A brief introduction about the different kinds of Port Wines.
Tawny, Ruby and Vintage ports are an after-dinner drink; rich, full-bodied and high in alcohol (19º to 22º), best served at room temperature. Tawnies are lighter in taste and color than Rubies or Vintages. They are all a blend of several wines. White Port, however, is an aperitif and served chilled. They are either dry or sweet and made from only white Malvasia grapes.
Vintage Ports are the ‘Port of all Ports’ being made from wines of a single vintage year. (‘Vintage Year’ may happen three times in a decade.
Shippers only ‘declare’ a vintage 18 months after the harvest). These wines are then blended and kept in oak casks for no longer than two years before being bottled.
For this reason this Port retains a dark ruby color and fresh fruit flavor. They will then mature in the traditional black bottles for a minimum of 15 years, but the best ones continue to improve indefinitely. Only 2% of production is Vintage Port.
Vintage Ports must be decanted before drinking them.
Late Bottled Vintage is a Vintage Port that due to lack of demand etc. was left in the barrel longer than two years; more like four to six.
Two distinct styles of wine results:
Unfiltered wine, is the first bottling of this Port. A conventional cork is used and decanting is a must. The label should mention ‘Unfiltered’ or ‘Bottled Mature’.
Filtered wine is the final bottling. Because it is ready to drink immediately, a stopper is used instead of a cork, so it can be easily resealed.
Tawny Port is made from red grapes and aged in wooden barrels where it is exposed to gradual oxidation and evaporation. Being in the barrel it gradually becomes a golden brown color and takes on a nutty flavor.
Tawny Reserve Port is your basic blend of wood aged Port with at least seven years in the barrel. No year is given on the label.
Tawny Port with the date noted, is a blend of several vintages, with the average years in the barrel stated on the label, such as 10, 20, 30 and over 40 years.
Tawny Port from a single vintage is known as a ‘Colheita’ (harvest). The actual vintage year is mentioned on the label.
Although many countries produce similar wines and even call them port, Port Wines can only be produced in Portugal’s Douro Region.
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