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Port Wine,
also known as Porto Wine, comes from Portugal and is very sweet
and bold in texture. Normally made in Northern Portugal, it is
named after the city of Oporto where it has been made since the
1500's and still very popular among wine lovers. It also gained
many fans in England during the 1700's as the newly passed Methuen
Treaty of 1703 allowed the importation of the port wine with a low
duty tax. This filled a need with the English wine lovers who were
staying away from French wines at this time due to an ongoing war
with the French.
Other countries have also created their versions of Port Wine.
Australia and the United States have produced some of the most
popular port wines made outside of Portugal. In the United States,
Port Wine has been made in Florida at a location in St. Augustine
since the 1600's and is still made and enjoyed there to this day.
Late
September and October are the prime cultivation months for the
Port Wine grapes of the Douro and Baixo-Corgo valleys. The people
of this area celebrate this time of year with a five week wine
festival. Everything and everyone, humans, Mother Nature, farm
equipment come together annually for making Port Wine from the
harvested grapes.
One of the characteristics of Port Wine is that it is thicker and
richer than other wines produced from red grapes. Another very
popular difference is that Port Wine has a higher alcohol content.
The alcohol content of Port Wine is in the 18-30% range. This may
be due to the distillation of the grape alcohol after the addition
of sugar cubes. Making Port Wine has several steps not used in
normal wine making.
After going through all the trouble of making Port
Wine, the best part is enjoying it. Port Wine is usually served
after meals with cheese, cream sauces and other dry foods and nuts
that bring out the flavor of the Port Wine. Other fruit flavored
Port Wines like strawberry should be enjoyed with cheddar and
glouster cheeses.
If you don't drink it after making Port Wine it
can be aged due to it's high alcohol content. It can be stored in
wooden cases in a temperature range of 60 to 65 degrees. This
temperature range has shown to maintain the best flavor and taste
in Port Wine making.
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