White Port (wood matured) - Made using only white grapes
to achieve a light golden color, white Ports are usually aged for three years in large oak vats prior to bottling. They can be either very dry
or sweet. Sweet
wine Ports are often served with melon. Dry whites make great aperitifs. Ruby Port (wood matured) - A rich, fruity and sweet Port created from a blend of both young
and old wines.
Usually aged three years in large oak vats prior to bottling, Rubys are everyday drinking Ports. Tawny Port (wood matured) - Blended Ports from different harvests aged for a longer
period in wood, which changes the color and gives the wine a smooth consistency. They are aged in ‘pipes’ for about three years
to produces a very soft and smooth style of Port. Serve slightly chilled.
Vintage Character (wood matured) - Made from a blend of the highest quality Ruby Ports with extra age,
these are sometimes referred to as VC, premium ruby or reserve Ports. After maturation for 3-5 years in oak vats, they are blended to give
full bodied, round and fruity Ports with vintage characteristics. Serve slightly chilled. Colheita
(wood matured) - A tawny Port from a single year, rather than from a
blend of a number of years. Colheitas are aged in ‘pipes’ for 8-40 years and generally excellent wines displaying
the character of a particular year, but with a consistent soft, smooth style, they should be serve slightly chilled. Old Tawnies
(wood matured) - These wines are aged in ‘pipes’ for 10-40
years and can only be labeled 10,20,30 and over 40 years old. The stated age is an average age of the wines in the blend. The best are among the best
wines from this region.
Soft and smooth in style. Late
bottled vintage (wood matured) - LBV Ports are from a good single harvest and are age
4-6 years in wood, then filtered prior to bottling, meaning that they will not develop in the bottle. The term is also applied to some bottle matured
Ports. Wood
matured LBVs have more depth and complexity than Vintage Character Ports and tend to be more full-bodied than bottle matured
LBV Ports.
Serve slightly chilled. Late
bottle vintage (bottle matured) - Bottle matured LBV Ports are made from better quality grapes
than are used in wood matured LBV Ports, and come from a good single harvest. They are matured in wood for 4-6 years before bottling, where
further maturation will develop.
They are not as full-bodied as wood matured LBV Ports, but generally more complex, and should benefit from being left
for 5 years before opening. Crusted (bottle matured) - Ports from different, but excellent years are blend
together and bottled to create the British style of Port, which is not generally available in Portugal. They are matured 3 ½-4
years in wood prior to bottling then left to develop in the bottle for a further four years or more. Single Quinta
(bottle matured) -
These are the product of a single estate(quinta) and are only made from ‘A grade’ grapes matured for 2-2 ½
years in large oak vats prior to bottling. Further maturation takes place in the bottle.
Vintage
(bottle matured)
- On average a vintage is declared only three times a decade, 18 months after the wine goes into wood, and with the agreement
of the general Port Producing House.
Vintage Port is made from outstanding wine from an outstanding year and by only a handful of vineyards in the Alto Douro.
It is matured
2-2 ½ years in large oak vats prior to bottling, with further maturation taking place in the bottle. | 
