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If there’s a liquid equal to consolation meals, it should absolutely be port wine. It’s wealthy and warming, like slipping right into a well-worn leather-based chair in entrance of a roaring fireplace. As such, we have a tendency to consider it as a winter beverage, a deal with to be loved after a festive vacation meal.
Port producers don’t take care of this development, in fact, though consumption is on the rise, and never simply throughout winter months. At a current port tasting with Taylor Fladgate’s gross sales supervisor Joao Rebelo, we began the occasion with a refreshing mixture of Taylor’s white port blended with tonic water, a easy cocktail that I will likely be revisiting sooner or later.
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There’s a variety of kinds within the port realm, and every has its place, be it with meals, as an aperitif, a companion to chocolate (port is without doubt one of the only a few wines that compliments the extreme flavours of darkish chocolate) and blue cheese. Rebelo likes a frivolously chilled glass of tawny port on the finish of his workday, a notion that struck me as very civilized as somebody who enjoys the occasional aperitif.
Port wine manufacturing is centred in and across the Portuguese metropolis of Porto (Oporto in Portuguese dialect) and alongside the steep banks of the Douro River area. As wine areas go, it’s one of the vital stunningly lovely locations on the planet. The town of Porto has a really cool Bohemian vibe to it and is enjoyable to discover. Artsy neighbourhoods collide with old-world allure and kicking again at a café with a few Pasteis de Nata (Portugal’s beloved custard tarts) has discovered me reconsidering my selection of locations to dwell. Delicate winters, lovely coastal seashores, wine, olives, seafood, and comparatively reasonably priced; what’s to not like? The language is a bit difficult, and must you go to, keep away from making the error of utilizing your smattering of Spanish there, they don’t seem to be the identical in any respect and the 2 international locations, regardless of a pleasant alliance now, have been at battle with one another up to now.
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The historical past of Portugal’s well-known fortified wine dates to Roman instances however in 1675 the Port designation was acknowledged, and, in 1756, it turned the world’s first Managed Designation of Origin. In 2001, UNESCO added the Douro Valley to the World Heritage Listing.
The fashion of the wine within the late 1600s was gentle, dry and astringent, they usually shipped a substantial quantity of it to the U.Okay. It was an arduous journey, to say the least. To guard the wine from additional degradation, the Brits began fortifying it with brandy, and it caught. The fashion wasn’t embraced by all, however by the nineteenth century, it turned the accepted trend. The British firm run by the Symington Group established itself as a dominant presence and immediately it owns Graham’s, Warre’s, Dow’s, and Cockburn’s, whereas The Fladgate Partnership controls Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca and Croft. The U.Okay. has historically been the biggest export marketplace for Port, however now it’s France and by a substantial margin.
Port is probably the most age-worthy wine on the planet, largely because of the reality it’s fortified, however not fully. The primary grapes are touriga nacional, tinta roriz, tinta cao, and tinta barroca, though not solely. Touriga nacional is a darkish, tannic crimson that contributes aggressive tannins to the wine, which aids in its longevity. At one time, the one approach to get the wine to market was by barges on the Douro River. To today, most vineyards have to be harvested by hand because the steep, terraced websites don’t accommodate tractors. Treading the grapes by foot was frequent apply and a few Port lodges nonetheless do it, partly as a result of they just like the outcomes of foot treading, plus it’s enjoyable for the vacationers (aspect be aware: your legs will likely be purple from the knees down for a number of days). There’s a vary of kinds however right here’s a fundamental information:
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Classic Port: Produced from a single classic and aged for 2 years in barrel previous to being bottled. They’ll age in bottle for as much as 50 years (when the wine is from an distinctive classic).
Late Bottled Classic Port (LBV): From a single classic and aged for 4 to 6 years in barrel previous to bottling. Normally meant to be drunk upon launch, though some can enhance with age.
Tawny Port: A number of vintages aged for 3 years in barrels, however often 10 to 40-plus years previous to being bottled. They don’t enhance with age; the wineries have performed this for you. Not like classic ports, they don’t throw sediment and as such don’t require decanting.
Colheita Port: Single classic tawny fashion aged for a few years in barrels. Like blended-year tawnies they don’t enhance with age.
White Port: Produced like different ports however made with white grapes, usually served as an aperitif. Yow will discover each dry and candy variations.
As a rule of thumb, tawnies can final for a few month after being opened whereas classic ports ought to be consumed inside a number of days after being opened. Additionally, you will see the time period “single quinta” which merely means the grapes for that classic fashion come from a single farm, relatively than blends from quite a few websites. The tawnies are likely to have nutty, dried fruit flavours, and change into extra so the older they’re. Many tawny aficionados just like the 20-year-olds as a result of they provide a pleasant steadiness between fruit and the dried fruit/nut mixture. Classic ports have extra crimson wine traits, albeit candy and fortified. I like these with darkish chocolate or with a giant wedge of blue cheese, corresponding to Roquefort.
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Right here’s a phrase of recommendation: Port is scrumptious and as such I’ve discovered one glass is never sufficient. Two looks as if a greater thought however two glasses of a 20 per cent alcohol wine can impair one’s judgment, which might result in three, and so forth. The sugar/alcohol mixture is not going to be form to you the next day, belief me on that one.
I’d wish to want all of the readers a protected and blissful vacation season, I elevate my glass to you. Cheers!
Geoff Final is a Calgary wine service provider author, teacher, and broadcaster. He could be heard each Friday on CJSW’s Highway Pops program between 4 -6 p.m. Media inquiries could be directed to lastcallforwine@gmail.com
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