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The success story of Portuguese port

Are you familiar with the success story of Portuguese port? It began in Liverpool in 1678. An English wine merchant sent his two sons to Portugal because he had heard that a clergyman there was adding brandy to red wine during fermentation. The priest's intention was not simply to increase the alcohol content of the wine. Quite simply, the additional alcohol was supposed to make the wine more durable. In the age of seafaring, this was an important quality feature.

A unique production method – the art of residual sweetness

By adding brandy, the clergyman also stopped the conversion of sugar into alcohol. This meant that the residual sugar content of the wine remained higher than in “normal” wine. With this unique production method, he pursued a twofold strategy: the wine became more durable and sweeter. And that was just to the taste of the English. The two brothers from Liverpool founded trading houses in Portugal's Douro Valley and distributed the special wine in their home country. The triumphant success of port wine began.

Portuguese port wine comes from the Douro

Then as now, the grapes for the famous Portuguese port wine are mainly grown in the Douro region near the city of Porto. The varieties Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, and Tinto Cão thrive there for red port wine, and Malvasia Fina, Codega, and Rabigato for white port wine. The vines find ideal climatic conditions on around 33,000 hectares. Precipitation levels near the Atlantic are higher than inland, temperatures are lower, and the vineyards are less steep. The slate soils, which provide the wines with a special mineralization, and, not to be forgotten, the hand-picked grapes also offer the best conditions for a special base wine. Another special feature: as early as 1756, the Marquês de Pombal had the boundaries of the Douro wine-growing region precisely demarcated and marked with boundary stones to prevent counterfeiting of port wine. The area is still called “Regiao Demarcada” today.

The famous quintas of the top producers in Cima-Corgo

Today, around half of all port wines come from the Douro Valley, especially the lighter ruby and tawny varieties. Another third comes from the Cima-Corgo region around the town of Pinhão in the district of Alijó. The climate there is hotter and drier, and the slopes are steep, rocky, and barren. This is where the famous quintas of the top producers are located. Wine for port is also produced in some places in the Douro Superior region, which stretches from São João da Pesqueira to the Spanish border.

The basics of port wine

At first glance, the world of port wine seems almost unfathomable. As a general rule, good port wines have a fine balance of acidity and structure. Depending on their quality, they are stored for varying lengths of time in barrels and bottles. White port comes in qualities ranging from “very dry” to “very sweet.” In contrast to garnet-colored red port, white port has honey-colored to golden-yellow tones when aged in wooden barrels. White port wines have an alcohol content of around 15 percent, red port wines between 19 and 22 percent. Regardless of whether it is white or red, before Portuguese port wine goes on sale, it is assessed by the Portuguese Port Wine Institute to ensure its special quality.

Need more guidance in the world of port wine? Here you go! Here is an overview: 1. Ruby Port is a blend of different vintages of red grapes. It is bottled after at least two years of storage in large barrels. Due to the large volume of the oak barrels, Ruby Ports are wines that breathe little and therefore retain their dark color for longer. They have a fruity taste. 2. Tawny Port (tawny = yellow-brown). This slightly drier and lighter port wine is stored in large barrels for two to three years and then transferred to smaller barrels. As the tawnies have more contact with the air there, they age faster. Their taste is reminiscent of dried fruit, nuts, and almonds.

3. Old Tawny: These wines are aged in wooden barrels for between 10 and 40 years. Aged Tawnies are significantly better in taste than standard Tawnies.

4. White Port is made from white grapes and is aged for around three years before it is ready to drink and should be served chilled. However, there are also white port wines that are aged and matured for decades.

5. Vintage Character Port: This port is made from the best wines of various vintages exclusively from the Cima Gorgo region.

6. Crusted Port: A blend of top wines from various vintages that are aged in barrels for two to three years. A sediment (crust) later forms in the bottle.

7. Colheita / Reservas vintage wines: These wines are made from different grapes from a single vintage and are aged in barrels for at least 7 years before being bottled.

8. Vintage Port is a rare and expensive port wine of the highest quality. Only the best grapes from a vintage are used to produce vintage port. The port is first aged for 24 to 35 months in large oak barrels and then bottled. The wine continues to mature in the bottle, which can take many years, if not decades. It is then bottled unfiltered in black bottles. The vintage is ready to drink after ten to 12 years at the earliest.

9. Late Bottled Vintage Port (‘LBV’) is a blend of grapes from a single vintage and is aged in barrels for four to six years before being bottled.

Portonic – a wonderfully refreshing summer drink

White port mixed with tonic water to make a Portonic is a wonderfully refreshing summer drink. Portuguese port wine is also the perfect accompaniment to many desserts. Its almond, chocolate, coffee, and citrus aromas harmonize particularly well with chocolate mousse, chocolate cream, or honey cake. But you should also definitely try it with cheese and walnuts. One of the most famous dessert wines in the world is produced on the flower island of Madeira. It is also considered the longest-lasting wine in the world, improving with age. So it's no wonder that vintages from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which are still almost priceless today, are available on the market. They still promise the best enjoyment, and even an opened bottle can be kept for an almost unlimited period of time. You may be wondering how this is possible. The answer is simple: it's due to the production method, which is probably unique in the world.

