Many places around the world produce fortified wines, and many of them take the Portuguese port wine as a model. Only wine produced in the demarcated areas around the Douro Valley and the city of Porto can be called port wine. This is a sweet wine with an alcohol content between 19-21%.
The production of port wine might be the most extreme wine production in the world! The winegrowers in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal endure wild temperatures, from nine-month-long freezing cold winters to three-month-long scorching summers with temperatures rising up to 50°C (122°F). Some port wine vineyards are carved into steep mountainsides with meticulously crafted vertical walls of schist descending towards the Douro River, holding the soil in place. It’s one of the world’s most beautiful natural and man-made landscapes, but it’s also a dangerous and extremely challenging workplace.
History of Port Wine
During the trade wars between England and France in the 17th century, the English replaced their French wine connections with Portugal. To stabilize the wine during the long sea voyage, the Portuguese added a bit of spirit to each wine barrel. Over time, this developed into the port wine we know today. Port wine is still made like regular wine, but pure alcohol is added before fermentation is complete to halt the process. This preserves a lot of sweetness in the port wine and elevates its alcohol content, resulting in port wine as we know it, with around 20% alcohol and a rich, sweet flavor.
Different Types of Port Wine
The various types of port wine develop vastly different flavors depending on how producers age and develop them. In short, there are two main types: Ruby port and Tawny port.
Ruby Port
Regular Ruby Port spends only two years in massive old wooden casks. This limits its exposure to oxygen and retains its dark color and fruitiness. Ruby Port wines are generally fruity, sweet, easy to drink, and popular. They pair well with blue cheeses, strong cheeses, and many desserts. It’s recommended to enjoy them slightly chilled.
Shelf life after opening: 2-4 weeks when refrigerated.
LBV Port Wine
Ruby Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) achieves a mature and rounded taste as it ages in barrels for 4-6 years after harvest before being bottled. Serious LBVs can be almost as good as a Vintage but are available at a much more affordable price. The best LBVs can be stored for several years. LBVs come in both filtered and unfiltered varieties, and they are labeled with the vintage and bottling year. They can be enjoyed immediately.
Shelf life after opening: After 1 week, the LBV’s character may change.
Vintage Port Wine
Vintage Port wine is the Rolls Royce of port wines and the finest available. It’s a Ruby port and is only made in the best vintages approved by the Port Wine Institute. The grapes for a Vintage come from an exceptional harvest, which occurs about three times per decade. The wine is bottled unfiltered after spending two years in new French oak barrels, and it continues to develop in the bottle, ideally for at least 15 years, and even up to 50 years. A Vintage Port takes the time it takes because it’s only after a long period that it becomes drinkable, harmonious, and mature! When young, it can be quite harsh. Stand the bottle upright the day before it’s to be consumed and decant it gently before serving, as Vintage Ports develop sediment during aging.
Tawny Port
Tawny is a completely different type of port wine that oxidizes during its longer stay in barrels, around 6 years. Unlike Ruby port, you can open a bottle of Tawny and keep it chilled for a while before finishing it.
Colheita
Colheita is the vintage Tawny port, aged for a minimum of 7 years in barrels, but it can often stay in barrels even longer before being bottled. The harvest year is prominently displayed on the label, while the bottling year is on the back label. Colheita wines exhibit rounded notes like leather and nuts, the so-called “brown shades,” and less fresh fruitiness. It holds up well after opening, though its taste does change somewhat.
Aged Tawny
Aged Tawny comes with an average age of 10, 20, 30, or over 40 years. This type of port wine is blended from different vintages and barrels and must be approved by the Port Wine Institute (Instituto do Vinho do Porto) before being released to the market. Aged Tawnies can be elegant and harmonious.
Key Grape Varieties
In the Douro region, many different grape varieties are used to produce port wine, but it’s not allowed to use international grapes like Merlot or Syrah. If a port wine house uses these grapes, they lose their classification. Examples of grapes allowed for port wine production in Douro include Tinta Cao, Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roritz. The last three are all clones of the Tempranillo grape, which is allowed, while the use of Tempranillo in its current form wouldn’t be approved.