Today, even the most inexperienced connoisseur of alcohol knows such a drink as white port. However, far from always tart Portuguese wine was so popular and recognizable. In addition, due to neglect of production technology in our country, far from the best drink is produced.
In general terms: what is port wine
The name of the drink is translated from German as “port wine”. Indeed, Portuguese navigators played a significant role in his invention.
Fortified wine was invented quite by accident during the trade ban between England and France. It was this conflict that made the Portuguese dilute good wine with alcohol, but more on that later.
In essence, port is a wine with a fortress of 18 to 23 degrees, produced in the Douro River Valley (Portugal).
Port is on the list of those spirits whose name is controlled by the origin of the grapes!
Distinctive features of production
Any (red or white) port is characterized by a short period of fermentation of the wort. As a rule, it does not exceed two to three days. After that, according to the instructions, select grape alcohol is added to the mash, the strength of which should not exceed 77%.
Almost finished wine is poured into special oak barrels, where it matures for 3-6 years (on average). Only after that is port wine bottled.
Drink history
In Portugal, red and white port is called a drink with a strong character and are proud of it. Its specific taste is tart and rich, and the work of the citizens of this country, invested in production, deserves respect.
Henry II of Burgundy was the first to become interested in the cultivation of wine-making procedures in this area. The grapes brought from the province of Bordeaux were slightly degraded and were not at all suitable for the production of a truly good drink. Therefore, only Portuguese people drank wine from Douro for a long time.
As noted above, the trade war between England and France has changed a lot in the economies of these countries and in trade relations throughout Europe.
The British, having refused to import wine from the French province of Bordeaux, turned to friendly Portuguese for help. In 1703, the Metuan Agreement was signed, according to which Portuguese wines crossed the border at a preferential category.
Wines of Douro in comparison with Bordeaux wines of that time could hardly be called truly competitive. Exceptionally red wine was not very strong (within 12-13 degrees) and could not boast a long shelf life.
This drink was strictly forbidden to be transported on ships, since it would not have been preserved fresh and tasty. In order not to lose such a tempting sales market as England, grape spirit and brandy were added to the drink. The indescribable strong taste of the renewed wine came to the taste of the stiff English, and the Portuguese launched a mass production of a completely new alcoholic beverage in history.
According to the initial technology (dilution of dry wine with alcohol), port was not prepared for long - from 1756 to 1820. Since 1821, brandy began to be poured directly into the must. This technology has been preserved to this day.
Port classification
Nowadays, many variations of national alcohol are produced in the Douro, several of which are the most popular:
- Golden brown port Tony or Tawny is made from red grape varieties. It owes its unusual color to oak barrels in which the drink is aged 10, 20, 30, and in some cases 40 years. The minimum ripening period is 2 years.
- The young red port is called Ruby. The production of this species provides for minimal technological intervention, which preserves the indescribable fruity taste and rich aroma of the drink. As a rule, noble ruby ​​liquid is not kept in oak barrels. Port ripens after bottling.
- A rare species - "Garrafeira" or Garrafeira - is always produced from grapes of only one crop. The first aging in a barrel should not be less than 3 years! The wine continues to ripen in the bottle (for at least 8 years). There is only one known company that produces such a port - Niepoort.
- “Coleit” can be called a noble descendant of port “Tony”. About 7 years after ripening, a good winemaker tries his masterpiece. And if its quality is higher than what he planned, the barrel goes under special supervision. Port Colheita can withstand at least 12 years. The drink has an unusual taste, a pleasant golden color and an indescribable aroma.
- White port with a pleasant fruity taste is a rarity in Portugal, but it can also be found. This type of Branco ("Branco") is called and it differs in sweetness.
- LBV or Late Bottled Vintage is a very sophisticated drink. And in each bottle it is different. Such port wine is produced from grapes of one year harvest, keeping in a barrel for at least 6 years.
- The sweetest view of the existing ones is the white Lagrima port, which is produced by blending wines of different years.
- Sometimes you can find port wine with a characteristic draft on the shelves of expensive alcohol. This is not a fake and in no case not a manufacturing defect! “Crusted” is bottled without filtration after mixing wines of several grape harvests at once. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs recommend before pouring it to pour it into a decanter.
- "Vintage" (Vintage) is considered the most elite of the currently existing varieties of port. Produced only from the most successful grape harvest, it has a bright color, a special aroma, the taste of wild wild berries and dark chocolate. On average, it matures in a bottle from 20 to 50 years.
Distinctive features of white port
The classification of the drink, it would seem, is simple, but it is only at first glance. This type of drink has a great many styles and features that not every alcohol can boast of. For example, the concept of pink port appeared relatively recently. And if the main types of red fortified wine are Ruby and Tauni, then in white everything is different. They like to enjoy red port wine on an empty stomach, in no case diluting it, and with white - you can and should mix cocktails!
