Port Wine

Port wine is produced exclusively in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal, which was officially demarcated as a wine region in 1756 and is one of the oldest demarcated wine appellations in the world. European Union law protects the 'Port' designation, restricting its use to wines from this specific region.

Port is made by adding grape spirit (aguardente) to the fermenting wine, which halts fermentation before all the natural sugar is converted to alcohol. This process kills the yeast, leaving residual sugar that makes the wine sweet while raising the alcohol content to around 19-22 percent.

Major styles include ruby Port (young, fruity, aged in bottle), tawny Port (aged in wood barrels, nutty and amber-colored), vintage Port (from a single declared year, bottle-aged for decades), and white Port (made from white grapes, ranging from dry to sweet). Tawny Ports are often labeled with an age designation such as 10, 20, 30, or over 40 years.

Vintage Port is made only in exceptional years, bottled young, and aged in the bottle for decades, resulting in a powerful wine that develops sediment and requires decanting. Aged tawny Port is matured in wooden barrels for years, producing a smoother, nuttier character with oxidative flavors that is ready to drink upon bottling.