When “port” is mentioned, many think of an after-dinner drink to be shared among friends along with a good cigar, but in my opinion the cigar ruins the flavors and nuances of a truly good Port wine.
Port gets its name from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, which traverses all of Portugal. The grapes used to make port hail from the Douro Valley, in the northern region of Portugal. In order for a wine to be called a port, it must be a product of Portugal.
So exactly what is a port? It is a fortified wine, meaning that a distilled spirit was added to the grape must (the newly pressed grape juice along with skin and seeds) during the fermentation process. Usually, the alcohol that is added is a brandy (a distilled grape spirit) and the additional alcohol stops the fermentation of the must, thereby killing the yeast and leaving residual sugar in the wine. This residual sugar is why a port is so sweet, and the addition of brandy increases the alcohol content.
Most regular wines today contain between 13 and 15 percent alcohol by volume compared to ports, which generally contain around 20 percent.
There are a number of different types of port wines, such as tawny port, vintage port, and Colheita, just to name a few. In order to qualify as a tawny port, it has to be made from red grapes aged in wood barrels and the number of years represents the minimum time in the barrel. A tawny port from a single vintage (or year) is called a Colheita — and it is still aged in wood until bottled, while a vintage port usually only spends 18 months in wood barrels, before being bottled and then ages in the bottle.
I recently compared a 10-year and a 20-year Warre’s Otima tawny port and decided to pair these wines with a meal. In 1670, Warre’s became the first British port company to establish itself in Portugal.
In marketing the Otima Tawny ports, Warre’s has modernized the design of the bottle, and interestingly enough uses clear glass, making it appear to be very innovative and clean.
Both of these tawny ports contain blends of traditional Portuguese grape varieties and were aged in oak casks. Within 48 hours of the onset of fermentation, the grape brandy was added in a percentage that generally corresponds to 80 percent must and 20 percent brandy, resulting in an alcohol content of 20 percent.
I served the 10-year as an aperitif, slightly chilled, along with a mild cheese drizzled with honey. I found this 10-year tawny to be somewhat nutty, with a slight taste of raisin. It was quite delicate and I was amazed that I couldn’t taste any alcohol whatsoever.
As an entrée, I roasted a whole beef tenderloin, serving it with a port sauce made from the 10-year tawny port. I served the beef along with rosemary roasted potatoes and fresh green beans.
I chose a 2007 Joel Gott Zinfandel to pair with this course because the varietal is generally spicy and contains the flavor of plum. This wine had an aroma of licorice on the nose and I could taste the plum along with pepper and a slight hint of cherries on the finish. This Zinfandel really complemented the beef. It retails for $16 a bottle and should be easy to find.
I served the 20-year-old tawny port with dessert, and found that it paired very nicely with crème brûlée, enhancing the flavor of caramel in the wine. Again I served it slightly chilled, and found this wine to be very smooth. I and could taste hints of orange and coffee.
One benefit of port wines is that they last for quite some time once opened, mainly due to the fact that the addition of alcohol (brandy) acts as a preservative. I found both of these ports available at local wine shops and liquor stores, with the 10-year retailing for $23 and the 20-year for $38. I would highly recommend both of the tawny ports and either one can be served with or without food.
Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.
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