Port

White Port

Made from white grapes it ranges from sweet to dry. The drier styles make an excellent aperitif when served chilled. The Portuguese drink it with a twist of lemon and a splash of tonic.

Ruby Port

This is a blend of young, spicy ports that have been bottled after three years of wood ageing. It tends to be dark in colour, has a full fruity flavour and does not require decanting.

Vintage Character

This is another blend of ports this time aged around 4 years. The wine must be of good quality and have some of the characteristics of a vintage port. They show some excellent depth and complexity and are essentially a premium ruby.

Tawny

Blended from several harvests, this port will have been aged for a long period in wood. This ageing produces the characteristic tawny colour and complex spicy flavours. Some tawnies provide an indication of their age on the label i.e. 10, 20, 30, 40 years or older. This refers to the average age of the ports in the blend. These are delicious and can be drunk slightly chilled. They do not require decanting.

Colheita

These are single vintage tawny ports that have been aged in wood for at least 7 years. The label must state the year of harvest and the bottling date. They do not require decanting.

Late Bottled Vintage

These ports come from a single good year and are bottled after spending some 5-6 years in wood, hence the name. They tend to be more approachable than vintage ports and can continue to mature in the bottle. If the label states ‘bottle matured’ or ‘traditional’ they may throw a sediment so require decanting.

Crusted

This is a blend of high quality wines from several years and bottled without filtration. These ports often throw a sediment or ‘crust’ so should be decanted before drinking.

Single Quinta

These ports come from a single harvest and property. Bottled after 2-3 years in wood, the wines matures further in the bottle, so require decanting. These have all the hallmarks of a vintage port without the extra cost.

Vintage Port

Only made from wines from an exceptionally good year that has been delcared a vintage. Not all years are declared as a vintage and not all houses will declare the same year. The wine is aged for 2 – 3 years in wood and then continues to mature in bottle which can take decades. The maturation process throws a sediment so vintage ports should be decanted before serving.

Recent declared vintages include; 2017, 2016, 2015, 2011, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1995, 1992, 1991, 1985, 1983, 1982, 1980, 1977, 1966, 1963 and 1960.

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