What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Porto’? A beautiful Portuguese city? If you’re Italian, probably a harbour, or  – if you are a wine enthusiast – the first thing you might recall is the iconic Port wine. Check out our new blog post entirely dedicated to the exemplary Portuguese fortified wine.

Port wine is one of the world’s most famous (or probably the most famous!) and renowned fortified wines. To produce fortified wines, a brandy or a spirit is added at some point in the wine-producing process. For Port Wine, this happens before the end of the fermentation. 

Porto

The History of Port wine

Before heading into more detailed characteristics of the wine, let’s travel back in time and understand the origin and the history of Port. Even though wine has always been produced in Portugal, the first mention of Port wine as we know it today appeared around the 17th century. This happened in combination with a rise in exports from Portugal to England, a consequence of the increasing duties applied by Louis XV on French wine. 

English merchants started to look more to Portuguese wine and were interested in finding a more robust wine to sell in England. A trading route was established between the Douro Valley and England and the city of Porto started to play a big role in these shipments. Indeed, it became a big marketplace for wine merchants. The earliest records of this trade date back to 1678. 

To protect the quality of the wine on its long journey to England, a small dose of brandy was added to the wine to ‘fortify’ it. This practice is actually not the modern process of Port-making, which started to be implemented a little later, but it is related to it since the wine that arrived in England was still fortified.

Story of an Iconic Port House - Taylor's Port

Ever since Taylor’s Port foundation in the year 1692, swift Portuguese caravels and modern cargo ships alike have been sailing in and out of the bays around Porto,Viana do Castelo and Monção, eventually distributing their premium quality “Port Wine” all over Europe. The visionary dream of an independent company, initiated by the English merchant Job Bearsley, has been upheld by several generations, turning Taylor’s Port into what it is today. Port wine has since been served on the tables of royals, nobles and commoners throughout history and is one of the true classic European Wines.

The history of Taylor’s Port is long and meaningful, but this wine house has never been dwelling on the past. Today they are fully committed to the most recent means of production and strive to embrace sustainability, minimizing their impact on the environment through modern methods and techniques, together with the use of renewable energy sources.

Their social presence is heartfelt and meaningful, the Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships program helps ambitious and dedicated participants every year. Thanks to this fund, many individuals of different socials and personal extractions are able to attain an education in the fields of enology and wine business.

What does Port Wine Taste Like

An important thing to know when it comes to Port wine is that there is not just one type of Port. Each type of Port has its own characteristics and its own tasting profile. Here’s a brief presentation of each of the main Port categories:

Porto bottles

Ruby Port is a deeply red-coloured type of Port made using red grapes such as Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Roriz. The most recognisable tasting notes are those of berries like blackberry and cherries, chocolate and cinnamon. Under this category you can get Ruby, the cheapest type, Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage. Vintage Port is typically a blend of the single-year finest wines from the best vineyard. It is normally up to the producer to declare a particular vintage.

Tawny Port is made using almost the same red grape varieties used for Ruby Port, but it is generally sweeter and presents complex flavours of caramel, hazelnut and dried fruit. The basic Tawny Port has a barrel-ageing period of minimum 2 years but you can also get a smooth 40-year old blend. The difference between Ruby Port and Tawny Port is in the barrels used for ageing. Those for Tawny Port are smaller that favour the oxidisation of the wine. 

Rosé Port is the newest entry in the Port wine family and it is made using red grape varieties such as Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, and other grapes typically used in the production of red Port styles. These grapes are harvested and crushed and their juices and skins sit together for a very short period. This is just enough time to take on that light pink taint.

White Port can either be Standard, Reserve, ​Colheita or VVO(Very Old Vintage). White Ports are made using autochthonous white grape varieties like Rabigato, Malvasia, and Viosinho. The primary flavours are those of apricot, citrus, and sweet apple.

How to Make Port Wine?

Even though, as we saw above, there are 4 main Port wine categories, the winemaking process applies to all types of Port. 

The first step is to extract the colour and the tannin from the skin of the grapes. This process is normally mechanical, though in traditional Port houses you can still see teams treading grapes with their feet in lagares, shallow granite tanks. Then, after the fermentation process has started, it is interrupted by adding the grape spirits or the brandy that kills the yeast. This is the step that makes it possible to get a sweet and highly alcoholic Port wine.  Port is then put into barrels to age and left ageing depending on the need.

How to Drink Port Wine

Port wine is always served in dedicated Port wine glasses, which are smaller than regular wine glasses due to the high levels of alcohol in Portugal’s iconic fortified wine. The serving dose is 85ml. For the serving, Port wine should be a little below room temperature (16°C). Some types of Port can also be served on the rocks and are the perfect drink to sip on a hot summer day in Porto.

Food Pairings with Port Wine

The unique characteristics of Port wine are underlined when the wine is paired with very strong and flavoured cheeses, like blue cheese and smoked bbq meat. Port is great also to drink as a dessert wine as it goes very well with cakes and desserts with chocolate and caramel.


Interesting Facts about Port Wine

  • Did you know what those rosy/violish birthmarks some people have on their bodies ever since birth are called Port wine stains? The name derives from the similarity of colours these birthmarks usually have and Port. 
  • In the past, barrels of Port wine was transported on the Douro river using specific boats called Rabelo boats and they were built specifically to survive the strong streams from the Douro Valley to Vila Nova de Gaia.
  • Douro Valley, where Port is made, is considered to be one of the oldest regulated wine regions in the world.
  • After having been used to age Port for decades, the timber from the barrels is sent to the USA, Ireland, and Scotland to finish the ageing of whiskey and bourbon.
  • English etiquette dictates that when a bottle of Port is passed around the table, you shouldn’t serve yourself, but the person sitting to your right. Then, you will have to pass the bottle to the person at your left who will fill up your glass.

Wineries in Porto & Douro

Wine tasting and tour at Burmester Wine Cellar
burmester wine cellar-vineyard

At Burmester Wine Cellar, you can enjoy the atmosphere and aura of the place where the owner will be there to guide and show you around. He will take you on a historical journey and tell you about the history and start of the winery.

Wine and Tapas Tasting at Quinta do Silval
Quinta do Silval - aerial view of surroundings

What could be better than the combination of delicious Douro tapas with award winning wines from Quinta do Silval estates. You will be tasting among the Dorna Velha Grande Reserva tinto, the Porta Magalhaes LBV, the Reserva Especial Ruby and their Vintage Port wine; all intense, all excellent.

Vintage Port Wine Tasting at Quinta Do Tedo
Quinta-do-tedo-tasting-1-1152x864

Quinta Do Tedo has been producing excellent Port wines ever since 1992. Taste Vintage Ports of the finest quality from 2003, 2007, 2009 and Vintage Savedra Ports, which come from the winery’s oldest vineyard parcel, a 65+-year-old field blend of 18+ different varietals.

Wine tasting and tour at Cálem Wine Cellar
cálem wine cellar-cellar2

Calem Wine Cellar hosts one of the most popular wine tours in Portugal. Start by visiting their interactive museum to learn about the history of Port. Take a guided tour of the cellar to check out the production process among the barrels and vats.

Discover even more wineries in Porto and Douro Valley on our website and find the perfect wine tasting and tour for you.

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