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Fortify yourself

Guard against autumn's chill with a warming glass of port

By: Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson

Posted: 11/5/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

c_ (CP)

No matter how hard I try to resist it, cooler fall temperatures move my wine drinking habits away from whites and dry rosés and toward heavier reds. But what really gets my palate pumped in the fall and winter months is a nice glass of port.

First, a primer: port is fortified wine made in the Douro Valley -- specifically in and around the city of Porto (or Oporto). Indigenous Portuguese grapes are grown and harvested in the same way as the grapes for most typical dry reds would be. However, a neutral grape spirit called aguardente is added -- this halts fermentation, meaning the wine stops converting sugar to alcohol, leaving more residual sugar in the wine. The aguardente boosts the alcohol content to around 20 per cent by volume.

The port is then aged -- typically in oak barrels -- for some number of years before being bottled. Often these bottles return to the cellar for some extra time before being released for sale.

So that's port in a nutshell, but there are many complexities to this sweet treat that result in a number of different styles of the wine being produced. So, going through some of the more popular styles from lightest to heaviest, here's what you should know...

Tawny port: These wines see years in oak barrels, typically indicated on the label in denominations (10-year-old, 20-year-old, etc). They're lighter in colour and texture, drinkable upon release and bring remarkably complex caramel and toasted nut notes.

Ruby port: While deeper red in colour than the browner tawnys, ruby port is more of an entry-level fortified wine. It's typically non-vintage, with the bulk of the wine having spent about a year in barrels before spending another two in the bottle.

Reserve port: While there's no vintage associated with a reserve port, they're made in a fairly consistent style that is meant to replicate the respective port house's top wine. It used to be called "vintage character" port but that's no longer allowed.

Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) port: LBVs offer a glimpse into the delicious (and pricy) world of regular vintage ports at a fraction of the price. Typically aged between four and six years in oak, the grapes used in LBV are all from the same vintage -- like the top-end vintage ports. But LBVs spend less time aging in the bottle and more in the barrel before release -- they're fresher and less complex than their big brothers.

Vintage port: This is the stuff that people lay down the big bucks for. Vintage port isn't made every year -- a port house will "declare" a vintage good enough to make this wine. It makes up just a tiny fraction of Portugal's port production, and is highly sought after in part because of its ageability. Matured in barrels for a maximum of two-and-a-half years before bottling, vintage port can last for decades beyond that when cellared properly. It's a very dark, incredibly dense wine that needs time for the tannins and alcohol to mellow out for maximum enjoyment. Decanting is recommended when opening a vintage port.

Generally speaking, port goes well with strong cheeses (blue and Stilton especially), nuts, dessert (especially chocolate-based sweet dishes), and so forth. Some port drinkers like to enjoy a glass of port with a nice cigar, while others prefer to slowly sip on a port on its own.

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CALEM FINE RUBY PORT

(Porto, Portugal -- around $17, private wine stores)

Dried cherry, cranberry and plum are simple but attractive on the nose of this ruby port. It's medium-bodied and not ridiculously sweet -- rather, the Calem shows those red and purple fruit notes without becoming cloying. Beyond that, though, there's little complexity here to speak of -- not surprising for a ruby port. 86/100

FONSECA BIN NO. 27 RESERVE PORT (Porto, Portgual -- $18.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Deep purple in colour, the Bin No. 27 shows candied cherry, raisin, earth, burnt toffee and light spice notes on the nose. While there's more body to this port than a tawny, there's far less complexity; this Fonseca brings straightforward chocolate-covered cherry and cinnamon notes on the viscous, chewy palate. 87/100

TAYLOR FLADGATE 20-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT

(Porto, Portugal -- $69.32, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale brown in colour (think weak iced tea), the 20-year-old shows aromas of brown sugar, caramel, sweet raisins, leather and spice. Medium-bodied and viscous, the length of the caramel, white pepper, raisin, dried plum and vanilla notes on the palate is spectacular -- the flavours linger for what seems like an eternity. It's a fair bit sweeter than Taylor Fladgate's 10-year-old tawny, which is good but not in the same ballpark as this treat... maybe not even the same league. 92/100

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 5, 2011 E4

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