Port Tour in Villa Nova de Gaia

》Across the Duoro River

》David was our excellent guide

》Port, also called Porto, specifically, a sweet, fortified, usually red wine of considerable renown from the Douro region of northern Portugal, named for the town of Oporto where it is aged and bottled; also, any of several similar fortified wines produced elsewhere. The region of true port production is strictly delimited by Portuguese law. The soil and grapes, and the skill of Oporto vintners in blending, produce wines of remarkable character, with types running through a series of flavours. Vintage port, the finest, is not blended; but harvests deemed worthy to produce it are rare. The full richness of the port taste is found in dark vintage and vintage character ports; these types are taken from the cask after two or three years and complete their aging in the bottle. Vintage character port is a blend of best wines, sometimes called crusted port because, as with vintage port, it forms a crust within the bottle. Ruby port is a blend of younger wines. Tawny port is blended and matures in cask, changing its colour.

Peculiar to the vinification of port is a large dosage of brandy given to the still fermenting must, by which the character of the wine is greatly changed. Port will not spoil due to the fortification with Brandy. Much time is needed for the maturing of ports; in 1950, for example, 1912 port was still excellent. There is some white port, made solely from white grapes and can be found in dry, off-dry and sweet styles. It’s often used in Portugal in a popular cocktail, the Porto Tonico.

》#1 Dry White - Kopke

White port is gaining popularity and with good reason. They combine the perfect balance between richness, sweetness, fruitiness, and freshness, which make them ideal as a chilled aperitif or served with tonic. Kopke excel at white port: fresh aromas of apples, pears, and white flowers, with more mature slightly oxidative aromas of roasted almonds and cooked apples. Creamy on the palate, with a tannic grape skin edge, a little sugar, and a lingering spicy finish.

Pairings:
Any dessert, especially the ones made with tropical fruit, such as mango and papaya.

^Kopke wines are the oldest Port Wine House, renowned all over the world for their extraordinary award-winning quality.

》#2 Tawny Port 10 year - Burmester aka "Christmas in a bottle"

A vivid golden-brown colour. The aromas of ripe fruit are abundant on the nose, with appealing notes of vanilla. On the palate it is delightfully fresh with a marked fruity character. Velvety, round and remarkably engaging.

Pairings:
Camembert Cheese
Caramel Desserts
Dried Fruits

^Burmester have been making Ports since 1750 and have a reputation for quality and value.

》#3 Ruby 2018 LBV - Kopke

Aged in oak casks before bottling, this is a young, fruity port with a vibrant, sweet feel. This crowd-pleaser features plum and bright cherry flavors. The palate is smooth and balanced.

Pairings:
A cheeseboard
Chocolate dessert
Full flavoured cheeses such as a good farmhouse Cheddar or Red Leicester.Read more