White port wine: photo, classification, how and with what to drink

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Today, even the most inexperienced connoisseur of alcohol knows such a drink as white port wine. However, tart Portuguese wine was not always so popular and recognizable. In addition, due to the neglect of production technology in our country, far from the best drink is produced.

In general terms: what is port wine

The name of the drink is translated from German as “port wine”. Indeed, Portuguese navigators played a significant role in his invention.

Fortified wine was invented quite by accident during the trade ban between England and France. It was this conflict that forced the Portuguese to dilute good wine with alcohol, but more on that later.

In essence, port is a wine with a strength of 18 to 23 degrees, produced in the Douro Valley (Portugal).

Port is on the list of those alcoholic beverages whose name is controlled by the origin of the grape!

Production highlights

For any (red or white) port wine is characterized by a shortmust fermentation period. As a rule, it is not more than two or three days. After that, according to the instructions, selected grape alcohol is added to the mash, the strength of which should not exceed 77%.

Almost finished wine is poured into special oak barrels, where it matures for 3-6 years (on average). Only after that the port wine is bottled.

Drink history

In Portugal, red and white port wine is called a drink with a strong character and is proud of it. Its specific taste is tart and rich, and the work of the citizens of this country, invested in production, deserves respect.

Henry II of Burgundy was the first to become interested in the cultivation of winemaking procedures in this area. The grapes brought from the province of Bordeaux were poorly born and were completely unsuitable for the production of a truly good drink. Therefore, only the Portuguese drank wine from the Douro for a long time.

As noted above, the trade war between England and France changed a lot both in the economy of these countries and in trade relations throughout Europe.

The British, refusing to import wine from the French province of Bordeaux, turned to the friendly Portuguese for help. In 1703, the Metuan Agreement was signed, according to which Portuguese wines crossed the border under a preferential category.

Douro wines could hardly be called truly competitive compared to the Bordeaux wines of that time. Exclusively red wine was not very strong (within 12-13 degrees) and could not boastlong shelf life.

This drink was strictly forbidden to be transported on ships, because it would not have been preserved fresh and tasty. In order not to lose such a tempting market as England, they began to add grape spirit and brandy to the drink. The indescribable strong taste of the updated wine was to the taste of the stiff British, and the Portuguese launched mass production of a completely new alcoholic drink in the history.

According to the original technology (dilute dry wine with alcohol), port wine was not prepared for long - from 1756 to 1820. Beginning in 1821, brandy was poured directly into the must. This technology has survived to this day.

Classification of port wine

Now the Douro produces many variations of national alcohol, several types are among the most popular:

• Golden brown Tony or Tawny port is made from red grape varieties. It owes its unusual color to oak barrels in which the drink is aged for 10, 20, 30, and in some cases even 40 years. The minimum ripening period is 2 years.
• Young red port is called Ruby. The production of this type provides for minimal technological intervention, thanks to which an indescribable fruity taste and rich aroma of the drink are preserved. As a rule, the noble ruby liquid is not aged in oak barrels. Port matures after bottling.
• A rare species - "Garrafeira" or Garrafeira - always produced from grapes onlyone harvest. The first exposure in the barrel should not be less than 3 years! The wine continues to ripen already in the bottle (at least 8 years). Only one company is known that produces such port wine - Niepoort.
• Coleita can be called a noble descendant of Tony port wine. About 7 years after maturation, a good winemaker tries his masterpiece. And if its quality is higher than what he planned, the barrel is sent under special supervision. Port Colheita is aged for at least 12 years. The drink has an unusual taste, a pleasant golden color and an indescribable aroma.
• White port with a pleasant fruity taste is a rarity in Portugal, but it can also be found. This type is called Branco ("Branco") and it differs in sweetness.
• LBV or Late Bottled Vintage is a drink with a very complex taste. And each bottle is different. This port is made from grapes harvested in one year, aged in a barrel for at least 6 years.
• The sweetest variety currently in existence is Lagrima white port, which is produced by blending wines from different years.
• Sometimes you can find port wine with a characteristic sediment on the shelves of expensive alcohol stores. This is not a fake and by no means a manufacturing defect! "Crusted" is bottled without filtration after mixing wines from several grape harvests at once. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs recommend pouring it into a decanter before drinking.
• "Vintage" (Vintage) is considered the most elite of the existing varieties of port wine. Produced only fromsuccessful harvest of grapes, it is distinguished by its bright color, special aroma, taste of wild forest berries and dark chocolate. On average, matures in a bottle from 20 to 50 years.

Distinctive features of white ports

Classification of the drink, it would seem, is simple, but it is only at first glance. This type of drink has a great variety of styles and features that not every alcohol can boast of. For example, the concept of pink port appeared relatively recently. And if the main types of red fortified wine are Ruby and Towne, then everything is different in white. People like to enjoy red port wine on an empty stomach, in no case diluting it, but with white - you can and should mix cocktails!

