Very Well Red

by Elizma Myburgh

White, ruby, tawny, LBV, Colheita or vintage...which Port do you choose and what is the difference? For this is definitely still the time of year to consume something sweet from the Douro Valley in Portugal.

Many people love their glass of port in wintertime in front of an open fire, but do we know the difference between ruby, tawny, LBV & vintage? There are so many different styles of port, definitely one for every palate. Here are a few facts on what's in your glass and to make you realise that there'ss much more to Port than just a sweet red wine.

This lovely fortified wine is named after the Portuguese harbour Porto on the banks of the Douro River. However, the vineyards are about 100km further upstream, although most of the cellars where Port ripens are situated in the village of Vila Nova de Gaia, on the left bank of the Douro opposite Porto.

Portugal is to be considered as the country with the most grape varieties - there's said to be from 250 to 300 different grape varieties, of which most are very old. For the production of Port there are 48 different grape varieties allowed - of which the most famous are Tinta amarela, Tinta barocca, Tinta cão, Tinta roriz (which is the Spanish grape Tempranillo), Touriga franca (which is the mostly planted grape in the Douro) and Touriga nacional.

Duoro River - Portgual

The vinification method used for the making of Port is called early fortification where extra alcohol, called aguardente (a grape distilled spirit of 77% alcohol) is added to the wine after fermentation has started, but before it's completed. Therefore, the sweetness in Port derives from the residual grape sugar that has not been converted into alcohol.

The British played a major role in the Port industry and there is a distinct difference in character of British-owned port houses and Portuguese-owned port houses. The latter produce wines of a lighter, elegant style such as old Tawnies, whereas British-owned port houses opt for more sweeter, darker, fruitier styles such as Vintage Ports.

Here are some styles that you might find in your glass...

• White Port is normally in a dry style and made from white grapes such as Malvasia. It's a very neutral wine, but you can find some fine examples with a nutty character and also some good sweet ones.
• Ruby styles present bottle-ageing:
  • Basic Ruby Port can be made with very little oak ageing, less than a year in cheaper wines or up to four years in the superior wines. It has a dark, ruby red colour and distinct fruity and spicy flavours.
  • Vintage Ports are only made in exceptionally good years and must be bottled within two years of harvest, so spend less than two years in casks. They have the potential to keep a youthful fruitiness in the bottle for more than 20 years.
  • LBV (Late-Bottled-Vintage) is a more affordable Vintage Port from a good, but not outstanding year. It spends more time in casks, four-six years before bottling, and has a dark red colour, is quite fruity and full-bodied.
  • Single-Quinta Port is very similar to a LBV and became quite popular as it's from a single vineyard. The difference is that a LBV is aged longer before bottling, whereas a Single-Quinta is aged longer after bottling.
• Tawny styles present cask-ageing:
  • Basic Tawny Ports are more or less three years old, although the best ones would be up to eight years old. The cheaper ones are often a blend of white and red port. They are lighter in colour, soft & uncomplicated
  • Aged Tawny Ports are known as Fine Old Tawnies and can be categorized as ten, 20, 30 and more than 40 years old. Through the ripening in oak casks it develops quite a smooth texture and flavours of caramel, coffee, chocolate, nuts, cinnamon and raisins.
  • Colheita (Vintage-Dated-Tawny) Ports are made from a single vintage, but should not be confused with a Vintage Port, which spend less than two years in oak barrels. These Ports are wood matured and spend a minimum of eight years in casks and up to 20 or 50 years and are very concentrated, aromatic wines.

Now all you need is a cosy fire, some blue cheese, nuts, dried fruit and some good company to enjoy your favourite style of Port...the Belgian weather caters for the rest. Salut!

Elizma Myburgh
R99 Wine Consulting
Wijndaalstraat 8
1560 Hoeilaart
Belgium
+32 477 755 763
elizma.myburgh@r99.be
www.r99.be