Port is a fun and festive after-dinner drink during the Holidays. But, which one should you choose - Ruby Port or Tawny Port? Have no idea what we are talking about? Then this episode is just for you! Port is a sweet, fortified dessert wine from Portugal, and it comes in a few different styles that are actually pretty different from each other. We talk about what some of the differences are between the two, and we also talk about how Port is made. Curious about what a fortified wine is? Jump in! Want to know what robotic “Port Toes” are? We got you covered! We also taste and review a Ruby Port and a Tawny Port, both reasonably priced, to help you decide which one you should bring to your Holiday shindig. Wines reviewed in this episode: Fonseca Ruby Port, Croft Fine Tawny Porto
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Show Notes
Episode 150: Portuguese Wine Primer #2: Port! 00:00
Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair!
If you are new to our podcast, here is a quick orientation! Each week, we explore a different wine varietal or blend — like Chenin Blanc or Nebbiolo or Port — and dive into what makes new wines so fun to learn about, and how to make great choices on new wines to try. Our goal is to help you expand your wine knowledge in a fun way that is accessible to regular people, not just wine nerds like us! We also taste and review 2-3 wines under $20 each, and share our scores and recommendations to help you find great wines without breaking the bank. So, thank you so much for joining us! And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.
Well, Carmela, I guess this is our Christmas episode! And this year Christmas feels like it came so damn fast. Because Thanksgiving was so late!
Well, it’s been a few months since we did a Portuguese wine primer episode, and so for this last wine tasting episode of the year - that’s right, I said it, this is the last episode we are going to make this year where we taste wine, but don’t worry, we’ll still have new content for you for the next several weeks including our best and worst wines of the year and another winemaker interview - but I have to give Carmela a break from time to time so those last two episodes will just be with little old me, sorry everyone out there in listening land.
But back to this episode, listener Christine reached out to us and said that we should do an episode on Port, and we are so on it! Port, as you have probably figured out, is a wine from Portugal. In fact, Port is a fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal, and its name comes from the coastal city of Porto, where it was traditionally shipped and exported.
So, a real Port is going to come from Portugal, and we will talk about how it is made and more of the history of it in a little bit.
Now, you may find that every once in a while you run into wines that are called Port, but are not made in Portugal. And that’s because the EU did not place restrictions on the name until 1986, and it was even later than that that other regulations and agreements were made. For instance, it was not until 2006 that a trade agreement was made between the United States and the EU prohibited American winemakers from using the term Port, however, just like with the term Champagne, winemakers who were using the name before the restrictions were put into place are still allowed to use the name, though fewer and fewer are.
You may also ask what a fortified wine is because, as I mentioned, Port is a fortified wine. Fortified wines are wines where a distilled spirit is added to it in the process of production. Think of something like adding brandy to wine.
You may ask why they add this distilled spirit, too. Adding the distilled spirit does a couple of really important things that make fortified wines like Port unique:
- First, it increases the wine’s alcohol content. Fortified wines are generally 20% alcohol or higher.
- Second, it stops the fermentation process, which means that the yeast stops turning the sugar into alcohol, which means more sugar is left behind, which is what makes the wine sweeter than your average wine
- Third, adding the distilled spirit acts like a preservative, so the wine can age for a lot longer. In the past, this was really important for wines that had to be transported over long distances because that transportation could take a long time. So adding the distilled wine made the wine lasted longer. And some of you may know that Port wines can be really really old - some vintage Ports can be more than 100 years old and still be good.
- Fourth, this process, along with putting the wine in barrels, can add complexity to the flavor of the wine. Sometimes people say that these wines can taste like dried fruit or caramel or spicy, and some of these flavors come from the distilled spirits.
And, there are other famous fortified wines like Sherry from Spain and Madeira also from Portugal, but today, we are focused on Port.
But probably the main reason why we are focused on Port is because it is a wine that is traditionally served around the Holidays and Christmas time and for special celebrations. In fact, some people wait all year to bring fancy Ports to Holiday get-togethers, and the wine is really great to pair with desserts as well as rich cheeses like blue cheese, with dark chocolate, and with nuts.
So, this feels like the perfect wine to talk about and to drink during the Holidays! And today, we are going to taste and review two different types of Port - a Tawny Port and a Ruby Port - and we’ll tell you what we think and if we recommend either of these Ports for your Holiday shindigs . . .
