How is Port made? The story of the Douro’s fortified wine.

A wine from the Douro Valley

Port comes from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, where vines grow on steep terraces of schist carved into the hillsides above the river. Summers are hot and dry, and the work in the vineyards is still largely done by hand. The landscape is so remarkable that the Alto Douro wine region is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Port is usually a blend of native red grapes. The best known are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão. Each adds something: color, perfume, structure or freshness.

Fortification: the key to Port

What makes Port different is fortification. The grapes are crushed and start to ferment, often in shallow stone troughs called lagares, where they are still trodden by foot at some estates. After only two or three days, when about half of the grape sugar has turned into alcohol, the winemaker adds a neutral grape spirit.

The spirit stops the fermentation. The yeast dies, the remaining sugar stays in the wine, and the result is a sweet, powerful wine of around 19 to 22% alcohol. Because the fermentation is so short, winemakers work hard to extract color and tannin quickly, which is why traditional foot treading is still valued.

Ruby, tawny and vintage Port

There are two big families of Port. Ruby styles age mainly in large vats or in bottle, so they keep their deep color and fresh, dark fruit. This family includes Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and the famous Vintage Port, made only in the best years and built to age for decades in the bottle.

Tawny Ports age for years in small, used oak casks. Slow contact with oxygen turns them amber and gives flavors of nuts, caramel, dried fruit and spice. You will find tawnies with an indication of age, such as 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old, and Colheita Ports from a single harvest. There is also white and rosé Port, often served with tonic.

The British families of Porto

For centuries the Port trade was closely tied to Britain, and British families founded many of the famous houses in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto. The Symington family is one of the few of these old families still running their own Port houses today, which include some of the best-known names in the category.

In this episode of WineMasters, Jamie Goode and Port expert Richard Mayson meet Charles Symington to discover what makes Port so unique, from the vineyards of the Douro to the lodges where the wines age.

How to serve Port

Serve ruby and vintage Port at cool room temperature, and tawny slightly chilled. Vintage Port throws a sediment as it ages, so decant it before serving. Once opened, a ruby or tawny Port keeps for a few weeks; a vintage Port is best within a day or two.

Classic pairings are blue cheese, dark chocolate and nut desserts, but a chilled 10-year-old tawny is also wonderful on its own.