In Portugal, we celebrate Port Wine on the 10th of September. However, internationally, January 27th is International Port Wine Day. The Centre for Wine Origins created this celebration in 2012 to protect its heritage.
The Centre for Wine Origins, headquartered in Washington D.C., was founded in 2005 by the wine-growing regions of Champagne in France and Porto in Portugal. It represents the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), and Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP). Port Wine tastings are a main feature of this celebration, occurring at Port Wine cellars. The #PortDay hashtag encourages people to take photos of their favourite Port Wine and blog about it and/or post about it on social media.
Vinho do Porto | Port Wine
Vinho do Porto is a fortified wine. The process involves adding grape spirits before the wine has finished fermenting. As a result, the wine retains the natural sweetness of the grapes seeing as they don’t fully convert to alcohol. Nowadays there are a few countries that produce Port wine. However, true Port Wine is exclusively produced in the north of Portugal, in the Douro Valley. Its colour is red, with a fruity sweet flavour. Traditionally, one serves Port Wine at the end of a meal. Either with a selection of cheeses and nuts or with the dessert.
In addition, an interesting aspect of Port is its different varieties, such as dry and semi-dry. White varieties also exist and are enjoyed as aperitifs for instance. This makes Port quite versatile.
Most importantly, the grapes that solely produce the wine are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa or Tinta Barroca. Moreover, they grow on the steep and stony slopes along the Douro River and its affluents. Many of the oldest vineyards are planted on the narrow terraces or “shelves” called “socalcos”. The “socalcos” are supported by hand-built stone walls. In addition, these vineyards are classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
There are two main categories that Port wine falls into:
- Ruby, which matures in bottles. These retain their fruity aromas and are a dark ruby colour. Within the Ruby types, we have Ruby, Ruby Reserva, Crusted, Late Bottled Vintage, Vintage Single Quinta and Vintage;
- Tawny, which matures in wooden barrels for longer. As a result, their colour is lighter in shade and also has more brownish tones. Their aroma is nuttier and woodier. Within the Tawny types, we have Tawny, Tawny Reserva, Tawny with age indication (from 10 years all the way up to 40+) and Colheita (harvest).
Although the wine is produced further inland, it became known as Port during the second half of the 17th century, because it was exported from the city of Porto (Oporto). They were exported in boats called “Rabelo”.
Facts about Port Wine
- Only wine produced in the Douro region can be called “Port”.
- Always serve Port at room temperature.
- The Douro is the oldest wine region in the world.
- 85% of the production of this wine is for export.
- France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium and the USA are the countries that most consume it.
- Port wine is present in about 120 markets. Port wine sales are worth 365.4 million euros (in 2013).
- The alcohol level of this wine varies between 16.5% (light dry white) and 22%.
- There are four styles of Port wine: Tawny (aged in barrels), Ruby (aged in bottles), White and Rosé.
- USA, Argentina, South Africa and Australia are some countries that produce imitations of Port wine.
In conclusion, I’m going to celebrate with a glass of Ruby. How are you going to celebrate International Port Wine Day? Here are some ideas. I hope you have a great day!
Saúde! | Cheers! | Sláinte!