But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.
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And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note and tell us what you like and don’t like, if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! And a shoutout to Corinne who reached out to us to ask for some Stickers and is always a great supporter of our, and also to Miss Melissa who is our favorite basketball coach in the whole world and she reached out to us as well with a very sweet message - we have free stickers we have sent her, too. And a shout out to Becky because John let us know that you force him to listen to us - we have some stickers for you, too! So be like Corinne and email us a joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and we will send them to you, and we really appreciate your support Corinne, Melissa, and Becky!
And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - because your endorsement is so valuable. This week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who loves Port, or who wants to make a big splash at a Holiday get together this year because this episode may help them to be the belle of the ball!
ARTICLES and LINKS
- https://www.winespectator.com/articles/why-are-wineries-outside-of-portugal-allowed-to-call-their-fortified-wines-port
- https://www.taylor.pt/us/what-is-port-wine/how-is-port-made
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine
- https://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopforum/viewtopic.php?t=40000
Topic: WTF is Port Wine? 11:46
So, Carmela, let’s talk about just what the F Port wine is, and we are going to spend a little time differentiating between Tawny and Ruby Port as well because those are the two Port wines we are going to drink today. And they are different, all right?
And, I will say, as usual, we are just going to scrape the surface of all of the information there is about Port, so if you want some great links, we have links in our show notes - did you know we have show notes - on our website where you can learn more! Cause we can’t tell you everything!
Now we mentioned earlier that Port is a fortified wine where a distilled spirit is added, but let’s talk about how Port in particular is made.
First, Port is a blend of different grapes, and there are over 100 varieties of grapes that can be used. I am not going to go through all of them, but the most common ones are
- Touriga Nacional
- Touriga Franca
- Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
- Tinta Barroca
- Tinto Cão
These grapes are grown in steep vineyards along the Douro River, and because the vineyards are so steep, the grapes are hand-harvested because getting machines in these super steep vineyards is really hard.
Traditionally, the wines were crushed by foot in large granite vats called lagars, just like you picture in your head how they used to make wine, and actually, believe it or not, my grandfather on my mom’s side would make my Uncle Toly stomp the grapes when he made his homemade wine. And on a total side note, my Uncle Toly’s real name was Natale which means Christmas in Italian because he was born in December, but I digress.
Today, they usually use machines to do the foot stomping, and in the next section of the podcast where we talk about the wines, we will talk about the robotic toes that are being used, but some winemakers still do the foot stomping method because they think it gives the best results. I just hope they wash their feet first.
The juice is then fermented, and in many traditional Port making techniques, they focus on using naturally occurring yeasts that live on the grape skins. One of the key steps comes next, which again is the fortification process, where a neutral spirit called aguardente, which is a type of brandy, is added to the wine to, as one source said, gently put the yeast to sleep. Which is a nice way of saying that the high alcohol kills the yeast and stops further fermentation.
The wines are then generally aged in oak barrels, although this is one of the differences between Ruby and Tawny Port.
Ruby Port is aged for less time, usually 2-3 years, and are sometimes not oaked because the winemakers focus more on fruitiness. Tawny Port is aged in smaller oak barrels for a long time, sometimes 10-40 years or more, and the oaking gives it nutty and caramel flavors, and leads to that very distinctive oxidized smell and taste which is usually not something you really want on a wine - because it means the wine has been exposed to oxygen - but in Port that funky grandma's basement smell and taste is actually desired.
When I mentioned Port is a blended wine, yes, that means it is blended with different grapes, but Port is also often blended across different years. Before it is bottled, winemakers spend a lot of time blending wines from different vintages, grapes, and barrels to achieve a consistent style, and this is very important to Port makers.
A Vintage Port is considered the most desirable, and usually most expensive, and a single Vintage year Port, like a single Vintage year Champagne is rare and reserved for years that are thought to be exceptional. Vintage Ports are then bottle aged for a long, long time, and is bottled with natural sediment from the grapes and the fermentation process, and this sediment is sometimes called the crust.Because we have a price cap on our wines in the podcast, we do not have a vintage Port to taste today.
There is so much more we could talk about, but I would like to just give a few quick differentiations between Ruby and Tawny Port because you will run into both, and it can be confusing about which is which if you don’t know what the differences are.
