Port

Port is a fortified wine from that originates from Portugal.  It is sweeter than traditional wines, as well as other fortified wines like vermouth and sherry (excluding Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel). This is because alcohol (the fortification) is introduced to the wine before fermentation has run its course, meaning the yeast hasn’t eaten all the available sugars.  The higher alcohol levels kill the yeast, halting fermentation, and thus, the remaining sugar results in a sweeter wine.

 

Broadly speaking, there are two types of port:  those aged in bottles - which are known as Vintage Port, and those aged in casks, which have a variety of sub-styles.

 

Wines made in the style of port are made all over the world.  Regulations differ on how they can be labeled. In the U.S. bottles labeled port can come from anywhere.  That is not the case in Europe, where only Portuguese port may be labeled as such.

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Ruby Port - Best for Cocktails

Any time a cocktail calls broadly for port, this is what you should use. Ruby ports are blends aged in neutral casks for only a handful of years (3-ish) to prevent any oxidation and additional wood flavors.  This keeps them clean, fruit-forward and very approachable.  They’re the most readily available style of port and, luckily, also the most affordable. 

 

Tawny Port - Good in Some Cocktails (but not this one).

Tawny ports have a bit more going on.  They are aged in wooden casks for several years, even decades, which causes them to lose their color and become a kind of brownish-orange (which is where the name comes from).  They also take on a woody, oxidized profile - think nuts and dried figs - the complexity and intensity of which will vary with age.  It's similar to sherry in this way.  Tawny Ports are blends from many different vintages (if it's from a single vintage they are called Colheita) so they don’t carry specific age statements.   Instead, they can be labeled as 10, 20, 30 and 40 or years, which is an indication of the port’s median age, as well as a suggestion of its flavor profile. 

 

Naturally, Tawny’s are far more complex than ruby port, so that nuance should be taken into consideration when mixing in cocktails. I often use them when I’m looking to add some depth or nuttiness to something that already has plenty of brightness or fruitiness - like my Wassail for example.  A little is also nice in a Manhattan or Martinez. 

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Vintage Port - Not for Cocktails

These are considered the creme de la creme.  After spending just 2 years in a barrel they go into a  bottle where they are left for decades.  So the maturation happens inside the bottle itself.  What's more, only the years deemed to have produced the best ports are used, which may only happen, say, 3 times decade. These are prized by connoisseurs and draw stratospheric price tags.  They are not the types of ports we would use in cocktails.

 

Other Styles of Port

• White Port - Made with white wine - all other port is red wine - and is generally lighter, brighter and very approachable.

• Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) - These are vintage ports that have been aged for 4-6 years before going into a bottle.   They are in a similar realm to vintage port through quite as coveted, and with a more manageable price point. 

• Crusted - A blend of vintages that is bottled unfiltered, not cask aged, so it will have some sediment and is best served with a decanter (the same is true of vintage port).