What is port: composition, types, degrees, endurance. How to drink port, how to bite?

Port is an alcoholic drink that is known about in every corner of the world. However, the fact that it was produced almost by accident and owes its appearance to the trade war between England and France does not indicate its fame among all people. This conflict had not happened, not a single Portuguese would have thought of diluting wine with alcohol.

Read on our website another article on the topic: "Rules for choosing good wine: List".

Read more about the history of the creation of port, types and etiquette of drinking this wine, we will tell the article below. Read further.

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Ports: What is it?

When asked about what is port wine, Any connoisseur of alcohol can answer that it is fortified wine. However, this answer will be very superficial. Therefore, you should understand the nuances.

Portane is a fortified wine, originally from Portugal.
Most often, Porto is made of red wine, although exceptions nevertheless happen.
Portuguese use 77% grape brandy for attaching a drink. Therefore, their drink is tasty, with notes of juicy fruits.

Portugene owes its name to the Portuguese city of Porto, which is one of the main and largest ports of the country. It was through it that the port was exported to England, where the drink began to be called Porto-Vino.

Interesting fact: The name of the drink "Port" is located in the subcategory "Names controlled by origin" created by the law of Portugal itself and the European Union itself. At the same time, the authenticity of each drink is confirmed by a special brand, which is attached to the heat -assembly cap of containers.

What is the composition of the port?

Very interesting and important information regarding any drink or product is the composition. Let's figure out what the composition of the port is. According to experienced winemakers, the classic good port should contain the following ingredients:

Vitamins P, B and C
Various tannins
Essential oils
Organic acid
Sugar
Alcohol
Antioxidants

It must be clarified that according to modern standards, only the wine drink that is made of excellent wine and alcohol can be considered high -quality. Typically, more than 40 varieties of grape berries go to the production of good port.

How many degrees are in the port, what is the excerpt?

Another important parameter for any alcoholic drink is a degree. This is almost the first thing a person draws to, preparing for drinking. How many degrees are in the port, what is the excerpt?

Due to the fact that the port of port is diverse, its fortress may vary in the area 15-22%.
By the way, the first references to drinks created from grapes grown in the Doru Valley, which later became the basis for port, dates back to 1143. The fortress of the wines of that time was from 12 to 13%.

The exposure of this wine can be different and depends on the manufacturer. There is a port that is sold immediately after cooking, but there is a “port” with a 10-year-old, 20-year-old and even 30 and 40-year-old exposure. The age of such a drink is necessarily indicated on the bottle.

What color, aroma, taste of port?

It will not be an exaggeration to say that for many people the most important characteristics of any drinks are their taste and visual component. This drink is also no exception to assessments on this side. What color, aroma, taste of port?

Despite the fact that there is a wide variety of types of such a drink that can vary in color, most often this wine has a grenade color.
As for the aroma, high -quality port, is able to surprise connoisseurs of wine products with delicate notes of tannins, with light shades of spicy, fruit and berry nuances.
Speaking about the taste of this drink, it is worth noting the crown in prolonged aftertaste, as well as elegant sweetness.

Despite the fact that the qualities described above are characteristic of the bulk of the species of port, there are exceptions. This is especially true for modern products, when manufacturers move away from traditions, trying to experiment and surprise.

Classification of port: what are the types of this drink?

The variety of types of such wine that the market can offer today's consumer is truly amazing. Manufacturers do not cease to delight lovers of wine products with exclusive products, with unique characteristics. However, in such abundance, it is easy to get confused even by an experienced taster, not to mention ordinary connoisseurs of strong drinks. In order to simplify the choice of port for those who want to get to know this drink better, we represent its most famous and high -quality types.

Tawny:

This type of drink is distinguished by a reddish tint and delicate aftertaste. The wine of this variety in oak barrels, an average of 20-40 years, is withstanded.

Ruby:

A sweet drink of ruby \u200b\u200bcolor.
Exposure is 3 years.
Ruby is rightfully considered the most famous representative of this segment.

Colheita:

This type of wine is made only from the crop of one year.
The drink is exposed in oak containers, at least 7 years.

LBV:

This port is made in a small yield.
It is exposed for at least 4-7 years.
The drink is famous for the most delicate, sweetish aftertaste and restrained unique aroma.

Vintage Port:

It is considered the best kind of wine of this type.
The drink is considered monosocate.
For full readiness, the guilt of this species requires 20 to 30 years of exposure in oak containers.

White port:

This type of wine is made of grape berries of white varieties.
Exhibition is carried out in special tanks, up to a year and a half.
Such wine is distinguished by high sweetness.

Concerning classification of port, then it can be divided into the following categories:

Colonist

The drink has a dark brown color and taste with unique tanins in softness. The basis of the taste bouquet is blackberry notes and fried coffee beans.

Inkerman Alcadar Sweet, red

Tale look of such wine. It has a beautiful red tint and a light berry aroma. The taste of wine is famous for delicate fruit notes.

Quinta Do Castelinho Vintage Porto 1997

Drink of dark violet color. The taste of this port is known for halftones of fruits and sweet tannins. In this case, the aroma foundation of this wine is fruit and berry tones.

Massandra Alushta

This port has an amazing, dark pink color and is famous for a strong fruit aroma. The taste of wine has velvety, fruit notes.

How do port?