White port wine is made from exclusively white grapes; it comes in two categories: from young or aged wine. The young white grape drink is not appreciated by most lovers of port wine and even causes a mockery, while aged can be very close to the old Tawny.
Are young white grape drinks so terrible
As the ancient Romans said: "They do not argue about tastes." And it is right. The highlight of the young white port is sugar, the level of which in the drink varies greatly. From extra-dry to sweet dessert.
The sweetest of all the ports is Lagrima. It is made from white grapes. For several decades, the tart, sweet and slightly viscous drink has aroused respect and reverence for the Portuguese. Connoisseurs recommend serving a light young port of white color very chilled, adding ice, slices of lemon and sprigs of mint to it.
Domestic production since the USSR
Since 1985, about 2 billion liters of cheap and unsatisfactory quality of the drink have been produced in the country. It was in 1985 that the well-known “777” appeared on store shelves, and the scale of its production was much higher than other wines combined!
The drink produced in the USSR until 1985 cannot be called a real Portuguese port, but it was not bad. A vivid representative of the market at that time was the port “Seaside” white. The main ingredients are grape juice (without fermentation), domestic beet sugar and wheat spirit.
Now the production of fortified wine in Russia has been modernized, but this did not affect the quality of the product. Many independent experts, trying white Port Surozh, note that it has become much worse compared to the Soviet-era drink.
The most worthy types of port are produced in Crimea: Massandra and Magarach. It is also worth highlighting the “brainchild” of the Massandra brand - white port “Alushta”. According to critics, he is still pretty good.
Peculiarities of serving and drinking rules
Make sure that the bottle is upright the day before drinking. The cork from it can be thrown away, since it is strictly forbidden to close the bottle with it again. It is believed that an old cork can spoil the taste and aroma of a good wine.
A good sommelier knows that before serving port it is necessary to “decant” it (pour it from a bottle into a decanter). This will help remove sediment at the bottom of the bottle, if any. Port serving temperature is the same as that of wine. For red, 18 degrees is considered optimal, and for white - from 10 to 12.
As for the glasses, in both cases, those intended for red wine are preferable. The tulip shape allows you to enjoy the aroma of the drink before drinking it.
You can buy a bottle of strong and tart drink, for example, in stores of the Red and White network. Domestic port wine (Primorsky, Alabashly, Kurdamir, etc.) costs between 250-300 rubles, a little more for a Portuguese drink - 550-600 rubles.
Aperitif or digestif?
Port wine arouses appetite, and therefore it is preferable to drink it before meals as an aperitif. In Portugal, no one drinks it on a full stomach!
As an aperitif, port goes well with a variety of cold and hot snacks. Portuguese and Spaniards like to drink real white port with cheese, chocolate, nuts and fruits, meat and fish snacks. However, alcohol connoisseurs and sommeliers recommend not drinking, but drinking without anything.
If the port seems too strong, you can dilute it with a small amount of still mineral water.
The best appetizers for port
It was indicated above that there are a lot of suitable snacks for fortified wine. This is true, but for convenience, it is better to classify and consider them separately.
- Fruits, chocolate, desserts. The wine will go well not only with fruits and dark chocolate, but also pastries, custard cakes and other sweets.
- According to traditions, any wine, including port wine, goes well with different cheeses.
- Meat snacks and main dishes of poultry, pork, beef or lamb are suitable. However, port in this case is better to choose the color of meat - red.
- White Crimean port "Massandra" or "Magarach" is the best complement to dishes and snacks of fish or seafood.
It is strongly not recommended to serve the drink with vegetables or first courses.
Despite the specific taste of alcohol, bartenders around the world do not discount this drink. Thanks to this, several rather good cocktails were born.
Recipe number 1: “Porto lime”
For mixing you will need:
- white Crimean port - 40 ml;
- 20 ml of lemon fresh;
- sugar and a slice of lemon for decoration;
- crushed ice - optional.
Before preparing any cocktail, you need to cool the glass. Ice for cooling a glass and ice for a drink are not the same thing!
Depending on taste preferences, fill the glass with ice, then add juice and port, mix with a bar spoon.
Recipe number 2: “Portonik”
We take the ingredients:
- 30 ml of tonic;
- white port ("Alushta" brand "Massandra") - 30 ml;
- crushed ice.
We fill the glass with ice, add port, mix with a bar spoon and fill the mixture with tonic. It is better to drink a cocktail through a straw. This cocktail is especially good if you choose the white port “Massandra”.
Recipe number 3: “Assertive”
Composition:
- vodka - 30 ml;
- Coca-Cola - 60 ml;
- red port - 30 ml;
- ice - 100 g.
In a pre-chilled glass, first add ice, and then vodka and port. Mix and add Coca-Cola.