Port wine comes in many forms - tawny, ruby, late bottle vintage, colheita, and yes, vintage too. Why aren't we drinking more of it?
Port is one of the great classic wines alongside Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and other historic appellations of Europe. It is produced in the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious vineyard areas.
Port is often associated with Britain as many of the oldest and most famous Port houses are of British origin. Though overall global sales have been in decline in recent years, Port is definitely recognised as an essential part of any serious cellar collection or wine list.
In 1756 the Port vineyards became the first in the world to be legally demarcated, making Port the oldest A.O.C in the world. The classification of the Port vineyards took place the following year almost 100 years before the 1855 classification of Bordeaux.
For those unfamiliar with the winemkaing process, Port is actually a fortified wine that's made by adding a small amount of grape spirit during the wine making process.
There are many different styles of Port, each with its own special character. The differences are mainly derived from the various ways of aging the wine, which can mature in cask, vat or bottle.
The most famous and respected Port houses – such as Croft, Dow’s, Fonseca, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Warre’s – are very long established firms, some over three centuries old.
The estates that Port vines are grown are known as ‘quintas’. They are the equivalent of the ‘chateaux’ in Bordeaux. The quintas of the top Port houses are among the most prestigious and most famous wine estates in the world.
In Hong Kong, The Vintage Port Academy has been established to promote the appreciation and knowledge of Vintage Port for wine consumers, collectors and professionals.
Vintage Port is arguably the least known and the least understood of the great wines of Europe and thus the aim of The Vintage Port Academy is to bring the understanding and enjoyment of Vintage Port to consumers in Asia through educational seminars and courses.
Euan Mackay, sales director for Symington Family Estates (Dow’s, Graham’s and Warre’s) has teamed up with Nick Heath, marketing director of the Fladgate Partnership (Croft, Fonseca and Taylor’s) to work closely with local Hong Kong aficionado’s to better understand and enjoy the product.
One bonus of buying vintage Port is that the winery actually ages the Port for you as it will not release wines that are too young to drink.
The wineries aim is that when Port is purchased it is already at its peak and will be fit for drinking immediately or for cellaring if that’s your thing.
One problem with Vintage Port is that drinkers seldom know how to consume or treat the product, so here are a few basic tips:
- Treat it exactly like you would red wine.
- Serve it in a regular white wine glass with measures of about 80ml per glass.
- Serve it slightly chilled at about 12 degrees.
- Once opened, consume it within a day or two. It will not keep tasting good for longer than that.
- Vintage Port is just like vintage wine, so treat it with the same respect.
Novice red wine drinkers may like to try some Vintage Port as it is a good way to let your palate learn about the subtle nuances in a grape wine. As Port is slightly sweeter than normal red wine it is a great tool for training your palate, and honestly it can be quite seductive!
Port is usually served towards the end of the meal with cheese or chocolate and in fact, these two foods are great matches to Port. Alternatively you can enjoy a nice glass of Port in the same way you would a nice Sauternes after dinner.
There’s no need to wait until Christmas just to pop open the Port, you can drink it all year round. But it is the season now!
Contributed by Alasdair Nicol, TLN Editor – Hong Kong
