Port Wines And Their Styles--Part Two

Excuse Me But I'm Still looking For That Perfect Port!!

You Know The One That Tastes Like... 

This is my second and last installment on Ports. I guess I got carried away because the blog became so long I had to break it into two posts. 

Oh well a good Port is worth it even if the blog's a little boring! Ok a lot boring, but you'll thank me the next time you want to buy a Port for that important dinner. You'll at least know what you're looking at and that's a good thing...right?  

So here are the last of the types of Ports you'll find out there!

Late-Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) – These wines are ready to drink once they are released. They're good wines blended from a single vintage, but often not from a great year. These Ports are aged in wood for 4 to 6 years after harvest before being bottled. The year of bottling is often noted on the bottle, so the longer it’s aged in wood the better. Their color is lighter than Vintage Ports but they will have many of the same complex characteristics, aromas and flavors.

Vintage Character Port—While these Ports may sound like they are from a single vintage they are not! But they do try to taste like one. They’re really premium Ruby ports blended from very nice wines from several years. They’re matured in wood for about five years and are full bodied,rich in character and ready to drink. And they are a good value!  

Crusted Port—Now this Port is only made in small quantities and is hard to fine but I decided to include it anyway. It’s a blended Port from several harvests that is bottled without filtering which causes sediment or crust to form. Crusted Ports are made from low volume or less quality grapes, but they’re still nice Ports that are more economical. The year on the label is the year it was bottled.

Colheita Port – Ok now this gets tricky so pay attention. These are Tawny Ports from a single year which makes it different from an aged Tawny Port. They are aged in wood for years and are excellent but expensive. They are sometimes confused with Vintage Ports but instead of its age the vintage year is listed on the label. Colheita Ports may spend 20 years or more in a barrel before being bottled. They are also being produced as White Ports.

White Ports – White ports are made from white grapes and range from dry to very sweet. They are often used as a mixer for cocktails, but older ones are served chilled as an aperitif. And if aged in wood for an extended time they darken and begin to resemble the color of their red grape cousins.

Well I hope this clarifies ports… ok maybe not. But at least you will now have some basic knowledge when looking for a favorite Port after a wonderful dinner or as an aperitif. You also now understand why Talya was having trouble figuring out what would be a substitute for a Tawny Port in her recipe.

And I Promise to Never Do Another Blog On Ports!!!

                                                   

                  

Cheers!
 Harold                                     
                                                         

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