For those cool fall nights under the stars, friends in tow, a port is great. Maybe even a cigar for those of you who partake. It would be unfair to continue here, without talking about port.
 

Port defines that moment of true relaxation. Now let’s get right into the meat of it all by defining Port. Technically, it's fortified wine, produced in the Douro Valley of Portugal, established in 1756. Porto was the port at the mouth of the Douro River in Portugal. It is sweet and fortified, and typically served as a dessert wine. The fermentation process is stopped by the addition  of,  aguardente,  a  neutral  grape  spirit.   In

other words, though sugar remains, the fermentation is stopped. So we have sweet, and higher alcohol in the 18% to 20% range. Barrel aging then takes place to make all the flavors blend well together, then bottle aging follows for most. Others are simply just bottle-aged. Important to note is all the different types of ports and how they differ.

Tawny port is barrel-aged, using the Solera process, the wine is slowly exposed to oxygen and evaporation, which lends the golden brown color. This is typically a blend of different vintages and is a minimum of 7 years old, but have designations to 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old! Sure is a long time to wait for a return on investment! The older ports are typically red, though there are 10-year old white ports as well. Due to the process being more labor intensive and long aging, Tawny port will cost a bit more than Ruby Port. Colheita indicates a single vintage, though not be confused with the term “Vintage Port” and is typically aged 20 years or longer. Garrafeira is even rarer as it is of a single harvest.

Ruby Port is bottle-aged, and is lesser-priced and more heavily produced. As the goal here is a mass market product, tanks of concrete or stainless steel are used, unlike Tawny Port. Ruby Port does not allow oxidation, and is fined and cold-filtered. Therefore, it retains a ruby red color and does not benefit from the aging experience here. Reserve Port, typically aged for 2 1/2 years in oak barrels, is a premium Ruby Port approved by IVDP, which is Portugal’s Port-governing body, reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture. They are then aged for 10 to 30 years. Reserve Port is the highest volume Port sold. Single Quinta Vintage Port is from a single estate, and is typically released when Vintage Port years are not declared by the IVDP.

Moving on to this great country of ours, we make marvelous ports. One such example is St. Barthélemy Cellars in our very own Napa Region. Bart and Cynthia Barthélemy have made it a family affair, enrolling their daughter Angelique, and lucky son-in-law Jason. Bart shows off the special contribution that each varietal showcases, by making seven different Ports.