Barrels of Taylor’s Port - photo courtesy of Cosimo Linstadt
Happy yesterday-was-national-port-day you jovial little winos. We’re absolutely delighted that you keep coming back week after week to “subject yourselves” to our increasingly unhinged ramblings about wine, instead of facing the deep, dark questions we’re all afraid to ask ourselves (WE’LL GET TO THOSE LATER).
Today we’re focusing specifically on the infamous Port wines of the Douro Valley in Portugal, but if you want to get a little more “granular” on the region or the leading grape variety used in red Port wines, check out these previous posts on Douro and Touriga Nacional.
When it comes to fortified wines, few are as iconic and “beloved” as port wine. With its deep, rich flavors, and centuries of history, Port is oh so much more than just a drink—it's a lifestyle, a cultural treasure, and the cause of one of the best hangovers I’ve ever had. In fact, as Winston Churchill once never said, “Let the rivers run red with Port.”
In today’s issue, we’re diving into the various styles of Port, the “intricate” production process, and the unique Douro Valley region in Portugal, where “the journey begins.” We’ve also tasted through a few of the most popular and widely available bottles, to give you our two cents on what’s worth yours.
What is Port Wine?
Port wine is an intensely flavored, sweet*, fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. One of the things that sets Port apart from the other wines of the region is that it’s fortified with a grape spirit, known as “aguardente” (which we believe to mean “tooth water”). The addition of aguardente stops fermentation early and leaves residual sugar, resulting in a sweet, high-alcohol wine. Port wine is enjoyed around the world, often paired with dessert, cheese, an empty stomach, or a heavy heart.
*some examples of white Port are made in a drier style
The Douro Valley
The climate gets drier and hotter as you move east, away from the Serra Do Marão mountains that separate the region from the coastal area
The Douro Valley is home to vines that produce exceptional dry red wines as well as the esteemed fortified red Port wines. Port wine's character and quality is “deeply rooted” in the unique “terroir” of the Douro Valley, particularly its schist bedrock. In fact, this fractured rock quite literally allows the vine roots to deeply penetrate, accessing water reserves that accumulate during winter rains. As a result, the vines can thrive in the region's hot, dry summers, drawing on these reserves to sustain themselves.
The limited water availability forces the vines to struggle (LIKE ME!), leading to smaller, more concentrated grapes that are essential for the rich flavors characteristic of Port wines. The schist soil also allegedly imparts distinct mineral notes (like “wet stone”), enhancing the wine's complexity (though the idea that soil actually imparts mineral flavors has essentially been debunked).
Yum.
Zach “sniffing the essence of the terroir” in Porto
Styles of Port Wine
Port comes in a variety of styles (LIKE ME!), each with its unique flavor profile and character (LIKE TODAY’S YOUTH). The most well-known styles are:
Ruby Port
Ruby port is the most common and generally the most affordable style, known for its vibrant red color and fruity flavors. It’s typically aged for a short period in large oak vats to preserve its fresh, youthful qualities. Ruby ports are bold, full of dark fruit flavors like blackberry and plum, with a touch of spice. They are best enjoyed young.
Tawny Port
Tawny Port, in contrast to ruby, is aged in smaller barrels for a longer period before bottling, which allows for greater oxygen exposure. This aging process gives tawny ports their amber-brown color and complex flavors of nuts, caramel, and dried fruits. Tawny ports, like people, are often labeled by the number of years they’ve been aged (10, 20, 30, or even 40 years). Older Tawnies aren’t necessarily “better,” but they typically offer more intricate flavor profiles.
Vintage Port
Vintage port is the pinnacle of port wines. Made only in exceptional years (LIKE ME), these ports are bottled after just two to three years of aging and are meant to be cellared for many years to allow their flavors to develop. Vintage ports are intense, powerful, and full-bodied, often featuring flavors of dark fruits, chocolate, and spice, with the potential for decades of aging in the bottle.
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port
Late Bottled Vintage port is made from a single vintage, like vintage port, but it’s aged longer in the barrel before bottling—typically 4-6 years. This extended aging makes LBV port more approachable upon release while still retaining some of the structure and complexity of a vintage port. They are typically less expensive than vintage ports.
