What is Port wine?

Port is a sweet fortified wine from the Douro region in northern Portugal (we will focus here on the major colour produced: red Port).

Black grapes are harvested in September in the Douro Valley, 1-hour drive inland from the city of Porto. Fermentation starts just after harvest. The grape spirit of 77% abv, called "aguardente", is added to the wine during fermentation, killing yeasts and stopping the process of fermentation, so that sugar remains in the wine. It results in a sweet wine with high alcohol (about 20% abv). After that stage, the wine will often be sent to Vila Nova de Gaia, just next to Porto, where it will enter the maturation stage. This maturation stage will be crucial in defining the final style of Port.

Here is a summary of the different styles and some of their characteristics:

Ruby

Fruity style
Matured for max 3 years in big barrels
Blend of wines from several vintages
Not suitable for ageing
Drink it in a few days after the bottle is opened

Vintage

Highest quality of Port
Fruity style
Matured for max 3 years in big barrels
Wine only from one vintage
Suitable for long ageing
Drink it in a few days after the bottle is opened

LBV filtered

"Late Bottled Vintage", and filtered before bottling, so that it doesn't have deposits
High quality of Port
Fruity style
Matured for 4-6 years in big barrels
Wine only from one vintage
Not suitable for bottle ageing
Drink it in a few days after the bottle is opened