What is a Port?

[bryano]

I'm planning my next batch which I think will be a chocolate raspberry port. What actually classifies this as a port? I'm taking my training wheels off on this one.... gonna make my own recipe so wish me luck, it's only gonna be 1 gallon just in case.

 

[Woodbee]

A Port is a fortified dessert wine that can be red, white or a tawny.A dry white will have a residual of 4% sugar and a ruby may have as much as 14%. The wine is genrally fermented to 6-8% then the fermenting is stopped by the addition of high proof brandy to between 17-20% then aged 2-13 years or longer depending on its character.
Fine ports use to be purchased by a father for a son to drink on his 20th birthday. The wealthy would buy a case of the sons vintage so after turning 20, he would have bottles for special events. Most Ports purchased today at a reasonable cost are filtered and will not inprove with age. Information from Stanley F. Andersons book on Winemaking. A great read
Brad

 

[TheTooth]

Woodbee's answer is mostly correct. The only difference is that ports are not always fortified. The chocolate/raspberry port kit you are going to make, for instance, isn't fortified.

Ports are sweet dessert wines. Some are fortified, others just have so much sugar in them that the yeast tires out before it can devour it all. I've had some ports from small wineries that I believe were just stuck fermentations that they relabeled "port" and sold as such.

 

[Old Philosopher]

I'm planning my next batch which I think will be a chocolate raspberry port. What actually classifies this as a port? I'm taking my training wheels off on this one.... gonna make my own recipe so wish me luck, it's only gonna be 1 gallon just in case.

If you're interested in the history of Port wine, this is an interesting starting point:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine

 

[Wade E]

A Port is a special wine made in Portugal, we make Port style wines!

 

[bryano]

Thanks for the insight guys. I think I'm gonna go more for the distinct presence of chocolate with the raspberry rather than the high alcohol.

 

[TheTooth]

A Port is a special wine made in Portugal, we make Port style wines!

Good point. I mix that up sometimes.

 

[bryano]

I have a 3 gallon batch of raspberry wine that's just about done fermenting. I think I will pull a gallon off that and do a little experiment.... I'll keep you posted.

 

[Woodbee]

Please do and let us know.

 

[bryano]

well I couldn't do it. the raspberry was too good for experiments. so I started a batch of strawberry port using Wades recipe.