Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For most people, “port” means a tawny port aged 10-20 years—the most common
type. But there are multiple varieties of port; the two general categories are wood ports
(aged in wooden vats or barrels) and vintage ports (aged in bottles). More than 40 vari-
eties of grapes, both red and white, can be used for port production.
The basics: Inexpensive
ruby
is young (aged three years), red, and has a strong,
fiery taste of grape and pepper. Note that some ports are
white
—young and robust,
but with white grapes. (Some white “ports” sold today are an attempt to approximate
Spain's dry
fino
sherries, but sweet versions exist—look for
lágrima
on the label for
these.)
Tawny,
the wood port with a leathery color, is the most typical version—the one
most Americans imagine when they think of port. It's older, lighter, mellower, and
more complex than L.B.V. (described later). It's aged in smaller barrels, maximizing
exposure to wood (and, therefore, oxygen)—which gives it a nuttier flavor than the
more fruity, younger ports. Tawny port is aged 10, 20, 30, or 40 years, but it's not all
the same vintage; to enhance the complexity of the flavor, any tawny is a combination
of several different ages. So a “30-year-old tawny” is predominantly 30 years old, but
