This title is simple and direct enough.
Please don’t misunderstand that I am drunk all day long. The fact is that I only have a drink or two when the mood strikes, and I always have to change my style. For example, I had been wanting to drink a bottle of high-vintage dry oloroso sherry wine earlier, so I went to various wine shops for several holidays, but unfortunately I couldn't find it.
Finally, I opened a 10yo bottle of fino sherry, which didn't stop my addiction.
I just miss that taste.
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Compared to sherry wine, which is about to disappear completely, port wine seems to be more common, but also quite marginal. However, this is not the case at the Mong Kok store where the editor is sitting. Most of the ladies in the gathering are not fond of hard liquor and like sweets. A bottle of Ruby Reserva is just right for the occasion.
The editor is not fond of sweets, but Port is one of the few sweets that I miss from time to time. Probably because aging in wooden barrels gives this fortified wine an elegant character, the variety makes it more interesting, and the emphasis on age also adds style.
Unfortunately, because it is not popular, there are not many choices on the market.
Port wine
In the seventeenth century, this fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley in northern Portugal was mainly shipped to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, and sold all over the world, so it was called "Vinho do Porto". As the oldest designated wine protected area, only wines of the same type produced in Portugal can be called Port.
Porto originally means port, and the name Portugal is derived from this.
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Production
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Port is made from grapes grown and processed in designated areas of Douro. Neutral grape spirit is added to the wine to stop fermentation, retain sugar and increase alcohol content. Image source: https://pin.it/5gszuZj |
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Common types
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Ruby Made from designated red grape varieties. Port is cheap and is produced to be quickly bottled and sold. After fermentation, the storage method is to prevent oxidation, such as using a large barrel (Vat), to retain more fruity aroma. Aging time is a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years. The color is brighter, the taste is lively, mainly red and black fruits, and the tannins are rough. Quality does not improve after bottling. |
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Tawny Barrel Aged. Made from designated red grape varieties, sometimes white grapes are also mixed in. The minimum aging period is one year and the maximum period is usually no more than seven years. Because of longer aging, the color changes from red to brown due to oxidation, and the taste also changes from fresh flowers and fruits to more calm styles such as nuts and raisins. The tannins are reduced, so the taste is rounder. |
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Reserva Barrel Aged. Divided into Ruby Reserva and Tawny Reserva. Compared with ordinary Ruby, Ruby Reserva is made from better grapes and aged for the same time, but the taste is more balanced and complex, with a more concentrated taste and a richer finish. Tawny Reserva is aged longer than regular Tawny, at least seven years. The flavor is more complex, with more oxidative flavors. |
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~yo aged Port Aged in wooden barrels. Common port numbers such as 10yo, 20yo, 30yo, and 40yo are written on the wine label, but the year indicated is only a flavor and style representative, not the actual aging time or average aging time. 10yo is usually blended with wine that has been aged for about 10 years, and the same is true for 20yo, but 30yo and 40yo may only use wine that has been aged for more than 20 years. Of course, the quality of these wines must be authenticated by relevant institutions or associations, and they cannot be passed on randomly. For example, it is absolutely impossible to make a 40yo bottle of wine that has been aged for several years. A higher age designation means more oxidative flavors, lower acidity, and a softer mouthfeel. |
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Vintage Port Bottle Chen. Production can be achieved in good harvest years, and there are about three good harvest years every ten years. It is one of the most highly regarded Ports. After brewing, it is aged in vats (Vat) for up to two years. After passing various certifications, it can only be bottled if the quality meets the requirements. Due to the short aging time before bottling, the wine retains a lot of fresh floral and fruity flavors. The quality continues to change after bottling, developing more complexity and wonderful flavours. Due to aging in the bottle, the degree of oxidation of the wine body is very low, so the quality of the wine changes very slowly, which can last for decades. Vintage Port that has matured in the bottle will not only have the high-quality floral aroma of harvest-year grapes and fruity aromas such as blackberries and black cherries, but will also develop flavors such as spices and black chocolate, while retaining strong tannins, bringing a more complex and grand taste. . The picture shows Taylor's Classic Vintage Port 2016, which received a perfect score of 100 from the famous wine critic James Suckling . |
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Late-Bottle Vintage Barrel Aged. Single vintage. The wine originally used to produce Vintage Port was barrel-aged for longer than the expected two years due to insufficient demand and other reasons. These wines that are not released as Vintage Port will be aged for three to six years before being sold. Because the grape quality is better, the taste is more balanced than ordinary Ruby. In addition to the fresh fruity taste, it also has a vaporized taste, making it a wine with a higher CP value. |
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Colheita Port Barrel Aged. Single vintage. It can be understood as barrel-aged Vintage, aged for at least seven years. Compared with Vintage Port, Colheita is suitable for drinking immediately after bottling and mainly tastes its aged flavor. Therefore, the longer it is aged, the more concentrated and vaporized its flavor will be, while the fresh floral and fruity flavor will be much less than that of Vintage Port. Old Colheita is very rare and highly sought after by Port lovers. Only the Kwun Tong branch has several models in stock, but the year is unknown. |
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White Port Port made from white grapes has a light yellow color, and the longer it ages, the darker the color. It is also distinguished by the type of Port above. The color of high-vintage White Port is close to that of high-vintage Tawny Port, and the taste is lighter, mainly white raisins, candied fruits, preserved apricots, etc. The young White Port is sweet and smooth, balanced by a little acidity. No year is my favorite sweet snack. Dalva is a brand that specializes in White Port, but unfortunately it has not been introduced. Source of left picture: https://www.fortheloveofport.com/2015-ftlop-port-harvest-tour/ Interested friends can go up and read the article, there are many Port introductions. |
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Of course, we cannot expect Port wine to appear as frequently as Moscato in young people’s parties. This elegant sweetness seems to be more suitable for solemn gatherings, like the character Captain Holt in the American TV series "Brooklyn 99". A toast for those with taste before a secret wedding. The sugar in Port seems to add a bit of liveliness and fun to the mature and intellectual nature.
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| ＜Brooklyn Nine-Nine＞ Season 3, Episode 4. |
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| ＜Brooklyn Nine-Nine＞ In the sixteenth episode of the first season, the protagonist and his group were scorned by the host Captain Holk's husband, university classics professor Kevin, for bringing inappropriate wine to a party. |
Finally, finish the round with a sip of sweet Port.
You will probably hear English court music, the Violin Concerto for the Four Seasons.
I hope to try Dalva’s Golden White Colheita.