White Port
While white port does indeed exist, we won’t speak of it today.
The Production Process of Port Wine
The production of port wine is an “art form” that has been “honed” over “centuries.” Here’s a brief overview of how this fortified wine “comes to life”:
Harvest: The Douro Valley’s steep terraces are home to a variety of grape varieties, with Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Cao, and Touriga Franca being among the most important. Grapes are typically hand-harvested in the late summer or early fall.
Fermentation: The freshly harvested grapes are crushed (LIKE MY SOUL), and would traditionally be angrily stomped by foot in traditional “lagares” (open granite troughs), before being left to ferment. These days, more modern equipment that mimics foot treading is widely used. Unlike table wines, Port’s fermentation process is cut short by the “well-timed” addition of the neutral grape spirit, aguardente, which raises the alcohol content and preserves the natural sweetness of the grapes.
Aging: After fortification, the wine is transferred to barrels to age. Ruby ports spend time in large vats, while tawnies and vintage ports are aged in smaller barrels. The length of time in the barrel influences the wine's flavor, color, and character.
Blending: Many ports are blends of wines from multiple vintages. However, vintage ports and LBVs come from a single year’s harvest.
Profile: Ripe plums, ripe black cherry, wet stone, fennel, cocoa, black pepper Palate: Sweet, medium tannin, medium+ acid, full body, long finish
A serviceable, but relatively simple Ruby port with ripe stone fruits, a wet rock or two, and spice. The wine was straightforward and could have benefited from more complexity, tannin and acidity to balance the sugar levels. Those of you who like to really “detect that sweetness” (LIKE TODAY’S HEDONISTIC YOUTH) will like this more than me.
Profile: Cassis, black plum, black cherry, fig paste, chocolate rum cake, nutmeg, licorice, wet stone Palate: Sweet, high acid, high tannin, full body, long finish
Very concentrated and rich LBV Port with ripe dark fruits, spices and stony minerality. The sugar was well balanced by the “firm” tannins and acidity, making for a “refreshingly” drier finish than the other ports.
Profile: Prunes, toasted hazelnut, nutmeg, ginger cookie, molasses, fig, vanilla, chocolate rum cake Palate: Sweet, medium+ tannin, high acid, full body, long finish
This was a really distinctive Tawny with a pronounced ginger snap cookie profile, complimented by dried fruits, toasted hazelnuts and some rich chocolate rum cake aromatics. It was inviting and reminiscent of the holidays in a glass. Nice long finish, no complaints from little old me. On the pricier side, but absolutely worth it in my opinion — plus, you don’t need to drink it all in one go (unless you’re me), because the alcohol and sugar levels help Port remain drinkable for longer than unfortified dry reds.
Profile: Dried cherry, prunes, caramel, toffee, toasted pecans, cedar, vanilla Palate: Sweet, medium tannin, medium+ acid, full body, long finish
A decently well made, but relatively simple tawny port with dried fruits, caramel, roasted nuts and oak spice. Classic oxidative profile, but the balance was a bit thrown off by the lack of tannic structure and not enough acidity to support the sugar level, making the sweetness slightly unbalanced. For the price, you can do better.
NOTE: Average price on Wine Searcher is $33, but I found it locally for ~$25
Indeed, Port is a classic example of a wine that people often mistakenly think “all tastes the same.” Well believe you us, they don’t — in fact Port is incredibly versatile, with a range of styles (e.g. Tawny, Ruby, Vintage…), and lots of nuance and variation within each of those styles. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to try a few of examples of each of them — especially if you “think” you dislike Port — we DEMAND you give it another shot.
We certainly will.
Until next time, HAPPY DRINKING PEOPLE.
Cheers,
Isaac & Zach
Tannic Panic! spilled Port on their jorts and you can too. SUBSCRIBE!
An especially entertaining and "hilarious" edition of TP; actually had me laughing out "loud" in the "privacy" of my motel room in Albany. Excellent writing, gents.
An especially entertaining and "hilarious" edition of TP; actually had me laughing out "loud" in the "privacy" of my motel room in Albany. Excellent writing, gents.