| Port wines derives it name from the the city | | | | nuttier taste. |
| of Porto located in the Douro Valley in | | | | |
| northern Portugal. Port wines are usually | | | | Aged Tawny Port |
| made from combination of up to five different | | | | |
| grape varieties, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cao, | | | | Aged tawny port is usually aged for 10 years |
| Tina Barroca, Tinta Rozi, and Touriga | | | | but some of the more expensive ones have been |
| Fanacesas. It tends have a much richer, | | | | aged for more than 40 years. |
| sweeter and heavier flavor than other wines. | | | | |
| It is usually served as an before or after | | | | Colheita Port |
| dinner drink because if its rich fruity | | | | |
| flavor but is also goes well with sweet | | | | Colheita port is aged for at least seven |
| desserts, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, | | | | years in the smaller casks before being |
| chocolate and other sweet foods. | | | | bottled. It also only uses grapes from a |
| | | | single harvest year and is not blended with |
| Port wines are forfeited which means that | | | | grapes harvested from other years. The label |
| additional grapes spirits are added to the | | | | will have the year of the harvest. |
| blend during processing to increase the | | | | |
| alcohol content making it have a much higher | | | | White Port |
| alcohol content that other wines. There are | | | | |
| several different classifications of port | | | | White port is aged for two to three years in |
| wine and it is based on the aging process. | | | | casks and then bottled. The taste can vary |
| The first type of aging process is called | | | | from very sweet to a light dry flavor. This |
| reductive aging. This is when wines are aged | | | | is the type of port usually reserved for the |
| in large sealed wooden tanks or bottles with | | | | drink called the Port Splash. |
| very little exposure to oxygen. The large | | | | |
| wooden vats have a very small surface area | | | | Crusted Port |
| for the volume of wine involved which gives | | | | |
| the wine its bright red color and fruity | | | | Crusted port is a ruby port that is aged for |
| taste. | | | | about 3 years in cask and then finishes the |
| | | | aging process in the bottle. It is a blend |
| The second type of aging process is called | | | | of grapes from several different years and it |
| oxidative aging. Wines are stored in smaller | | | | is not filtered before being bottled which is |
| cask where the surface area to volume is | | | | why it will have sediment in the bottle. |
| larger than in the large wooden tanks. This | | | | |
| type of port wine will have a mahogany hues | | | | Single Quinta Port |
| and complex tastes. The wines are tasted | | | | |
| regularly to determine what effect the aging | | | | Single quinta port is Tawny port that uses |
| time is having on the wine. | | | | grapes from a single vineyard and has been |
| | | | aged in casks for 2 years before being |
| Ruby Port | | | | bottled. The wine is allowed to age in the |
| | | | bottle for five to fifty year more. |
| Ruby port is aged for a minimum of 2 years in | | | | |
| large vats prior to being bottled. It has a | | | | Vintage Port |
| rich red color and a full fruity taste. | | | | |
| | | | Vintage port is aged for two years in large |
| Tawny Port | | | | vats prior to being bottled and then it is |
| | | | allowed to age for five to fifty years in the |
| Tawny port is aged for 2 years in the smaller | | | | bottle. It is one of the most sought after |
| casks and then bottled. It has a deep | | | | wines in the world and also one of the most |
| mahogany color and a drier wine with a | | | | expensive. |