Port: what it is, how to drink + recipe at home
In this article, Vzboltai analyzes the most famous Portuguese drink "Port" to the molecules.
Tips for choosing a port wine in the store.
What is port wine
The history of this drink began in 1688, when France, dissatisfied with the changes in English domestic politics, imposed an embargo on the import of British goods.
In response, the authorities of foggy Albion, heartbroken, were forced to ban the import of French wines into the country.
When this trade war escalated into a series of armed conflicts, the wine-loving British began to look for alternative sources of the drink they so appreciate...
In the end, they decided to turn to Portugal, which is less famous for its good wines, but at the same time much more friendly.
Among other winemakers of this Iberian state, residents of the northeastern part of the country, living in the Douro River Valley, decided to join the wine export.
Since they were unlucky with the climate, to put it mildly, they could only offer very mediocre red dry wines, which, moreover, did not tolerate long sea voyages.
The situation changed when, by pure chance, it was discovered that local wine becomes more resistant to transportation due to its fixation with grape alcohol.
When the British began to give special preference to drinks brought from the Douro Valley, given their strength, original flavor bouquet, which is obtained through a happy combination of wine, brandy and oak barrels and the ability to mature after bottling, a real production boom began in the region.
At the same time, the quality of the products offered began to steadily decline. The reason for this was the use of artificially "aging" dyes, the addition of cane sugar and the incorporation of inappropriate wine produced in other regions of Portugal.
In order not to lose the main overseas consumer, measures had to be taken at the state level.
In 1756, the famous Portuguese prime minister, the Marquis de Pombal, encouraged King José I to adopt a series of laws that defined the territory, regulated the raw material base and established the technology for the production of the drink, which officially assigned the English name Porto wine (port wine) - wine that was brought from the Portuguese city of Porto.
The winning point in the history of the formation of port wine was put in 1820, when instead of fortifying the finished wine, alcohol was added to the fermented wort, thus interrupting the fermentation process and maintaining the higher sugar content of the resulting drink.
Thus, port wine, often referred to simply as port, is usually a blended fortified wine produced in the northeast of Portugal in the Douro River Valley from certain local grape varieties.
The peculiarities of its production include: interruption of fermentation by adding grape alcohol with further aging in oak barrels and the practice of further aging in glass bottles.
The color of port wine
Depends on the aging period and grape varieties used in the production.
So, if we are talking about wine made from red grapes, then during its stay in the barrel it can gradually turn from dark ruby to dark amber.
In turn, the less common white port, depending on the period of aging, is divided into pale, straw and light golden.
What does port taste like?
First of all, the range of its sugar content covers the entire existing range: from dry to dessert.
There are also significant flavor differences between drinks with different aging periods.
In particular, young wines that have been in barrel for two to three years will have a bright, rich fruity flavor.
As for port wine of a more solid age (by the way, it can reach the 50-year mark), over time, the theme of nuts, spices and dried fruits becomes more and more pronounced in its taste.
How many degrees in port wine
Due to the significant proportion of grape alcohol (77-degree brandy added in a ratio of 1:5), the strength of the drink we are interested in is quite high.
As a rule, it varies between 18 and 23 degrees.
At the same time, proposals to classify port as an alcoholic beverage, which arise from time to time, do not find wide public support.
What and how to drink port
Let's start, perhaps, with the dishes. To properly enjoy port, you need a decanter, a regular watering can and special glasses.
Show-offs add a tasting bowl to this list.
Decanters and port glasses should be made of clear crystal or high-quality glass that is no less clear.
The shape of the glasses should be elongated and slightly tapered towards the top.
Stem - preferably quadrangular with a special recess for the thumb.
The volume can vary from 140 to 220 ml.
Drinking the beverage of interest, given the traditional presence of sediment and high alcohol content, requires preliminary preparation.
First of all, the selected bottle is moved from its usual horizontal position to a vertical one.
Depending on the age of its contents, it should remain in this state for 2-7 days.
Then you need to bring the drink to the ideal temperature for it.
In the case of red port, it is 18°C, and in the case of white port, it is 10-12°C.
