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Liquor & Spirits
Fortified & Dessert Wine
Port

ABOUT PORT


Portugal's greatest wine Is Port. Port Is made by running off partiallyfermented red wine into a barrel which is a quarter full of brandy, whileit still contains at least half of the grape sugar. The brandy stops thefermentation so that the resulting mixture is both strong and sweet.
Port is a fortified blended wine made from grapes grown in a strictly definedpart of Northern Portugal's Upper Douro River Valley. The fortificationis in the form of grape brandy which stops the fermentation, leaving thewine at the desired level of sweetness. After this, the wine is stored inpipes (116 gallon oak casks) in the Upper Douro lodges, until the followingspring.

Since 1933, the Portuguese government has regulated the authenticity ofPort production by establishing the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (The PortWine Institute).

Some of the grapes used in Port production are Mourisco, Tinta Francisca,Tinta Amarelo, Tinto Cao, and Touriga Francesca. These are the varietiesmost in use today.

The main differences between domestic port and Port (Porto) are the grapevarieties, the sun and rain ratios, the soil, and the fermentation processes.

Ficklin uses the Tinta Madera grape, which is heavy and sweet. In theirvintage port ('83), they also use the Touriga, the Souzao, and the TintaCao. Most California producers of a port-style wine (Beringer for one) usevarietals such as Carignane, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

There are basically two categories of Port:

1) Wood Ports
Ruby or tawny ports matured in oak casks and ready to be consumed when bottledand shipped.

2) Vintage (and vintage style) Ports These Ports continue to mature in thebottle, after having spent a few years in wood casks.

WOOD PORTS

a) RUBY PORT is considered a young port. It is aged in the oak cask foran average of three to eight years. It is full-bodied, comparatively sweet,and has a rich ruby color.

b) TAWNY PORT is older than Ruby Port and is aged in wood for ten years.During this time, it loses body but gains softness and becomes increasinglypale in color (attaining a browned edge) and slightly drier. Voluptuous!!VINTAGEPORTS

The wines of an outstanding year. About 18 months after the harvest, whenthe wines have already been in casks and questions regarding the qualityhave been answered, the shipper (maker/seller) determines if the wine isworthy of vintage appellation. A vintage is declared about three times eachdecade.

The best wines of the harvest are matured for 2 to 3 years in wood, blendedonly with Port wines of the same vintage, and then bottled. These winesare not ready for drinking until at least 8 - 10 years have passed. 15 -20 years is considered the time needed for the wine to reach its full character.A fine Port will maintain its peak in bottle for 30 - 50 year.. While inbottle, vintage Ports produce a sediment, so before serving they need tobe decanted.

a) Late Bottled Vintage Where a true vintage Port is aged in wood for 2- 3 years before bottling, a wine marked "of the vintage", or"late bottled vintage" ("LBV") may rest in wood for10 years or more. That amount of time creates a soft, well-rounded wine,yet lacks the body and richness or a true vintage Port. LBV is a great restaurantwine because it is relatively clear in the bottle and doesn't have to bedecanted.

b) Vintage-character Port Blended from grapes of several harvest years,these wines are matured in wood longer than traditional ruby ports, butfor a shorter length of time than an LBV. An important point: when the ageof a port: is mentioned on the label (age, not date), it means the averageage. Consider Pedro Domecq Quinta do Noval Tawny 20 year old. There is aproportion of wine in this blend older than 20 years and some younger than20 years. It is the final blend and average age that counts.


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