First, Ruby Port is often less expensive than Tawny Port, however, Vintage Port, which is the most expensive Port, are almost always Ruby Port.
A few other differences, and we have a nice chart in our show notes which you can find if you go to our website and look for this episode, are
- Tawny Port is amber in color due to the oxidation, while Ruby Port is Ruby red. That’s where the names come from.
- Tawny Port is aged in small oak barrels, and Ruby is aged for shorter time in oak vats or stainless steel
- Tawny Port is more funky in taste because of the aging and oxidation, while Ruby is more fresh and fruity
- Tawny is usually sweeter and has softer Tannins than Ruby Port
- Tawny Port should be served slightly chilled, while Ruby can be served at just below room temperature. But, if you have a wine fridge or a cellar, those are probably at the right temperature to serve either.
Here is a link to the chart that shows more of the differences between Tawny and Ruby Port in the Blog section of our website. The Show Notes does not support images.
But, that is a lot of information, so let’s learn more about the two Ports we are going to be drinking today!
ARTICLES and LINKS
- https://winonoire.com/a-simple-guide-to-port-wine/
- https://portwinecountry.com/index.php/what-is-port-wine-how-is-it-made/
- https://www.savoreachglass.com/articles/making-port-wine
- https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-port-wine-3510911
- https://winefolly.com/tips/making-port-wine/
- https://www.winekeller.com/blog/port-wine
- https://curatetrips.com/portugal/what-is-port-wine/
- https://www.winedeals.com/blog/post/port-wine-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoq5Q-BEvpclEghEI54JjdO0WVEEVeebV65Hu5CCfjrEqdx7r9dw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjNaqaFnujw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SnU6R4o6LI
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhiMjUkJk-I&t=12s
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/port-wine#:~:text=For%20red%20ports%2C%20the%20stalks,a%20port%20of%20superior%20quality.
Ruby and Tawny Port Wines We Chose for This Episode 19:20
As usual, the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $20, and they should be relatively easy to find because I bought them at wine.com. However, I will say that Port should be very easy to find at your local favorite or neighborhood wine shop. It is popular, so that is good, and most of the time you will probably find some very reasonably priced versions, although you may run into some of those very expensive ones if you go to a bigger wine shop or your local wine shop caters to expensive tastes.
The first wine we are going to drink is the Fonseca Ruby Port, and this is a wine that is pretty easy to find. Fonseca has been around for a long time, since 1815, so that company has been making wine for more than 200 years!
They say the wine is aged for three years in large wooden vats where, they also say, it softens without losing its fresh, intense character and color. One thing about these wines is that they can last for a while after being opened. The winery says this Ruby Port should be able to last up to two months after it is opened. We should suggest that you keep it in the fridge, and remember to keep the cork in it! This wine, like most Ruby Ports, is also ready to be drunk right away. There is no need to store them for a long period of time, which is different from a Tawny Port.
The winery says to serve this wine at room temperature with some blue cheese, which sounds pretty awesome, I must say. Maybe add a few nuts or some rich bread or chocolate with it.
It was hard to find out the exact blend of this wine, but one website said that the wine is made from the grapes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca.
So, let’s move onto our next wine which is the Croft Fine Tawny Porto wine, also a non-vintage. One super interesting aspect of this wine is that the winery says that it uses a robotic “Port Toes” technology, also called “robotic lagars” which is something that several Port winemakers have been using for over a decade now. Evidently, it is a machine that mimics the action of feet to crush the wine grapes. So this is what we were talking about earlier in that some Port makers are using machines instead of people! The reason these machines are popular is because they really want the benefits of feet crushing of wine, and here is why: the action of the feet is supposed to be good to extract tannins and pigment from the grape skins, and feet don’t crush the grape seeds, which can make wine bitter. And then, the action of the feet adds some oxygen into the wine, which is supposed to be good for stabilizing the wine’s color.
The winery says that their wine is a blend of 3 to 4 year old wines “selected for their ability to mature quickly to produce a mellow, rounded flavor.” Then they age the wine for three years in neutral casks - and remember that neutral oak refers to oak that has been used before, so it is a mellow oaking.
These wines are sweet, too! The residual sugar in this wine is 100 grams per liter. Very dry wines are less than a gram of sugar per liter. Off-dry wines are up to 21 grams per liter. So, this wine is all the way past sweet into the “very sweet” classification!
