Taking time for port > Fortified wines now at grocery stores are not for those in a hurry

Wine lovers throughout the state are about to experience a formidable change. Effective Oct. 13, fortified wines will shift distribution from the Maine state liquor system into the wine distribution network.

This network includes anybody bearing a wine license such as grocery stores, gourmet wine ships and restaurants. According to Robert Newhouse, Deputy Director of the Maine State Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages, the change represents the ability for these types of establishments to “better service” the sale and distribution of fortified wines.

What this translates to the consumer is a broader selection of ports, sherries, vermouths and other fortified wines than was previously available.

With this broad selection and better service, the fine-wine lover who enjoys ports will probably no longer have to reach to resources outside the state of Maine.

For the novice and the restauranteurs who wish to catch up with this greater selection, it will involve a little bit of education. One of the biggest challenges will be to remove the mystique of yet another category of wine so consumers won’t feel ill at ease.

Removal of this mystique begins with the first taste.

For a wine to truly be called a port, it must be made in a specific method from a delimited district along the Douro River in northern Portugal. It is named for the city of Oporto. All true ports shipped to the United States have to bear the word “Porto” on their label.

Port is made from several different grape varieties. The base wine consists of Touriga, Mourisca, Tina Francisca, Tinta Madeira, Bastardo and Tinta Cao varieties to name a few. Making port involves an aging process of the wine in wood or glass with the addition of brandy to terminate the fermentation. The brandy is added before all of the natural sugar of the wine is turned into alcohol. The result is a sweet, full-bodied wine with an alcohol content of 19-21 percent. Hence, the fortification. It is recommended to sip and enjoy port with an unhasty technique.

Vintage port is the most sought after by collectors. A vintage port is “declared” by the port producer two and a half years after the harvest. This allows aging time for the wine to develop the characteristics which deem it “vintage.” Each individual producer of port decides whether or not to declare a vintage, but in most years the agreement is mutual. Vintages are usually only declared about twice a decade. Vintage port spends about two years in wood and develops most of its drinkability in the bottle. Most experts agree that vintage port must not be consumed until at least 10 years of bottle age. In really extraordinary vintage years, port can last as long as 100 years with their peak in maturity between the 30-50 year mark.

Through the years a crust or sediment will form in the bottle, making decanting a necessary procedure. This is a slow pouring or straining of the port leaving the sediment (or dregs) behind in the bottle. Great vintages of this century include ’45 (often referred to as the benchmark), ’48, ’50, ’55, ’58, ’60, ’63, ’66, ’70, ’75, ’77, ’83 and ’85.

The taste of vintage port is characteristically full bodied, often with the aroma of violets and the flavor of chocolate or coffee. Prices range from $20-$300.

The taste of vintage port is characteristically full bodied, often with the aroma of violets and the flavor of chocolate or coffee. Prices range from $20-$300.

In years when a vintage is not “declared,” several other styles of port are made. When port from these years is bottled from four to six years after aging in wood, the wine can become Late Bottle Vintage or LBV port. Since the wine was allowed to remain in a porous wooden cask, it allows the wine to mature more rapidly, giving the wine a drinkability that is more quickly advanced than vintage port. Prices range from $15-$75.

The workhorse of the port trade is Ruby Port. It is a cross-vintage blend that is made in a youthful and light style with a berry-like flavor. It does not develop sediment and there is no need for decanting. This is the ideal style for people just getting into port to try, then as your taste develops, move on to the more hearty styles. Prices range from $10-$30.

Then there is Tawny Port. It gets its name from its tawny color which comes from aging in the barrel anywhere from 10 to 40 years. The names, “10-year-old Tawny,” “20-year-old Tawny,” represents the average age of the blend. This unique blend has a distinctive nutty-caramel flavor. It is often served chilled as an aperitif. Prices range from $15-$100.

Port wines for several centuries have been the love of the English who have always enjoyed their “port and savouries.” This refers to non-sweet dishes that include strong scented cheeses, nuts and-or cheese souffles. Port is an acquired taste and should be taken in moderation either by itself or with foods before or after a meal.

Some of the best-known Port firms are Cockburns, Warres, Taylors (not the California or New York one), Grahams, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell, Sandeman’s, Quinta de Noval, Dow, Delaforce and Offley. Don’t expect all of these brands to arrive in Maine all at once. Good things take time.