Tawny Port

Tawny Port

Port wines are a sweet fortified type originating near the upper Douro Valley, Portugal. The wines obtained their name from the place of shipping, Oporto, Portugal. Some of the port wine is aged in wooden barrels and not bottled until the wine is ready to drink. There are five different tastes you can get in Port wines which include Vintage Port, Crusted Port, Ruby Port, Old Tawny, and Fine Old Tawny.

 

The Vintage is aged in the barrel for at least two years and afterwards in a bottle for another ten years. The Crusted is a blend of two or three young bottled vintages and ages for two to three years and will build up sediment or crust inside the bottle.

 

The Ruby Port is a very young port wine that is bottled early before becoming vintage and the least costly of the port wines. The price is due to the use of the lower quality type of grapes.

 

With Old Tawny, it is a wine having aged for more than ten years in the barrel. For the Fine Tawny, it’s a blend of some of the young and the old wines. Tawny Port Wine is aged entirely in the barrel and allowed to go to the bottle when they are ready to drink.

 

Tawny Port Wine gets its name because of the wine color which is from the aging process in the wooden barrel. The Tawny Port can be aged as long as 40 years and the age will be listed on the label. This wine is one of the most costly of the port wines depending upon how long the aging process took place; the older the wine the more it cost. The Tawny Port is considered more of a dessert wine because of its sweetness.