Tastes likeblackberry, raisin, chocolate, caramel (tawny), walnut (tawny)
Alcohol19-22%
Serve atRuby 60-64°F; Tawny 55-60°F (slightly chilled)
GlassSmall dessert wine glass
Decant?Vintage Port: yes (sediment)
What to payRuby from $15; 10-year Tawny $30
Port is made by adding grape spirit to fermenting wine, which stops fermentation and leaves natural sweetness and about 20% alcohol. Opened Tawny lasts weeks; Ruby a couple of weeks.
Best food with Port
CheeseBlue cheese
Port · Sauternes & dessert whites · Riesling
DessertCheesecake
Sauternes & dessert whites · Moscato · Riesling
CheeseAged Cheddar & Parmesan
Cabernet Sauvignon · Nebbiolo (Barolo) · Tempranillo (Rioja)
Main styles
- Ruby: young, fruity, inexpensive.
- Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), a single year, richer than Ruby, ready to drink.
- Tawny (10, 20, 30, 40-year), aged in barrel; caramel, nuts and dried fruit.
- Vintage Port, top years only, ages for decades, needs decanting.
Food it loves
Stilton and other blue cheeses, dark chocolate, pecan pie (Tawny) and walnuts.
Where it’s grown
Douro Valley, Portugal
Tasted Port?
Reader tasting notes
Tasted Port? What did you notice, and what did you drink it with? The first good one goes right here.
Add a tasting note
Drinking a Port right now?Score it on our 100-point card and keep a private wine journal.
Rate it
