Colheita – made from grapes all harvested in the same vintage (meaning the same year), they tend to be aged at least 10 years at minimum.Every few years they are re-topped with brandy which adds to the color transformation and bright flavor. They lose their bright red colors and shift into more caramel and honey coloring.
Tawny ports are all aged at least a minimum of 2 years in oak wood casks. Single Quinta – Vintage ruby port that came from only one vineyard (think the “single malt scotch of ports”).Crusted – a blend of different Vintage Ports, usually contains a sediment and needs to be decanted.Only the best ports are chosen and they have to go through an official process to be designated “vintage” Vintage ports can evolve for 50 years in the bottle, though 20 years is probably the most common. Vintage – Ruby ports all from a single year, that are aged in large steel vats for two years before being bottled, but they continue to age in the bottle and can improve and increase in value the longer they are kept.But it has been aged in a barrel for 4 to 6 years hence the “late bottle” note. Late Bottled Vintage (“LBV”) Reserve – Still ruby port and meant to be consumed young.Reserve – Only the highest quality port vines are included in reserve bottles (think of it as “special ruby”).Ruby – Generally affordable, deep red, very sweet and fruity, the youngest of all the ports.They are aged comparatively little have have strong fruit character and dark red colors. Ruby ports are the youngest and brightest of all varieties. There are over 30 varieties of Port grapes so that accounts for the huge variation in Port styles and flavors! Ruby While White ports are made from, well, white grapes. Ruby, Tawny and Rosé are all made from the same collection of purple grapes. They correspond to colors and aging processes. There are three main types of port: Ruby, Tawny, Rosé, and White. Which is why we still have port today! Courtesy Shutterstock Types of Port: This extra fortification not only raised the alcohol content, but also increased the sweetness.Ĭustomers realized that adding more alcohol to things makes them yummier. Shipping companies often added a little extra brandy to large shipments of Port so the wine wouldn’t go bad during the long sea voyage. Which meant Britain had to look elsewhere for wine. England and France engaged in The Hundred Year’s War for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. The first record of port is 1678 which marks the start of its soaring popularity in Britain.
(True Port can’t come from any other location in the world.) And the shipping city at the base of the Douro Valley is called…Porto.
It’s called Port because all of it, every last drop, comes from the protected domain of the Douro Valley in Portugal. Looking for more dessert pairings? Try Single Malt Scotch and Dessert or Port and Bleu Cheese pairings. Turns out, none of those things are necessary for the consumption and enjoyment of port! Even better, you don’t need a big bank account to afford a good port either.ĭrink port as a dessert by itself, or pair port and your favorite dessert to a perfect treat. You can even pair port in your desserts, like these port-poached pears stuffed with caramel and wrapped in puff pastry! That was something people drank who had libraries and parlors in their homes. Thank you for your support.įor a long time I thought port was too fancy for me. I only link to products I genuinely trust and recommend. If you click on these links and make purchases, I may receive a small commission.