The Port Wine Institute (Instituto do Vinho do Porto)

  :: View the Quality Assurance Process of Port (video)

This is the governing body for the port wine industry. The Georgian Building that houses the IVP is in downtown Porto.

Inside, a wide granite staircase leads up to the mezza nine. A stone, set in the centre of the stairway originally marked the boundary of the port wine region in the Douro River Valley. This was the first demarcated wine region in the world.

In the tasting room, experts decide, among many other things, which years shall be declared vintage and they are fussy. Only 14 vintages were declared from 1901 to 1999. Every precaution is taken to see that the wines receive unbiased tasting. The light is consistent, the bottles are al l covered up so the tasters cannot see the brand or colour of the port they are tasting.

All port that is sold, regardless of producer or year, must meet the standards for colour, bouquet, taste… even the chemical composition is analyzed.

Only when it is certified by the IVP may a port go to market. The white seal over the neck states Garantia do Vinho do Porto - a guarantee that the wine was grown, aged and bottled in Portugal. Without this seal, it just isn't port.