Port is not all about fireplaces, a warm drink in the cold, or a stuffy billiard room.
There are so many different ways to enjoy port. Before we get into these, here’s Port 101 to get you started.
Port is a fortified wine made with grapes grown in Portugal. Grape spirit is added early in the winemaking process to stop the fermentation, leaving the sweetness, and fortifying the wine.
Ruby Port
Ruby red in colour, with a strong vibrant taste, aged for two to three years and bottled young to be enjoyed straight away. A blend of multiple vintages, the port is stored in wood, cement, or steel before it is blended, filtered, and bottled.
Tawny Port
Essentially aged ruby port that turns tawny in colour with extended ageing in wood. This ageing changes the colour and gives a silky, nutty and complex palate to the port.
Aged Tawny Port
The age on the bottle is an approximate age; the official ages allowed being 10, 20, 30 and 40, or over 40. To have this on the label the port has been tasted and approved by the regulatory body. The older the tawny port, the more integration and complexity.
Vintage Port
Less than 1% of all port sold is vintage. It is the pinnacle. A single year, bottled after two to three years in wood. This is a style of port that is destined to be aged in the bottle. Only grapes from the very best vineyards go into vintage ports. With a deep intense colour to the port, they are very vibrant in their youth.
Late Bottled Vintage Port
A port from a single year, aged longer than vintage port prior to bottling - generally for four to six years. Aged to be enjoyed on release it's a vintage style, bottled with extended ageing so you don’t have to age it in the bottle.
White Port
Made the same way as ruby port but from white grape varieties. Most are aged for 18 months in inert vessels, though some are wood aged, which produces a gold colour, and dry, nutty tang.
Check out these amazing port drink ideas:
· What about a Port Negroni? Tawny Port, Gin and Cardamaro in equal amounts over ice, garnished with orange.
· White Port and Tonic is a classic - mix as you would a G&T.
· And what about Ruby Port and Vodka in equal measures, with a dash of lemon, a dash of sugar syrup and mixed with loads of ice. It’s delicious!
It’s International Port Day on 10 September - join us online to try out these cocktails, via the Glengarry Instagram page.
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Published 3 September 2021