Port is a fortified wine from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal.
Its history dates back more than 300 years to the wars between the English and the French, which curtailed the supply of wine from France.
Enterprising English merchants began looking further afield and began shipping the dark and powerful wines from Portugal.
To maintain the wine’s freshness and stability on the journey to England, brandy spirit was added to the barrels of wine - its higher alcohol affording greater protection against spoilage.
At some point, brandy spirit was added to the still fermenting wine, and port was born.
The grape must (the mix of grape juice and grape skin) is run into fermentation vessels, with fermentation allowed to proceed for barely a couple of days.
The addition of neutral spirit then kills the yeast, arresting fermentation and thus retaining the natural grape sugars in the wine, while also extracting colour and flavour from the skins.
In the final wine, spirit makes up roughly 20% of the volume, leading to an alcohol level ranging from 18%-20%.
Tawny ports take their name from the colour of the wine, resulting from ageing and controlled oxidation of the wine.
Unlike the boldly fruit-driven Ruby, LBV and Vintage styles, Tawny styles offer mellow, nutty, "rancio" characters, classically paired with nuts and blue cheese, or contemplatively sipped by themselves.
Burmester Jockey Club
Tawny Reserve Port
Price: $46-$47
Rating: Very good to excellent
Caramel/butterscotch,
raisins, spices/clove, walnut
with a sherry-like hint. This
offers a sweet golden
syrup-like character with
toffee apple and creme
brulee "burnt sugar"
echoing on the palate.
The overt sweetness
pares back with
aeration, while
crispness grows,
bringing this into a nice
place. Shows more
aged tawny characters
than fruit.
Taylors
Fine Tawny Port
Price: $37-$39
Rating: Very good
Bonfire smoke, charry
notes, burnt toffee, boot
polish, spiced fruit. Creamy
and viscous, mouthfilling,
there’s sweetness here, yet
a tangy undercurrent,
too. As it opens up,
there’s stewed plums,
berryfruit and sultanas,
flowing to a smoke and
walnut accented close.
I may be curmudgeonly
on my rating, but I find
the burnt/charry
elements dominating.
Fonseca
Tawny Port
Price: $37-$39
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Subtle yet attractively
expressed nose with toffee,
walnuts, spices and fruit
cake, a little wood smoke
with time. Sweetness
initially, but drier overall
with freshness and
crispness driving the
palate adding nuts,
spices and dried fruits.
There’s excellent
complexity here with
time adding a rancio
nuance. Nicely
balanced, rich,
mouthfilling and full of
appeal.
Niepoort
Tawny Port
Price: $38-$40
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
More fruit evident on the
nose adding treacle, orange
oil and growing fragrance:
lots going on. Creamy and
rich on entry, the fruit
leading backed by
burnt orange and milk
chocolate, with a
chewy element adding
to the texture. Grows
in power and depth,
showing excellent
complexity and a long,
fruit-filled close.
Delightful and rather
moreish.
