What is the difference between port wines

Ruby ports are aged in BIG oak casks , which allows the wine to keep the youthful ruby color and all of the fresh fruity flavors, because the wine has very little contact with the oak and oxygen. Tawny ports are aged in SMALL oak barrels , which causes the wine to change color and flavor because of the close contact with the oak and greater surface contact with oxygen.

Typically, Ruby ports match extremely well with chocolate, especially with a raspberry sauce or mixed berries. They also pair well with full flavored or soft ripened cheese such as a Stilton or Gorgonzola.

Tawny ports match up well with cheesecake, apple pie or a simple bowl of fresh walnuts, as well as cheeses that are dry or slightly salty, such as Parmigiano Reggiano or an aged goat cheese. There are many other great uses for Port wines. Try either a Ruby or a Tawny as a reduction sauce, salad dressing or even in a refreshing cocktail.

Some delicious Port cocktail recipes can be found at PortCocktails. She is very passionate about teaching and strives to make wine and spirits education easy to understand and, most importantly, fun!

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign up to our newsletter! We respect your email privacy. Still, many wines calling themselves Port may come from other regions, so always check the wine label says "Porto. Port is considered a dessert wine since it most often has a sweet taste and is enjoyed during or after dessert. It's also popular on its own as a dessert. This high ABV is one reason why you usually only see Port served in small portions.

As with all winemaking , Port production begins once the grapes are harvested. The grapes are pressed to extract the juice and begin the fermentation process. If the winemaker fortifies the wine before fermentation is finished, the result is more residual sugar that creates a sweet wine. By contrast, if the winemaker adds the spirits after the fermentation process is complete, the result is a dry fortified wine with less sugar.

Oftentimes, young Port wines are aged in large oak barrels for about 18 months. That said, some Port producers bypass the oak casks and let the wine age in the bottle. Depending on different winemaking factors, you can end up with a sweet and complex Port wine or a drier and brighter variety. For the most part, Ports are full-bodied, sweet red wines with notes of berries, caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate. In other words, just as with other types of wines , Port comes in a wonderful variety of styles to suit your tastes.

In fact, there are 52 varieties of Port wine. As if we needed to tell you how to enjoy wine , there are some finer points that will help you appreciate the experience even more. In that spirit, here are some tips on how to savor Port wine, including the best temperature for serving it, its best food pairings, and the type of glass you want to use. When it comes to wine temperature , it might surprise you to learn that Port wine isn't best served at room temperature.

If you serve high-alcohol wine too warm, it'll result in a burning sensation similar to drinking a shot of rum or whiskey. If you have a full-bodied Port, serve it at 60 degrees to 65 degrees. If you have a lighter Port, serve it at 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Either way, a good rule of thumb for serving red wine is to refrigerate the bottle for 30 minutes before you open it. Then, you can decant the bottle or pour the first glass.

Allow the wine to breathe and warm on the table for 10 minutes before enjoying. Most ports have an alcohol content of between 19 and 22 percent ; by contrast, most wines are between 12 and 15 percent alcohol, with some white wines as low as 5 to 7 percent.

Port also has a distinctive rich, heavy mouthfeel. The combination of sweetness and high alcohol content means that port isn't a good wine to serve with a meal -- it tends to overpower most food and it's far too strong to drink steadily over a long period of time. Traditionally, port is a dessert wine , served after a meal from a decanter.

Small glasses and a steadily circulating decanter help drinkers pace themselves. It often accompanies cheese, especially strongly flavored or salty cheeses. In Europe, it's often associated with the winter months, especially with Christmas. Although it isn't as common in the kitchen as sherry, port can still play a role in cooking. It's particularly common in stews and casseroles, especially when cooking beef or lamb. There are several major categories of port wine, which vary depending not only on the grapes used but also on the way in which the wine is aged.

Ruby ports are dark red in color, with strong fruit flavors.