Port

A wine fortified by adding grape alcohol partway through the fermentation. The wine is kept in oak for a relatively short time, then fortified and aged in bottles. Port is a sweet wine, originating in Portugal, which is generally served after a meal as a dessert wine. Port aromas include chocolate, truffles, black currant, cocoa, coffee, pepper and smoke. Foods the go well with port wines include bread, cheese, spiced ham, and potato dishes.

There are five general types of port wine: White port, a simple non-vintage blend which is produced as either a dry or sweet wine; Ruby and tawny ports, a non-vintage blend which is typically sweet and aged; Dated ports, a quality vintage wine that exhibits tawny characteristics. Harvest ports, a vintage varietal wine aged for a minimum of 7 years; Vintage port, a vintage wine produced with the highest quality grapes.