Types of Port

[dyj48]

In the last few months while I've been on CS, there's been a number of questions about the best port to buy or drink..anyway, found a pretty decent definition about port and the types of port you might want to try in my local paper. I've tried most of them and just love colheita for the price and taste. I don't think it can be beat if you drink port frequently.

Vintage port is very, very expensive, but when you get a good vintage, it's out of this world, but like everything else, you pay for it. Port prices can vary from 40 dollars to $1800 dollars easily for a bottle of old vintage port. I'm not fond of American port as it just doesn't have the, uh, uh.."complexity" of port from Portugal. Of course, my brit BOTLs might have something to contribute here as much of the development of port from Portugal was sponsored by the English. Anyway, I'm sure there are many others with more expertise in port (i.e. vic c) and I do hope folks will add to this or make corrections to this thread. Enjoy...

Port primer: Port has a bewildering array of categories, and it can be tough to sort them out. Here are the basics.

Vintage: The most rare and expensive Port, vintages are "declared" about 18 months after harvest, but only in the best years when the wines show the highest quality and promise extremely long aging. Each house declares a vintage, but they tend to declare in the same years, when harvest conditions are most favorable. Properly stored, vintage Port tends to reach maturity about 20 years from harvest, though it typically lives much longer.

Single quinta: When a house decides not to declare a vintage, it may bottle its best wines as single quinta, or single vineyard, Port, with a vintage year noted on the bottle. Like vintage Ports, these are bottled two years after harvest and are meant to be aged a decade or more in bottle. They are less expensive because they are deemed to be early maturing.

Aged tawny: This Port is made from wines set aside a few months after harvest and aged in small (600-liter) casks called pipes. Through long-term aging -- 10, 20 or more years -- the wines develop an amber "tawny" color and flavors of nuts and dried fruits. These are blends of different years, meant to be drunk within two to three years of bottling.

Colheita: This is an aged tawny from a single vintage. These bottles tend to be rare and expensive. (you can get these at $30 a bottle for regular drinking, they're aged in barrels for decades, bottled and then are ready to drink immediately)

Late bottled vintage : A relatively new style of Port, developed by Taylor Fladgate in the 1970s. Aged in large vats (instead of the smaller pipes used in aged tawny), LBVs preserve fresh fruit flavors and pair well with chocolate, and are ready to drink upon release.

Ruby: A young Port meant to emphasize fruit flavors, it is not meant for aging.

Tawny : A young Port with some wood influence and brief exposure to air, which gives it a tawny color. It is not for aging.

Other port: Many wineries in California and Australia produce Port-style wines by adding neutral spirits to stop grapes from fermenting before all their sugar converts to alcohol. Other than geographic location, the main difference between these and traditional Port is usually the type of grape used: Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are popular in California; Shiraz in Australia

Davis

[icehog3]

Thanks for the information Davis!

[pinoyman]

Very good info. Thank you!

[EPICSMOKEHERE]

Just came across this post. Tried port for the first time last weekend and i surprisingly liked it. Anymore info of etiquite, glass size to use, breath time, and couple of good beginner bottles in the 25-50 dallor range? i would love to have a bottle on hand for worthy guests. Good info!

-chris

[Baric]

Great info in the above post and yes the English have lots to do with the development of port! *chest swells with pride* Theres the patriot in me. thereason i say this is because in the napoleonic wars when french wine became unavilable to us we switched to porto [port] from portugal and therefore invested huge aounts in it.

[Baric]

Originally Posted by EPICSMOKEHERE

Just came across this post. Tried port for the first time last weekend and i surprisingly liked it. Anymore info of etiquite, glass size to use, breath time,
-chris

Heres a great page on port, especially the etiquette for if you ever drink port in England [tbh we dont really do this anymore unless were being very formal and everyone understands the rules].

The Bishop of Gloucester thing is fairly famous though

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine

[ATLHARP]

As a port lover myself, I particularly enjoy the LBV's. Port wine goes great with cigars!

ATL

[Blueface]

Great post.
All great.
Love them all but favor 20-30 yr Tawny.

[HeavySmoke]

Thanks for the post DYJ48. I have never really tried a port but always wondered what it was like or tasted like. I will have to try some soon.

[mosesbotbol]

1963 Croft, 1970 Taylor, and 1935 Cockburns have been the best Vintage bottles of port I have had this summer. For Tawny, I like Taylor in the 10, Dow in the 20. Dow may be my favorite Vintage house.