Drinks

Port Is Simple But Beautiful

At first sight, the arid, rocky soil of PortugalтЂ™s Douro Valley does not seem to be the best place to grow grapes. But the area has long had a fine tradition of producing wines. Until a couple of hundred years ago, however, the red wines it produced, despite being very rich and bold in character, did not travel well. The regionтЂ™s combination of extreme heat, altitude, and precipitation create perfect conditions, however, for those grapes to be made into Port. A late, autumn harvest is important for the grapes used in port production, as it is only then that they have attained the right level of sugar content. Once picked, the grapes are crushed, and then given a very short fermentation period of 36-48 hours, after which a small amount of 150 proof grape alcohol (brandy) is added. This addition fortifies the wine and kills the remaining live yeast, stopping the fermentation process. The natural grape sugars remain, which provides Port with its distinctive richness. This fortified wine is then transferred to wooden barrels for aging. Many Ports are aged in wooden barrels. There are many types of port тЂ“ among them ruby, white and tawny. The last of these is distinguished by its longer aging period before it is bottled. Port is also aged in two different ways, in the cask and in the bottle, and which one is employed greatly influences the taste of the finished product. Bottle aged port keeps its colour and fruitfulness for long periods, while cask-aged versions should be drunk straight away, as they begin to lose their flavour once taken out of the cask. Vintage Port is best when left to age for many years in the bottle. There are many young Ports available from domestic wineries that are enjoyable, depending upon your taste and preferences. Vintage Port should be stored in the same way as you would a quality red wine, by being laid it on its side, in a cool, dry place, away from light and vibration. You should decant Vintage Port before serving, in order to remove the naturally-produced sediment in the bottom of the bottle that can release unwelcome flavours and cloud your Port. This is done by simply pouring the Port through a fine strainer into the decanter. If you do not have Port glasses, you can serve the wine in an eight-ounce wine glass, but you should only about half-fill the glass. Aged cheeses pair perfectly with Port, and blue cheeses, aged cheddar and creamy stilton all provide a robustness and nuttiness that contrasts beautifully with the rounded, mellow flavour of the Port. Trying to buy wine online is easy and there are many deals available for you to find. Deals including crates are good when looking for wine online so start searching for the best deals.

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