Diary of a Shopkeeper, 4th December
‘A wine of many colours,’ as Dolly Porton sang.
This week I’m wild swimming: join me on a deep dive into the wonderful purple waters of Port wine. I’ve already sketched the outlines of Port’s history, which helped explain why we tend to drink it at Christmas. But what does it actually taste like?
Before I answer that, I should tell you what it looks like. When I described it as ‘purple’ I was only half right. Port divides into two broad styles. One is Ruby Port, which varies from dark red to purple to almost black. The other is Tawny Port, which is golden, or mahogany, or terracotta. The most important indicator of how a Port is going to taste – and what best to eat with it – is its colour. All Port starts off looking like red wine – which is what it is. The fortification with grape spirit affects the strength and flavour, but not the colour. It’s how it’s aged that does that.
When there’s been an outstanding vintage, with perfect weather – which happens two or three times a decade in the Douro Valley – the wineries decide to ‘declare’ Vintage Port. The wine is aged in barrels for a short time, usually two years, before bottling. It’s still deeply coloured, fiery with fortification, and full of fruit solids, making it very tannic. If that doesn’t sound very appetising, don’t worry. Time works its magic on Vintage Port more reliably than any other wine. Let the bottles age for at least five years, and ideally ten or more, and the fire will mellow, the tannins will soften, and the fruity flavours will gain depth and complexity – like a well-fed fruit cake.
Because it’s been aged in the almost oxygen-free context of a sealed glass bottle, Vintage Port will retain its beautiful colour into old age. We currently have stock of Vintage Port from 1999 (beautifully mellow), 2013 (boldly fruity) and 2018 (a great vintage, just about ready to drink.)
Vintage Port is always in short supply, and is labour intensive to make. It’ll never be a cheap drink. A great alternative is Late Bottled Vintage Port. LBV starts off life as Vintage Port, but instead of being bottled after two years, it matures in barrels for between four and six years. This ages it much more quickly, and it’s ready to drink on release. It has much of the character and pleasure of Vintage Port, but is about half the price.
Tawny Port is aged differently. It takes place in oak barrels rather than bottles, and can span 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years. We have examples of all these ages our shelves just now: the 10 year old is very affordable, the 40 year old is very…special! Barrel ageing exposes the Port to a small amount of oxygen. The longer it’s aged for, the more the effect of the oxygen is apparent. The ruby colour turns increasingly tawny. The fieriness mellows. The fruitiness turns nutty. The evolution results in a very different but equally delicious drink.
Tawny Port, becoming more golden (in colour and cost) as it gets older. L to r, 10, 20 30 and 40 year old.
Ruby Port in all its forms is best served at a warm room temperature. It’s superb with blue cheese, especially Stilton, and with dried fruit concoctions like Christmas cake or clootie dumpling. Tawny port is perfect at a cool temperature – Sandeman’s head winemaker told me, ‘I always have Tawny in the door of my fridge’ – and it matches creamy, nutty or caramel puddings. It’s also lovely with mature savoury cheeses like Pecorino and Parmigiano.
Ruby Port should be drunk fairly quickly – two or three days after opening – whereas Tawny Port stays in good condition for two or three weeks. It’s already been exposed to oxygen in the barrel, so a little bit more doesn’t do it any harm.
And a little bit of Port doesn’t do Christmas celebrations any harm!
Click here to read about our Christmas wine boxes, here to read about cheese selections, and here for mixed foodie hampers.
This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 23rd November 2022. A new one appears weekly. I post them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations., and occasional small corrections or additions.