Like other alcoholic beverages, the production of port is very interesting, but at the same time a long process. So, how is they doing it? The whole process of creating this wine consists of several stages:

The first stage of production is the collection of grapes. Of the 100 grape varieties cultivated in Dura, only 48 species belonging to red varieties are allowed to create port.
Next, the collected grapes are sent under the press. In the past, instead of presses, grapes were pressed in footsteps of a commoner.
Then the fermentation process occurs, which lasts from 1 to 2 days.
After 1-2 days of fermentation, 77% grape alcohol is added to the wort formed.
The yeast stops wandering, and the content of sweets in wine begins to reach 40-60 grams.
In the spring, finished wine is transported in the port, tankers and placed on the warehouse, in special containers.
The final stage of production is the ripening of wine. This process is long and can occupy from 2 to 40 years.

It remains to add that with the onset of technological progress, many processes of port production began to be automated, like any other industry. However, despite this trend, many traditions of winemaking still continue to persist, paying tribute to the ancestors and at the same time, is a bridge between the past and future industry.

The harm and benefits of port

Speaking of alcoholic beverages, you should never bypass such a topic as the harmful effect of the product on the body. This is the harm of this drink:

Like any other alcoholic drink, port can not be given to children.
Do not use such a wine drink to people with alcohol intolerance, as well as pregnant women.
In addition, the frequent and immoderate drinking of the drink can cause addiction and poison the body.
Alcohol dependence and constant drinking is a direct road to cirrhosis of the liver, damage to the nervous system and the subsequent destruction of the brain.

It may seem amazing, but a useful effect on the body, the port is also capable of exerting. So, for example, a moderate amount of drink can positively affect the work of the human cardiovascular system. The dosed and systematic use of port reduces the likelihood of infection with colds.

Despite the fact that ideally it is better to completely abandon the use of alcohol, sometimes you can relax and give free rein to weaknesses. Moreover, a small amount of good port has never harmed anyone.

How to serve port?

An important detail of drinking alcoholic beverages is etiquette. For many connoisseurs of wine, this is relevant. We will figure out how to properly serve port, in accordance with the rules of etiquette.

Following the etiquette, before use, the port should be poured from a bottle to the decanter. This rule concerns the vintage brands of the drink, since over time, wine stone can form inside a glass container.
After the drink is pouring into the decanter, it will need to be left for 15 minutes and let it be saturated with oxygen.
After that, you can pour into glasses.
The second important moment of drinking is the choice of dishes. So, for example, it is customary to serve the classic Portuguese port in specially prepared glasses with a volume of 150 ml. Experts call such a glass “closed tulip”.

So, we figured out how to give this wine. It remains to add that according to the advice of experienced sommelier, you only need to fill the glass with a drink. So a person will be able to completely enjoy wine, feeling all his subtle notes.

How to drink port: how to bite, with what products it combines?

Regardless of which port was chosen by a person, dear or cheaper, you must always think about a good and suitable snack for a drink. So, how to drink port, how to bite, with what products is combined?

Since port is considered a strong drink, the food supplied to it should be serious and as dense and satisfying as possible. As an example, you can cite such dishes as:

Fish and seafood
Meat dishes
Game
Cheese cut
Salads

As for individual varieties of port, for example, white port goes well with such dishes and products:

Sushi
Saws
Salmon
Crabs
Oysters

To port Tawny Better to serve goose fillet or duck baked in the oven. Ruby best combined with grill, soup and various smoked meats.

It is worth noting that according to etiquette, it is customary to serve port at the end of the meal, because of its high fortress. However, in order to enjoy a wonderful drink, it is not at all necessary to wait for the end of dinner or lunch. Serve it to your favorite culinary masterpieces.

Other options for using port

There are times when drinking a drink in its pure form does not cause special emotions and pleasure for any reason. In such situations, experts advise paying attention to other methods of drinking port. Let's figure out what these ways are. Below are other options for using port.

Different cocktail mixtures go well with this wine. This fortified wine itself has a unique structure, due to which it is an excellent ingredient for many cocktails. As examples of such mixes, can such drinks be called?

Portonic - Summer Aperitiv. It consists of Sandman White Porto-100 ml, tonic-100 ml, lemon for decor, mint-1 branch, ice cubes-2-3 pcs.
Porto Mandarin - conquers freshness and unique aroma. It consists of “Tawny” - 100 ml, sprite - 100 ml, tangerine lobules, cinnamon - 1 stick + a pinch of ground, ice fragments to taste.
Tears of Doru - It is considered an excellent diet, served after eating. It consists of Sandman White Porto-60 ml, triple-second-10 ml, mint for decor, ice cubes-2-3 pcs.
Berry Splash - The uniqueness of such a drink in berries that add sweets and uniqueness to the taste. It consists of Porto Ruby-50-60 ml, vodka-20 ml, strawberries-1 pc., Raspberries-4 pcs., Blacks-3 pcs., Sahara-20 g, ice cubes-3-4 pcs.
Porto Sanset - I like it if you like the taste of oranges. Consists of “Tawny”-45 ml, sprite-to taste, orange-2-3 slices, cinnamon-½ tsp, zest-for decor, ice fragments-to taste.

Of course, the methods of diversifying the drilling of port are not limited to cocktails alone. After all, human fantasy knows no boundaries, and you never predict what the next resourceful connoisseur of wine will come up with.

We talked about all the main subtleties that are fraught with such a unique drink as port. After all, it will not be an exaggeration to say that such a noble and to some extent even a legendary drink deserves to know about the rules of its use, origin and technique of creation, everyone knows.