The different areas of the globe allow different types of grapes to be grown, which lets wineries create other blends of white and red wines that are exclusive to certain geographic areas. These wines are certainly worth a try as they are a little more unique in flavor than your standard white or red table wine.
One of the most popular varieties is Port Wine, which is grown in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. Port wine is usually served as a dessert wine, and there are many different versions of it that have been reproduced all around the world.
How Do You Make Port Wine?
After the grapes are grown and pressed they are then fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits. This is done in order to boost the alcohol content before the wine making process is fully complete.
While vintage port wine is not as popular of a selection as some of the other varieties of port wine, it is Portugal's flagship wine. It is made entirely from grapes that come from a vintage year.
Of course, this causes this wine to be more expensive than many of the other port wines. With these wines, you will also discover that the flavor is a lot more concrete and pungent, which is why it is really worth the extra bit of money.
What Distinguishes It From Other Wines?
Port wine is a very rich, sweet, and heavy wine. It also possesses a much higher alcohol content than most other wines do.
This is true of all of the different styles of port wine that are available. The higher alcohol content is because of the way that the wine has been aged, either via reductive aging or oxidative aging.
When wine is matured and aged in sealed tanks with no exposure to air it is reductive aging. However, wines that have matured in barrels with a small amount of exposure to oxygen have gone through oxidative aging.
If you are a wine lover or just looking to try something new give port wine a try. If you are pairing it with food remember to combine it with something sweet, like a dessert.
Just in case you weren't aware, wine can also be healthy for you as long as you don't drink too much of it. Even with the higher alcohol content port wine still contains all the heart healthy benefits of wine so drink up and enjoy.
