeseboard.
What are the four key styles of Port?
Port wine is available in various styles, but the four most common are Ruby, Tawny, Rosé and White.
What is Ruby Port?
Ruby Port is young, fruity, and vibrant, with deep crimson hues. This style also includes Vintage, Late-Bottled Vintage (LBV), and Crusted Port, all aged for different lengths of time to produce more complex flavours. Ruby Port wines are bursting with flavours like raspberry, blackberry, caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate, offering wine drinkers something indulgent and moreish.
What is Tawny Port?
Tawny Port is aged in wooden barrels. There the wine develops a golden-brown colour with nuts, dried fruits, and caramel flavours. Age labels – 10, 20, 30, 40 years – signify the wine’s character rather than its precise age. Like Ruby Port, Tawny Port has some similar flavours (raspberry, cinnamon, and caramel) but the additional ageing in wooden barrels adds hazelnut, clove, and fig.
What is Rosé Port?
Rosé Port is the newest style of Port, and technically it’s a Ruby Port. It is produced in a similar style to rosé wine – with the red grape skins having minimal contact to produce a pretty shade of pink. It has bright raspberry, strawberry and cranberry sauce flavours.
What is White Port?
White Port stands apart. For starters, it is made with different grapes than Port’s traditional six-grape blend. (Typically, the native Portuguese grapes like Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio, and Malvasia). That means it has an entirely different flavour profile, one that is deliciously characterised by citrus, sweet fruits like apricot and baked apple, and sweet toasted nuts. It comes in a range of styles and sweetness levels, from bone-dry to lusciously sweet.
The Importance of Vintage and Port
It’s all about the declaration of intent!
Vintage Ports are very long-lived wines from the best vineyard sites. They are only made in exceptional years. They come from a single year (this is stated on the label) – and the vintage must be bottled only after two or three-year’s aging in cask. The Port house must also decide within two years of the harvest if the wine is going to be fine enough to be released, unblended as a vintage port.
This is known as ‘declaring’ the vintage and can only happen after Port’s governing body – the IVDP – has approved samples and volumes. In a good year (such as 1985) this is followed by a universal declaration by producers. There are three declared vintages per decade on average. Vintage Ports require bottle ageing after release and will always throw sediment – so remember to decant before drinking!
So, how is Port actually made?
The base for Port is made like any other wine…
Grapes are grown, pressed and fermented with yeast, which converts the wine’s natural sugars into alcohol. In the production of fortified wine, however, there’s an additional step. Before all the sugar is converted to alcohol, a neutral grape spirit is introduced to the wine, stopping the fermentation. This process is known as fortification. (Originally it was added to help preserve the quality of the wine on the long sea route back to England).
More than 80 different grapes can be used, but the base wine used for Port tends to be produced by blending six varieties, simply because they work the best.
Let’s start with Touriga Nacional. Quite possibly Portugal’s finest red grape, it has a reputation for being extremely hard to cultivate and less than generous with the amount of juice it actually yields. But it ages well and what it does deliver is darkly coloured, rich, tannic and complex – making it the backbone of many Ports.
Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) offers spiciness and berry flavours, adding finesse and balance. Touriga Franca brings bright red fruit and a perfumed elegance. Tinta Barroca is soft, with a sweet fruit character that adds balance. Tinta Cão’s vibrant acidity and floral undertones playing a key role in the longevity and freshness of Port wines. And Tinta Amarela further boosts complexity and elegance with its fragrant aromas of red fruits and spices.
What foods pair well with Port?
With its intense fruit flavours and sweetness, Port can be paired with a variety of dishes, from rich cheeses to smoked meats to dessert. The fruitiness of Ruby and LBV Ports goes well with blue cheeses or decadent chocolate desserts. Tawny Port is ideal with nutty desserts, creamy cheeses or caramel tarts. White Port is a great choice with seafood dishes, almonds or as an aperitif with olives.
How to serve Port
Ruby and Tawny Port are best served just below room temperature – around 16C. Any colder risks losing those iconic, sticky-sweet hints of raspberry and caramel. In the summer, Rosé or White Port can be served over ice with a peel of lime and even a splash of tonic for a refreshing long drink.
Port’s intense flavours and high alcohol levels mean it is typically served in small measures in dessert wine or special Port wine glasses. These have long stems, but short, tulip-shaped bowls perfectly suited to Port’s complex aromas.
Here are some further handy Port storage tips:
Always reseal the bottle with its original cork or a wine stopper. Store the bottle upright to minimise surface area exposed to oxygen. And, if you don’t plan on finishing the bottle soon after opening, consider transferring the wine to a smaller bottle or using a wine preservation system to minimise oxidation. Which leads us on to:
How long does Port last?
Don’t leave a bottle on the sideboard for too long!
Once opened, Ruby and LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) Port can maintain their vibrant fruity styles and character for up to two weeks, if they’re resealed and stored in a cool, dark place. On the other hand, Tawny Port can last longer. That’s because they have already been exposed to some air during their time in wooden barrels. Even then, for optimum flavour, don’t leave longer than three weeks. The lighter styles of White and Rosé Port should be finished within a week to ten days. And to keep their freshness and aromatic profiles, pop them in the fridge once you’ve uncorked them.
About the author
Richard Bull
Although good at running up hills, Richard failed to make the military cuvée and turned instead to the drinks trade. After stints at Hennessy, Oddbins and Grants of St James, he arrived at Laithwaites. Here, he spent 15 years writing about real wine and the people who make it. As he wrote from the desk to your door, he was lucky enough to visit vineyards in France, Italy, Spain and Kent - as well as being flown over South Africa's Breede River by a winemaking army veteran who'd just had a heart attack. Qualified to WSET Level 3, he loves the off-the-beaten track reds of the Languedoc, but is currently obsessed with all drops Greek - particularly their super crisp whites.
