What Makes Port Wine So Special And Varied?
Like me, you may be surprised to learn that port wine ranges in colour from the deep blackberry of ruby ports to the amber, coppery shades of tawny port, the pale gold of white port and light pink rosé.
Each of these wines has different characteristics and, when paired with the right food, will give your taste buds a thrill. They also have an intriguing history.
Port wine personalities and pairings
A vintage ruby port with nuances of blackberry, chocolate and other deep flavours will bring out the tang of a creamy stilton cheese. In fact, before coming to Portugal, my only experience of port wine was our family’s tradition of drinking ruby port with stilton at Christmas time.
I was delighted to discover other options during a tasting session in Porto. A tawny port is lighter in both colour and flavour with hints of caramel and nuts. A slightly sweeter wine that improves with age, a tawny pairs well with nuts or dried apricots as an aperitif or as a dessert wine, especially with Portuguese almond tart or a pecan pie. It also works well with brie and other medium cheeses. If you get your hands on a 30 or 40-year-old tawny port you won’t need anything but the right setting to appreciate it.
White port also came as a refreshing surprise to me, especially when I tried one that had been aged for 10 years, by which point it tasted of toffee. Younger white ports, especially the dry ones, are best served chilled as an aperitif or mixed with tonic, lemon or ginger to make a port tonic or cocktail. In terms of pairings, think salmon, sushi or light cakes and fruity desserts or toasted almonds with an aperitif.
I’m with the traditionalists on the subject of rosé port. I think it’s gimmicky and unworthy of the genre. Try it for yourself by all means but I think you’ll agree.
How did port wine happen?
During a day trip to the Douro wine region, my guide explained that port wine’s origins stem from historical tensions between the British and French. Relations got so bad that the Brits began looking for alternative sources for table wine. Initial experiments proved unsatisfactory until Douro Valley wines came on the scene in the 16th century. Cistercian monks from Burgundy had settled in the region in the 12th century and revived the local wine production initiated by the Romans. The combination of their techniques, the microclimate and the terrain created wines that the British found to their tastes.
However, the long journey, first along the Douro River to Porto and from there across the ocean to Britain meant that the quality of the wine suffered. The solution was to fortify it with aguardente (brandy) so that it would withstand the trip and preserve the sugar content. The resulting wine is what we know as ruby port.
Tawny port is probably an accidental evolution. The wooden barrels of ruby port wine were stored in cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia before being shipped to the UK. It seems that some barrels stayed there longer than usual and over time the wine changed in colour and flavour.
White port wine is made using white grapes and looks like white table wine unless it is aged. After 10 years in the barrel, it looks and tastes more like a tawny but is best served chilled.
Which will you be sampling first?