First Madeira wine from the 15th century

But let's start at the beginning: it is not known exactly when Madeira wine as we know it today first appeared. However, according to legend, it was already being drunk in England in 1478. That was the year in which the brother of the English king, Duke George, was sentenced to death for conspiracy. When asked how he wanted to be executed, he requested to be drowned in a barrel of Malmsey Madeira. It is certain that Madeira was already being produced at that time. According to tradition, the first inhabitants of Madeira cultivated wine for personal consumption from the 15th century onwards. They had the best climatic conditions and ideal soil for this. A probably unintended contribution to this was made in 1420 by the Portuguese navigator João Goncalves, who discovered the island and set it on fire. The wood ash left behind and the volcanic soil allowed the vines to flourish.

The global triumph of Madeira

The global triumph of Madeira as an exceptional liqueur wine is due to a rather chance discovery and the strategically favorable location of the flower island belonging to Portugal. For merchant ships on their way to Africa, Asia, and South America, Madeira was the ideal stopover in the Atlantic, about 1,000 kilometers from the Portuguese mainland and 650 kilometers from the Moroccan coast. In the port of the capital, Funchal, the ships also took Madeira on board, which at that time was already fortified for the long sea voyage, i.e., mixed with brandy distilled from sugar cane to make it more durable.

Madeira wine matured at sea

A remarkable discovery was made at sea: the longer the wine barrels remained on the ship in the hot, tropical climate, the better the wine became. The high temperatures and rocking movements contributed to the typical Madeira flavor. After this discovery, many ships were loaded with sweet wine and sailed twice across the equator. This process was called Torna Viagem (round trip). It is still documented on the labels of old Madeira bottles (abbreviation TVE).

Traditional Madeira grapes are rich in minerals and iron

Of course, it is not only the production process that makes this wine so special. The traditional grape varieties on Madeira are Malvasia, Bual, Verdelho, Serail, and Tina Negra Mole. These five varieties also represent the different styles of Madeira. The dominant grape variety is Tinta Negra Mole, from which the simpler Madeira wines are produced. These are distinguished by their sweetness level (seco, meio seco, meio doce, and doce), and the labels also include the designations pale and dark. The grapes grown on the fertile volcanic soil are rich in minerals and iron.

Madeira grapes are harvested by hand

The vines are mainly grown in the vineyards of the DOC region of Madeira. They are traditionally cultivated on very low pergolas on terraces covering an area of around 2,100 hectares. This means that the 4,000 winegrowers have to harvest the grapes by hand, either bent over or kneeling. Madeira wines are mostly produced from a single grape variety and their bouquet reflects the lush and diverse vegetation of this unique exotic island. But it is only through a modern production process that they become the unmistakable delight that Madeira still is today. “Estufagem” (heating) is the name of the technique in which the crushed grapes are either heated to 40 to 50 °C in tiled tanks for at least three to six months or filled into 600-liter barrels and stored in heated rooms for six to twelve months. After “estufagem,” the wine is carefully cooled.

Natural maturation of Madeira through sun and cold

Some producers in Madeira rely on natural maturation through the sun and the cold at night. Wines matured in this traditional way were formerly also known as “Vinho Canteiro.” Whether heated in barrels or warmed in the sun, the heat causes the sugar contained in the wine to partially caramelize. This gives it its typical flavor and, due to the strong oxidation, its maderization tone. Every Madeira wine is also fortified, resulting in an alcohol content of around 17 percent by volume.

Madeira is stored for at least three years after racking

After racking into wooden barrels, the wine matures for at least another three years for simple wines (“Finest” or “3-Year-Old Madeira”) and five years for finer wines (‘Reserve’ or “5-Year-Old Madeira”). The “good” wines start with “Special Reserve” or “10-Year-Old Madeira.” The next aging stage is “Extra Reserve” or “Over 15-Year-Old Madeira.” “Vintage Madeira” is a top-quality product that matures for at least 20 years, but also 30, 40, or 50 years, and is stored in the bottle for an additional two years before being marketed.

Moscatel – white and world-famous

Like the Douro Valley in Portugal and the Portuguese peninsula of Setúbal, Moscatel is also the region where the famous sweet wine Moscatel is produced. It is world-famous as a white fortified wine, but is also produced in small quantities as a red variety called Moscatel Roxo. Like Madeira, the so-called Vinho Generoso is blended with high-proof brandy. The golden Moscatel de Setúbal consists of about 85 to 100 percent Muscat grapes. It is famous for its jammy fruit aromas and notes of honey and roasted nuts.

Floral citrus notes in the bouquet

Moscatel is mainly based on two grape varieties, Moscatel de Setúbal and Moscatel Galego Branco. These are particularly aromatic grapes with floral citrus notes and a high sugar content. The winemakers allow the crushed grapes to mature with their skins for at least three months. This ensures that all the extracts are extracted. Finally, the must is pressed and filtered, but only bottled after three to four years of aging in large oak or mahogany barrels. Sweet wines are the best “cheese wines.” Try them with Roquefort cheese, the English blue cheese Stilton, or Swedish brown cheese Gjetost. You can expect an explosion of flavors. Sweet Moscatel from Setúbal and Madeira wine are also the perfect accompaniment to chocolate desserts and tropical fruits.

Port wine exclusively from Portugal