Wine of the Week

Cold weather is the perfect time for a bottle of Port. These complex and decadent dessert wines come from Portugal and carry an interesting story. When the English ruled much of the civilized world, they imported mostly French wines, but when war broke out with France, England blockaded the French ports and sunk their ships. Which also meant no more French wine.

So the Brits tried Portuguese wine but didn't like the flavor, especially after the wines had been shipped. Various importers tried several ways to make the Portuguese wines palatable, but none worked, until they tried fortifying the wine with Brandy prior to the end of fermenting. This stopped fermentation, so the wine was left with more sugar, which made for a headier brew. The result was and is a sweet red wine with 20% or so alcohol.

The principle grapes for red Port are Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Francesa. While these grapes may not be familiar, they do make spectacular wine – so much so that the top versions of Port can cost several hundred dollars. Luckily, most of the best Port houses also make quite a few levels of wine that are much less expensive, some costing as little as $10. The brands listed here are available locally, and their wines are dependable, delicious, and serve as the perfect introduction to the joys of Port. There are also a number of much smaller brands, some that can even beat these large Port houses. Just pick your preferred price range above $10 and ask your favorite salesperson to show you where the bargains are.

Ten Brands Available Locally

Croft

Dow's

Ferreira

Fonseca

Graham's

Offley

Sandeman

Smith Woodhouse

Taylor

Warre's