White port is made from exclusively white grape varieties, it comes in two categories: from young or aged wine. A young drink made from white grapes is not appreciated by most lovers of port wine and even causes ridicule, while aged can be very close to the old Tawny.

Are young drinks made from white grapes so terrible

As the ancient Romans used to say: "There is no dispute about tastes." And it is right. The highlight of young white port wine is sugar, the level of which in the drink fluctuates greatly. From extra dry to sweet dessert.

The sweetest of all ports is Lagrima. It is made from white grapes. A tart, sweet and slightly viscous drink has been respected and revered by the Portuguese for several decades. Connoisseurs recommendserve a light young white port very chilled, adding ice, lemon wedges and mint sprigs to it.

Domestic production from the times of the USSR

Since 1985, the country has produced about 2 billion liters of cheap and poor quality drink. It was in 1985 that the well-known “777” appeared on store shelves, and the scale of its production was much higher than other wines combined!

The drink produced in the USSR before 1985 cannot be called a real Portuguese port, but it was not bad. A bright representative of the market of that time was the Primorsky white port wine. The main ingredients are grape juice (without fermentation), domestic beet sugar and wheat alcohol.

Now the production of fortified wine in Russia has been modernized, but this has not affected the quality of the product. Many independent experts, when tasting Surozh white port wine, note that it has become much worse compared to the Soviet-era drink.

The most worthy types of port wine are produced in the Crimea: "Massandra" and "Magarach". It is also worth highlighting the “brainchild” of the brand “Massandra” - white port wine “Alushta”. According to critics, it is still quite good.

Features of serving and drinking rules

Check that the day before drinking the bottle is in an upright position. The cork from it can be thrown away, since it is strictly forbidden to close the bottle with it again. It is believed that an old cork can spoil the taste and aroma of good wine.

A good sommelier knows that before serving, port must be “decanted” (poured from a bottle into a decanter). This will help remove sediment at the bottom of the bottle, if any. Port is served at the same temperature as wine. For red, 18 degrees is considered optimal, and for white - from 10 to 12.

As for glasses, in both cases, those intended for red wine are preferable. The tulip shape allows you to enjoy the aroma of the drink before drinking it.

You can buy a bottle of strong and tart drink, for example, in the stores of the Red and White chain. Port wine of domestic production ("Primorsky", "Alabashly", "Kurdamir", etc.) costs between 250-300 rubles, for a Portuguese drink you will have to pay a little more - 550-600 rubles.

Aperitif or digestif?

Port wine perfectly stimulates the appetite, and therefore it is preferable to drink it before meals as an aperitif. In Portugal, no one drinks it on a full stomach!

As an aperitif, port wine goes well with various cold and hot appetizers. The Portuguese and Spaniards love to drink real white port wine with cheese, chocolate, nuts and fruits, meat and fish snacks. However, alcohol connoisseurs and sommeliers recommend not having a snack, but drinking without anything.

If the port seems too strong, you can dilute it with a little still mineral water.

The best snacks for port wine

It was stated above that suitablea lot of snacks for fortified wine. This is true, but for ease of selection, it is better to classify them and consider them separately.

• Fruit, chocolate, desserts. The wine goes well not only with fruits and dark chocolate, but also with pastries, quiches and other sweets.
• According to tradition, any wine, including port, goes well with different cheeses.
• Appetizers and main dishes of poultry, pork, beef or lamb are suitable. However, in this case, it is better to choose port wine to match the color of meat - red.
• Crimean white port "Massandra" or "Magarach" is the best complement to dishes and snacks from fish or seafood.

It is strongly not recommended to serve the drink with vegetables or first courses.

Despite the specific taste of alcohol, bartenders around the world do not discount this drink. Thanks to this, some pretty good cocktails have been born.

Recipe 1: Porto Lime

For mixing you will need:

• Crimean white port - 40 ml;
• 20 ml lemon juice;
• sugar and lemon wedge for garnish;
• crushed ice - optional.

Before preparing any cocktail, you need to chill the glass. Ice for chilling a glass and ice for a drink are not the same thing!

Depending on taste preferences, fill the glass with ice, then add juice and port, mix with a bar spoon.

Recipe 2: “Portonique”

Get the ingredients:

• 30 ml tonic;
• white port ("Alushta" brand "Massandra") - 30 ml;
• crushed ice.

Fill the glass with ice, add port, stir with a bar spoon and pour the mixture with tonic. The cocktail is best drunk through a straw. This cocktail is especially good if you choose Massandra white port wine.

Recipe 3: Pushy

Ingredients:

• vodka - 30 ml;
• Coca-Cola - 60 ml;
• red port - 30 ml;
• ice - 100g

In a pre-chilled glass, add ice first, and then vodka and port wine. Stir and add Coca-Cola.