The drink prepared in this way is uncorked and poured into a decanter with a funnel, where it settles and breathes air for 10-15 minutes (by the way, it is not customary to cork half-drunk port a second time).
If you want to impress your friends, you can smell the cork deeply before decanting, simulating the quality of your port drink, and then pour a few drops of the drink into the decanter, so to speak, "washing" the vessel...
How to drink port
In the vast majority of cases, port is drunk in its pure form.
At the same time, glasses should be filled no more than halfway; but it is better to fill them by a third.
After that, you should wait a few minutes to allow the alcohol vapors to evaporate, and only then start enjoying the combination of taste and aroma of the drink, drinking it in small, leisurely sips.
At the same time, the glass should be held with five or, at least, three fingers, without sticking out the little finger and ring finger.
And one more sexist thing... In Spain and Portugal, port is considered a purely male pastime. Ladies in such cases are offered a softer and more delicate sherry.
A fairly unpretentious young red port such as ruby or its pale white equivalent is often used for mixes and cocktails.
But even in this case, it will be a complete blasphemy to mix such port with cola, lemonade or beer.
It is permissible to dilute wine from the banks of the Douro a little with non-carbonated mineral water, lime juice or, at worst, tonic.
What to eat with port
According to the classics, port is not a snack (moreover, wines are not snacked on, they accompany the meal).
Most often, this drink is consumed as an aperitif (t.е., in French) or digestif (in English - under a cigar).
At the same time, no one will consider you ignorant if you serve dessert port to a sweet table.
It will be absolutely appropriate in the company of fragrant candied fruits, fruit desserts, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and strong coffee.
Drinks with medium aging and low sugar content go well with cheeses. However, the latter should be soft and rich; such as English Stilton, French Camembert or Italian Moscarpone.
In addition, there are special occasions. For example, it is believed that sweet white port goes well with goose liver.
Port wine recipe at home
To make real port with your own hands, you need to live in the Douro River Valley.
At the same time, if you follow the proper technology, you can get a quite decent port-like drink that will be no worse, and perhaps even better than some "Anapa" or "Massandra"...
The main thing is not to fall for popular suggestions to add wine yeast, elderberries, and more sugar to the wort. Remember that in the days of the Marquis de Pommalais, you could get paid for such "know-how" in full.
List of ingredients
Red or white grapes of sweet varieties - from 5 kg;
Ordinary brandy or cognac (ideally, 77 percent young grape alcohol) - from 1 liter;
Granulated sugar (in the hope that it will not be needed) - from 1 kg.
The method of preparation
Separate the unwashed berries from the ridges and put them in a spacious enamel bowl. Manually squeeze the juice out of them.
If the wort turns out to be sour, you will have to add sugar to it (for starters, about 1/5 of the volume of the resulting wine material).
If everything is fine with the sugar content, you can cover the container with a clear conscience and send it to a warm, dark room for 2-3 days, not forgetting to stir the wort twice a day with a wooden spoon or spatula.
After the start of active fermentation, filter the wort through thick cheesecloth, squeeze the pulp into it well and try again for sugar (if it is still not enough, add another 1/6 of the total volume of the substance, or better - spit on the port and send the unsuccessful wine material to the brag for further distillation).
Pour the strained wort into a bottle, close it with a lid with a rubber tube that goes down into the water, and return it to a dark, warm place for 2-3 weeks.
By the end of the second week, you should start checking the strength of the future wine (you can taste it, but it is better to use a spirit meter).
When the strength of the wort reaches 4-6 degrees, it must be filtered again, after which it must be fortified with grape distillate, bringing the strength of the drink to 18-20 revolutions.
After about a day, when the fermentation process is complete, the result should be sent for aging.
For this purpose, it is best to place it in an oak barrel. If there is no such thing on the farm, you can be content with tightly closed glass jars with dried small oak chips added to it.
In this state, the drink should grow up for several years, until it acquires the color of brown amber.
Next, the wine that has reached the condition should be bottled, filtering out the chips if necessary. Now the drink is finally ready for consumption, but if you have enough willpower, give your creation a chance to gain solidity by spending another couple of years in bottles laid on its side.
Find out everything types of port wine.
Update: 01.06.2017
Category: Wine and Vermouth