Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. A friend of mine said he really enjoys port wine. But he wasn’t certain what kind of wine it was. On today’s program we’ll explain how port is related to wine.

Port originated in the northern part of Portugal where it is a blend of wines made from many of the local grape varieties. During the fermentation of these blended wines a distilled spirit is added. This is referred to as fortified wine. The distilled spirit stops the fermentation and the unfermented sugar remaining in the wine is left behind, creating a sweet, fruity, full-bodied wine. The major variations in styles results from the aging process. Both tawny and ruby ports are wood aged wines; however, the ruby is intentionally made to be drunk young. The color is usually that of it namesake a ruby red color. The tawny is left in wood longer and takes it name from the beautiful tawny color it develops during aging. The wines making up the port may come from several different vintages. Vintage designated ports – meaning all of the grapes come from one year are only made in the years with the very best harvests. These ports are usually aged in bottle for at least ten years before they are released. Although most port comes from Portugal there are other places such as Australia, South Africa, California and Washington making port style wines. They can be kept for quite awhile after they are opened.  Just cork them tightly and put them in a cool dark place. And thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.