These are not wines that are meant to be pounded. These are wines that are meant to be sipped and savored, and you don’t need a lot to go a long way! And, these are wines that will give you a splitting headache if you drink too much.
The winery also says that, even though this is a Tawny Port, it does not need to be aged, and can be drunk right away.
And so on that note, I think it is about time that WE start drinking and tasting and reviewing these wines. So, we’ll take a quick break and, remember, if you drink along with us, you can cash in those participation points for some free stickers - and heck, we’ll send you stickers if you just send us an email and let us know you want some! We’ll be right back.
ARTICLES and LINKS
- https://www.fonseca.pt/wines/technicalpdf/technicalpdf_en_641ad6ea0e15d1.70799584/en
- https://www.kobrandwineandspirits.com/product/croft_fine_tawny/
- https://www.palatepress.com/technological-change-afoot-in-oporto-producers-try-machines-that-mimic-the-human-foot/
- https://www.auroracellars.com/residual-sugar-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-indicate-in-your-wine/
Fonseca Ruby Port, Croft Fine Tawny Porto Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 25:56
Wine: Fonseca Ruby Port (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase)
Region: Portugal, Douro
Year: NV
Price: $17.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 20%
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca
Professional Rating: 2012 got some high 80 ratings from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast
What we tasted and smelled in this Fonseca Ruby Port:
- Color: Ruby red, very pretty in the glass
- On the nose: Candied cherry, cherry cordial, church wine grapey, fruity, chocolate, fudge
- In the mouth: Sweet, chocolate cherry cordial syrup, cocoa, fruity, red fruit, chocolate covered strawberry, fig jam, inside of a Fig Newton, great nightcap
Food to pair with this Fonseca Ruby Port: Definitely a dessert wine, good with dark chocolate, chocolate torte, flourless chocolate cake, blue cheese, nuts, dried fruit, apples, feels sophisticated
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it.
Fonseca Ruby Port Wine Rating:
- Joe: 7/10
- Carmela: 8/10
Crowd pleaser
Wine: Croft Fine Tawny Porto (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase)
Region: Portugal, Douro
Year: NV
Price: $12.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 20%
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
Professional Rating: WS 91
What we tasted and smelled in this Croft Fine Tawny Porto:
- Color: More red than amber or brown, very similar to the Ruby, dull-ish, some amber around the rim of the wine
- On the nose: Black strap molasses, caramel, grandpa’s basement, grandma’s old wooden box, pepper, syrup, cured meat, leather jacket
- In the mouth: Smooth, rich, raisin, dried fruit, dried currant, shoe polish, honey thinner than expected
Food to pair with this Croft Fine Tawny Porto: Good with blue cheese, nuts, fruit, dark chocolate, pour it on vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt
Croft Fine Tawny Porto Wine Rating:
- Joe: 6/10
- Carmela: 6/10
Which one of these are you finishing tonight?
- Carmela: Fonseca Ruby Port
- Joe: Fonseca Ruby Port
Taste profiles expected from Ruby Port and Tawny Port 40:06
- General
- Wine Folly says: raspberry, blackberry, caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate
- Ruby Ports can taste like maraschino cherries, strawberries, and plums
- Tawny Ports can be nutty, buttery, and have crème brûlée flavors
- Vintage and older Ports can taste like dried fruit, nuts, butterscotch, and graham cracker
- Fonseca Ruby Port
- WE: A big, bold and rich Port that is smooth and very plush with a velvet feel. The style is ripe and rounded, a delicious medley of jammy fruits and soft
- WS: "This floral style shows plenty of violet between the sweet cherry and dried red berry flavours. A bit light mid palate, with straightforward spice notes on the finish.
- Croft Fine Tawny Porto
- Winery: A clear apricot (tawny) color, with spicy plum, nut and licorice aromas and flavors. Mildly sweet and full-bodied.
- WS: A sleek and reserved style, with dark cherry and plum fruit infused with hints of mulling spices, red tea and dried anise. The focused finish has nice persistence.
Port for the Holidays verdict: A great gift, and really fun for the Holidays!
Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 42:22
Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast app - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.
We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com and you can join our email newsletter there - and if you missed our latest newsletter, email me and I will send it to you. You can do that by reaching out at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com. And tell us some things you want to hear us do, or not hear us do!
Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.
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