LATE afternoon, a few years ago, at the renowned Niepoort winery in the Douro region of northern Portugal, I was casually asked if I'd like a Portonic.
At the time, I'd no idea what a Portonic was but, without hesitation, I nodded my assent because, well because, I'm such a pro and because – surely – no good ever comes from refusing a drink!
Anyway, it was clearly the right decision and I was rewarded with uplifting floral flavours and a concentrated but dazzlingly, refreshing spirit finish. Ridiculously easy to make, a Portonic is comprised of 1/3 Niepoort Dry White Port to 2/3 tonic water, lots of ice, a lemon zest garnish and, if you want to get fancy, a couple of cherries or cranberries.
Chilled, a Portonic makes for a great, far less alcoholic, alternative to G&T and can be drunk all year round. That's right – Port needn't be confined to Christmas! That said, Port sales hit a peak at this time of year and so, what better time for a quick guide to the other key styles of Port?
Vintage Port is the pinnacle of the Port pyramid and it is only produced in years when the grape growing season has been outstanding (usually 3 or 4 a decade). The decision to 'declare' a vintage is made independently by each individual Port house but, in the past decade, 2011, 2007 and 2003, were declared by nearly all.
After bottling, Vintage Port needs to develop slowly over a period of at least 15 to 20 years before it can even be considered for drinking. Most are at their peak between 20 to 40 years and the very finest can last 80 years or more.
For those with the patience and/or youth on their side, 2011 is the vintage to buy as it's been universally acclaimed as one of the very best vintages. Particularly excellent is the Niepoort Vintage 2011 which has huge flavours of crushed raspberries and dark chocolate with chewy, peppery undertones and will be drinking from 2030 to 2070.
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) was originally wine that had been destined for bottling as vintage port, but because of lack of demand, was left in the barrel for longer than had been planned. Over time it has become two distinct styles of wine, both of them bottled between four and six years after the vintage, but one style is fined and filtered before bottling, while the other is not.
Aged Tawny is stylistically very different to Vintage Port but, it too, occupies Port's upper echelons Indeed, it's often said that Vintage is the 'king' of Ports and Tawny the 'queen.'
Unlike predominantly bottle aged Vintage Port, the maturing of Tawny Port takes place in small wooden casks where the wines undergo a steady process of controlled oxidisation and the colour fades from deep ruby to tawny, hence the name. Tawnies may be bottled with an indication of age: 10, 20, 30 and 40 or more than 40 years old being the permitted categories.
Softer, nuttier, more restrained and elegant than Vintage, Tawny Port will last for a couple of weeks after opening due to it having already been slightly oxidised. Traditionally, the Port houses would serve it gently chilled after lunch in the heat of the summer months.
Colheita, my favourite port style, is a tawny port from a single vintage. Currently, I've got a bottle of the Colheita 2001 Wiese & Krohn on the go. It's ridiculously moreish with irresistible soft toffee, caramelised berry fruit and dry fig flavours. It's amazing on its own but is even better with semi-soft cheeses, cured ham or crème brulée.
