Our Blue Cheese Gougères with Caramel and Salt would be a good start. Enjoy an LBV port with the same types of foods you'd pair with vintage port. Ruby and Tawnys Port wines are best suited to desserts, especially those containing chocolate: chocolate fondants. This last is always designated as a Lagrima (Teardrop Port). If you want to taste a little of that vintage experience without waiting 40 years, LBV is the style for you. These wines range from quite dry, to off-dry, to very sweet. These are ports that may have been intended for vintage port, but instead were left to age in the barrel for four to six years for that reason, they're ready to drink right after bottling. Last but not least is the category called late bottle vintage (LBV). You can't go wrong pairing a vintage port with Stilton Cheese. However, this makes it a great gift for a collector. (Other ports are blends of many different vintages.) Not every year is declared worthy of a vintage port, as vintage years are rare and it's generally thought that a vintage port needs to age anywhere from 10 to 40 years in the bottle before it is ready for drinking.

The solution? Adding a little brandy to the barrels the wines were shipped acted as a fabulous preservative.īy far the most expensive and coveted port is vintage, because it is made only from grapes grown in a particularly excellent year. Tawny ports are created by blending several different vintages. Ruby port is made from red grapes only and has a bright reddish-purple hue that can be appreciated even in small amounts poured into a glass. It ranges from ruby to tawny and beyond depending on the type of port wine being produced. They were then were shipped to England and often arrived spoiled. Port wine is known for its rich, deep color. However, these wines didn't travel well-they had to be first floated in barrels down the Douro River, from the region where they were originally vinified, to the town of Oporto, where they were aged. It was discovered that Portugal's Douro Valley was an incredible growing region for quality grapes that made rich, concentrated wines. That meant they had to look elsewhere for imports.

However, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain was at war with France and boycotted French wines. Because Britain hasn't traditionally had the ideal climate for grape-growing, the Brits were historically dependent on France for most wine imports. Although port is a product of Portugal, it's really thanks to the British that the wine was created and popularized. Port has an interesting story that's a treat to bring to a dinner party.

Types of port wine