LIVE 24-SEVEN
PORT AS MUCH A BRITISH INVENTION AS A PORTUGUESE WINE
It’s not so much cold, as very, very wet and begs the ques- tion as to how much rain can there be left in the sky? I am writing this in the hope that bonfires are not dampened or extinguished and that, more importantly, people affected by floods are as few as possible. I thought I would look at Port this month, just because it’s always good to get ahead for Christmas…there, I’ve said it and I can’t undo it!
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Port is as much a British invention as a Portuguese wine. In the 17th century, when conflict and disagreement prevented us from importing French wines, many wine merchants went to Portugal in search of substitutes. Enjoying the strong, dark wines from the Douro, we added brandy to the wine to keep it stable (whilst retaining some natural sugar) for the ocean voyage home. This process of almost accidental fortification resulted in a wine of about 20% alcohol. Port can be made from a bewildering 30 ‘recommended’ varieties of grapes and 82 ‘permitted’ varieties, but in reality, only a blend of the following are used – Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cao.
Within the Port categories of White, Tawny and Ruby, there are many different styles. White and Tawny Ports are both aged in seasoned oak barrels, while Ruby Ports are matured in the bottle. White Port may be aged for up to 10 years and Tawnies may vary from 10, 20, 30 and 40 years in age (and above – unofficially). After entry-level young Ruby Ports – wonderful in gravy (gravy at my house will always be at least 30% abv) – there are the
premium Rubies such as Reserve and Finest Reserve and above these are LBV (Late Bottled Vintage), Crusted, Single Quinta Vintages and the Jewel in the Crown*, a house Vintage Port. *debatable in my view – I’ve always been a Tawny lass myself.
STYLES… All quality ports should have purity of fruit running through and a good structure, but what should you expect from different styles?
Reserve Ports are typically younger and fresher with bright fruit. LBV is closer in style to a Vintage, but subtler, with mellow, rounded notes, leaning toward the complexity of a Vintage Port but with a longer finish. A good quality 10-year-old Tawny will present a nose marked with dried fruit aromas, with some chocolate and maybe light vanilla (from the oak ageing), soft, silky and very elegant. Port houses, for example, Churchill’s, Taylor’s and Dow’s, will each have their own house style (much like the Champagne Houses). Vintage Port, perhaps declared three times in a decade (though this can vary) is thought of as the ultimate expression of a House style.
DECANTING AND QUIRKY TRADITIONS… It’s easy to get flustered about the whole decanting process, but put simply, decanting allows the Port to be separated from the natural sediment that forms in the bottle as it ages in the cellar. The wine is then able to breathe, which allows complex aromas to open up and come to the fore. The splash of white paint often seen on port bottles (if the snails haven’t eaten along with the labels), lets you know which way up the bottle was cellared. Keep the mark uppermost when decanting and you can’t go too far wrong.* *note to self…write an edit and tell readers of the many, many times when decanting has not gone according to plan!!
HOW TO PASS THE PORT… Slightly predictable, but no less useful to know for all that…
Tradition dictates that the Port decanter should be placed on the table to the right of the host. It is then passed to the left, going clockwise around the table until it comes to rest at its starting point.
Port should never pass across the table or back on itself, only to the left. There are several possible theories as to why. Dependent on the amount of Port consumed, one of the following will usually be the accepted truth:
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