Sweet Magic: Port Wine

For the fourth wine in our series where we examine a different type of wine each week, we're flying to Portugal…

To better understand Port Wine, we first need to learn two important things. The first is the term "Fortified Wine".

What is Fortified Wine?

Fortified wine is primarily a complimentary wine served before or after a meal. One of the most popular fortified wines is Port Wine. The fortification process is done with distilled wine or distilled fruit.

Why did the strengthening process emerge?

The process of fortification in wine dates back to ancient times. Wines produced in the past (like homemade wines) didn't contain preservatives and spoiled quickly. Because wines would turn into vinegar during long sea voyages, people sought solutions to prevent this. They solved this by adding distilled wine to the wine. Their aim was to preserve the wine. So, regular wines were fortified with distilled wines or fruits. This is how the process of fortification in wine originated. These fortified wines can be sweet or dry; the fermentation time determines this.

How is the strengthening process carried out?

The fortification process is usually carried out during the fermentation of the desired wine. Distilled alcohol (high-grade alcohol), obtained by distilling the wine (distillation, in its simplest form, is boiling fermented wine in copper stills), is added to the wine during the fermentation process. When this alcohol is added, the yeasts stop working, meaning they stop consuming sugar and producing alcohol. Therefore, the fermentation process is important in this respect. If there is still sugar in the wine being fermented, it will become a high-alcohol, sweet wine. If it is added after fermentation is complete, it will become a dry, high-alcohol wine. To explain in more detail; if distilled alcohol is added approximately one and a half days after the fermentation process begins, the resulting wine will be a high-alcohol, sweet wine; if we wait for the fermentation process to finish and then add it, we will obtain a high-alcohol, dry, or not-sweet wine. That's the whole logic of the fortification process.

Brandy

Before we understand port wine, another important concept is brandy. Brandy, as we've described, is a distilled alcohol obtained by distilling wine or fruits. For example, it wouldn't be wrong to say that raki or cognac are brandies, but of course, each brandy has its own unique processes and different flavors.

Brandy is a spirit made from distilled wine or fermented fruits, most often grapes; however, there are also varieties made from apples, pears, raspberries, and strawberries. The taste of brandy varies greatly depending on the fruit used, how long it is aged, and its alcohol content.

Now we can move on to explaining Port Wine.

What is Port Wine?

This method, used centuries ago to preserve wine, has now become a world-renowned type of wine.

The sweet magic of Port wine, whose fame has spread throughout the world, lies in its unique production process. The sweetness of the wine comes from the brandy added during fermentation.

Brandy (which has an average alcohol content of 70%) is added to wine during fermentation, stopping the fermentation process and leaving the remaining sugar in the wine, raising its alcohol level to an average of 20%.

Port Wine is one of the most popular fortified wines. Originating from the Douro River Valley in northwestern Portugal, Port Wine was created in the 17th century by the English who experimented with adding brandy to red wines to stabilize them for long voyages across the Bay of Biscay from the French coast to England.

Since then, it has been possible to find Port wine in a wide variety of styles, including ruby, light brown, white, and rosé. Most Port wines have a taste ranging from dry to semi-sweet or sweet, but Port wine has gained a reputation as a popular dessert wine.

Unique Flavors

Port wine, through the fortification and aging methods used in its production, develops its own unique flavor profile. Port wines generally carry notes of dried fruit, nuts, caramel, and spices, and have a sweet, full-bodied texture. However, these notes will, of course, vary depending on the Port Wine's maturation process. In general, Port wine is a natural partner for a wide variety of desserts, from chocolate and caramel-based desserts to fruit-based desserts and pastries.

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