I don’t know about you but I am certainly starting to feel the ‘brrrrr’ of this winter and with Christmas fast approaching my wine of choice for this month needs to be a body warmer as well as something that can accompany all my sweet tooth requirements for the festive season. Surely then there can be no better choice than Port.

History has shown that port is a wine that was created by the British for the British way back in the late 1600’s. Only traditional grape varieties are used, the most common being Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Cao, although 80 grape varieties are actually permitted.
The vines are grown on schist and gravel soils in the Duero region of Portugal where temperatures reach 40 degrees centigrade during the height of summer, and I feel that this warmth really does radiate through the wine when you drink it.

I love Port for so many reasons, mainly due to the wide range of styles that are on offer. From the intense Single vintages that have such great ageing potential to the more ready to drink Late Bottle Vintages (LBV), Tawny and Ruby Ports. Massive vanilla sweet spice and confected fruit characters really pair beautifully with anything chocolate, Christmas pudding or cheese orientated. A fantastic description for Port is that it tastes like ‘liquid Christmas pudding’, but depending on what Port you get it could be far more complex than that.

For something sweet and simple with rather harsh alcohol you would be looking for a Ruby Port. It is young, deeply coloured and sold at less than three years old.
Tawny Port is a style that is very soft and smooth and blended from different years. The reason for the tawny label is due to oxidative ageing in cask resulting in the browning and loss of colour. This does however develop aromas and flavours of walnuts, coffee, chocolate and caramel.
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) comes from a specific, but not necessarily a declared vintage year. It is aged in cask for around five years before being bottled. LBV’s show many similar characters as those of the Tawny’s but have a noticeable tannic grip. A good decant of this wine will however soften this and remove any sediment that is thrown.
For those of us lucky enough to have some aged Vintage Ports lying around, we certainly are in for a treat. They are only brought to us from the very best vineyards and are exceptional products of one particular year. Full, rich and tannic when young, but with age you will get a softer, developed style that is still rich but very complex. Delicious spice, vanilla, caramel, and raison notes are accompanied by berries, cedar and candied fruit. The perfect accompaniment to a Christmas day!

To be honest I think Port is a real winner and really does kick start our senses into festive mode.

Words: Peter Hardwick
Averys Wine Merchants
Email: peterhardwick@averys.com

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BRISTOL & BATH // 18 MAY 2012

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