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PORT "A treat for that chilly evening"
You're sitting by the fire on a chilly fall evening, by yourself or with a loved one thinking, "This fire is warm, but I'm still chilled on the inside." You go to the wine cabinet and grab a glass of your favorite Port wine. You sip on it and it warms you through and through. Have you ever wondered where this magic potion comes from and how it's made? Port comes from the Douro region of Portugal, In the northern portion of the country. It is named for the city in which it is shipped from, Oporto (which is actually in the Vinho Verde region). It origins have been traced back to the 17th century trade wars between the French and English. The english, not being able to import French wines, were forced to Portugal to find an alternative. They found in the inner portion of the country (the Douro region), a dark astringent wine that suited their tastes. They added a measure of brandy to stabilize it before they sent it back to England. In today's environment, the wine is shocked with mineral spirits (77% alcohol) while still in the fermentation process, killing the yeast and giving it the sweet taste with only about 18% to 20% alcohol. There are many types of Port, but for simplistic's sake, I'll explain the three main types (the rules can get a little lengthy if we go into more detail). Ruby port is the least expensive of the styles. It is aged in bulk for two or three years and then bottled, leaving the wine with a deep ruby red color and strong, fruit forward flavor. Tawny port is aged in wood until it takes on an amber-brown (tawny) color. The time spent in wood casks varies from six years to over forty. When you see an age on the bottle (10, 20, 30 etc..), this means that the average age of the wine in the bottle is that old, not all. Vintage Port starts off much like Tawny port, but after two years of being in wood, the governing body of the Douro region decides if the wine is of quality to be called "vintage" and also if the market will bear another vintage product. When it is decided that the product will be vintage, it will not be aged for more than about three years. It is then bottled and sold to the consumer, and the port now becomes the responsibility of the customer (as most vintage Ports are not ready to drink for twenty or thirty years). My suggestion to anyone who would like to get into tasting port is, go out to your local liquor store and buy a 10 year old Tawny port, if it's something you enjoy, go back to the store and talk to the product consultant and they'll steer you from there. Cheers and enjoy responsibly, Jason Ernst |
Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman (more commonly know as Taylor Fladgate) is an English port house dating back over 300 years. With such a long history, it still remains (and is the only one to be able to claim this) completely independent owned by the relations of its founders. Taylor is known throughout the Port industry as the greatest of all port shippers, most notably for its vintage and rare Tawny Ports. Taylor Fladgate have pioneered such styles of Port as Chip dry white Port and Late bottled vintage Port and was the first to commercialize both Single Quinta (Farm) Ports and Aged Tawny Ports. Among pioneering different styles of Port, the company has also been busy inventing different ways of mechanizing the Port making process. They've developed a mechanism that imitate the manual foot treading of the grapes and have also designed an advanced temperature controlled vat that simulates a stone trough that they would use traditionally. Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman set the benchmark in the industry of Port production and shipping. 10 YEAR OLD TAWNY Retail price $33.95 This is an exceptional example of a tawny blend. Aged for an average of 10 years in oak, it exhibits a tawny hue while still keeping its youthful ruby red complexion. It is fruit forward, with toasty caramel flavors in the background. This Port wine is an excellent companion to soft cheeses, such as Brie as well as candied almonds and coffee beans. Serve this tawny Port slightly chilled for the best result. |
