What is Port?

  :: Click here to view how port wine is made ::

Port is a :: fortified :: red or white wine made with the grape varieties that grow specifically in the Douro River Valley in northern Portugal.

The wine ferments at the farms where the grapes grow, called :: quintas. ::

For the most part, port is :: blended :: and aged in the cellars at Vila Nova da Gaia, a city at the mouth of the Douro River, opposite the city of Porto The taste of port ranges from fruity and sweet to complex and dry.

A combination of five grape varieties go into port wine: Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Francesa. Rarely are any other grapes used.

Port is usually enjoyed before or after the entrée. A rich blue cheese, such as Stilton, is probably the best-known accompaniment to port wine but it is certainly not the only one. The taste of port combines nicely with dried fruit, nuts - particularly walnuts, chocolate, paté de fois gras, and other foods. Port wine also adds a wonderful flavour as an ingredient in many dishes, both sweet and savoury.

Let's not forget, however, that port wine is very tasty on its own and can be enjoyed at any occasion. It can also be used to make a cool refreshing drink for a warm summer's day called a :: port splash. ::