Port from Portugal

Port is synonymous with Portugal and not just because of the similarity in names. The fortified wine is manufacturer in Portugal and a favoured tipple with many Portuguese.

However although it may be a truly Portuguese drink, Port was in fact invented by the British. And, depending upon whom has written the history you are reading of the wine-based drink, determines whether or not it was a happy accident or thanks to ingenious insight.

During the 17th century, at a time when England was at war with France, but still in need of rich, full bodied red wine supplies, wine merchants looked to Portugal to fill the gap in the market.

Portugal was awash with a wide variety of reds to suit the thirsty pallets in Britain and the export in large quantities began. However the rich, full bodied red wines the Portuguese supplied just didn't travel well. And by the time they reached the crystal decanters in Britain they were little more than passable table wines.

What this has to do with the invention of Port you may ask? Well, it has everything to do with Port's inception. In order to transport the wine to England and be able to command a premium price on arrival one ingenious wine merchant added brandy to the wine barrels.

By adding the brandy the wine merchant stopped the remaining sugar in the grapes from fermenting which had been causing the wine to over mature during transit.

There is no clear evidence to stay the wine merchant's ingenious act was premeditated act of swilling the wine barrels with brandy as performed by monks on the Rio Lamego or a happy accident or re-using unwashed brandy barrels.

Port unfortunately was not an instant hit with the British market and although exportation went, it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries when relations with France and Britain were once again strained, did interest and demand for the fortified wine increase. And the rest they say is history.

Many British companies established businesses in Porto specifically dealing with the export of Port wine and many of them are still in existence today including Taylors, Sandiman and Crofts . And if you fancy a tour around one of the Port wine lodges while you in the historic city it is easy to do with many occurring

What is Port?

Port is a fortified wine, which is produced from grapes harvested in the Douro region of Portugal. The wine has brandy or Aguardente (Portuguese brandy) added to it to stop or slow the fermentation process down.

During the 18th century the Marquis of Pombal, the then Prime Minister of Portugal, set up the Douro Wine Company to stamp out somewhat less than scrupulous acts of some wine merchants which was affecting the price of Port.

The Marquis established the boundaries of the Douro wine region and laid out rules for growing the grapes for the wine however he attracted criticism from all sides as well as accusations of conflict of interest. The Douro Wine Company was broken up in the 19th century and the control of Port is now overseen by the Instituto dos Vinhos Port do Douro e do Porto.

Types of Port

There are nine official classifications of Port, as defined by the Institute of Port Wine - White, Ruby, Tawny, Crusted, Late Bottled Vintage, Vintage Character, Single Quinta (Farm) and Colheita (harvest).

White Port - is made from white wine grapes in the same manner as Port created from red wine. White Port comes in both dry and sweet versions.

Ruby Port - is created from a blend of red wines and is considered the basic red Port. It is usually aged in casks for up to three years before being bottled.

Tawny Port - is made in the same way as Ruby Port with a blend of red wines however it is usually aged for a considerably longer period in the casks - anywhere between 3-40 years - which turns it golden or tawny in colour.

Crusted Port - was invented predominately for the British Port drinker. It gains it's name due to the sediment (crust) which forms in the bottle. Crusted Port is made from blends of several harvests and the year stated usually refers to the date the Port was bottled.

Late Bottled Vintage - is from a specific single harvest which has been then aged in the barrel for anything between four to six years.

Vintage - Is perhaps the king of all the Ports. Vintage Port is created from one harvest remains in the barrel for up to three years before being bottled and laid down to age. Only around one or two percent of Port made in Portugal is worthy of being named vintage. There are strict controls on what can be called a Vintage Port and samples along with the estimated yield from the harvest and the year of harvest must be sent to the Institute of Port Wine who alone can declare it a Vintage Port.

Vintage Character - is a blend of a few ordinary Ruby Ports which is laid down to age for between three to five years.

Single Quinta - is made from a single specific harvest from a single quinta (farm). Usually when harvests have been good but the wine has not made the grade for Vintage you will find this wine is turned to Single Quinta, which is perhaps only second to Vintage in quality and complexity of taste.

Colheita - are made from a single harvest and are given extended aging in barrels, usually over seven years. This additional aging provides the change in colour and a nuttier taste to the Port.