MICHIGAN PORT

Porto, Portugal by Jack Costa

It seems somewhat obvious, albeit uncreative, how the Portuguese people of the port city of Porto came to choose the name Port as the moniker of their most prized wine offering to the world.

What is not quite so obvious is how this non-conformist wine style has come to be so adored by so many for so many centuries. But to truly understand Port, one must first understand the British people’s love of wine and their utter distaste for French monarchs.

For centuries, England’s frequent and prolonged wars with nearby France presented many hardships and trials, not the least of which was the catastrophic and inhumane interruption of imports of their beloved French wine. The constant series of conflicts between the two nations eventually led the British to begin sourcing wines from the more hospitable, but more distant, Kingdom of Portugal.

Originally, before the days of FedEx and free shipping with $100 minimum purchases, express shipping meant wine traveled on long overseas journeys in wooden casks that were far from air-tight. These wines’ prolonged exposure to air made them very vulnerable to oxidation and ultimately risked turning the valuable cargo into vinegar. To protect the wine from oxidation, winemakers began adding brandy to the wine barrels before their journeys. Problem solved, French be damned.

Eventually, some inventive, or perhaps inept, Portuguese winemaker had the bright idea to add brandy to the wine before the fermentation was fully completed. This addition of alcohol kills the yeast and stops fermentation prematurely, leaving residual sugar in the wine. The resulting wine is the distinctly sweet and aromatic style that we now recognize as Port. One might think as technology advanced and wine began to be transported in air-tight bottles the practice of adding brandy to wine would go the way of

salted cod. One would be wrong. As it happened, the Brits loved their sweet rich Port wine and were not about to let it go. According to wine critic and author Oz Clarke, Port was an “invention of the British”. As such, Port was here to stay.

Port 101

Port’s uniquely rich, sweet, and full-bodied demeanor comes from the fact that it is a fortified wine; which simply means that a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added to it. Most Port wines after being fortified have an alcohol content of 18-20%. When done well, a fine Port is crafted by carefully balancing its acidity, sugar, and alcohol. With the right amounts of sugar, the ‘hot’ alcoholic sensations from brandy are lessened, while the acidity of the grapes helps to brighten the Ports profile and reduce the potentially overbearing level of sweetness (a sugar bomb defuser). In Portugal, several grape varieties are used to produce Port including Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Tempranillo, Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional.

Styles of Port

Vintage vs. Non-Vintage

Non-vintage Port wines are made of wines blended from different years (vintages) and often have no reference to the year of harvest or years spent in barrels on their labels. Non-vintage Ports are generally less expensive and due to the ability to blend wines, allows producers to create a more consistent product year to year.

Vintage Ports, however, are considered distinct in quality and are made from a single vineyard during an exceptional year. Vintage Ports comprise a relatively small amount of Ports produced and as a result, these wines are generally much more expensive.

Ruby Port

Non-vintage Ruby Ports are blends of different vintages and have a bright ruby complexion along with a rich, bright, fruity profile with dark cherry notes. For those looking to initiate their journey into the world of Port, a non-vintage Ruby port is an affordable starter that won’t drain your wallet.

Vintage Ruby Ports have much the same rich, lively, and youthful characteristics as non-vintage Ruby Ports but, as the name implies, these Ports are bottled from a single year’s vintage rather than a blend of multiple vintages.

Late Bottled Vintage Ports (LBV) are single-year vintage Ruby Ports that are not blended or bottled right away. Instead, producers barrel age these wines longer, allowing them to mature for 4-6 years before bottling. Ready to drink once bottled, Late Bottled Vintage Ports can offer a more affordable alternative to those seeking a vintage Port with a little more age.

Tawny Port

Non-Vintage Tawny Ports begin like Ruby Ports but are barrel-aged for a much longer time. This extended time spent in barrels allows oxygen to slowly transform the wine's ruby red hues into a

golden tawny appearance while also adding a nutty, dried fruit flavor, similar to Sherry wines. Nonvintage Tawnys are blends consisting of several different years, and are often labeled as either 10, 20, 30, or 40 year Tawny Port. These Tawny Port designations reflect not only the average age of the wine vintages inside the bottle, but the wines must also have characteristics that reflect the age designated on the label, such as taste, color, smell, and mouth feel.

Vintage Tawny Port, also known as Colheita Port (Col-heat-uh), is a Tawny Port of a single vintage, which, of course, makes these wines more expensive. Some producers will age their Colheitas for decades, remaining in barrel for 20 years, and in special cases, upwards of 30 years+ before bottling. These wines have intense flavors of caramel, nutty dried fig, and brown sugar.

***Buyer Beware: If a label states ‘Tawny’ without any indication of a particular vintage or general age, the wine is likely a lower quality blend of White and Ruby ports.

Madeira: A Delicious Mistake?

Named after the Portuguese island of Madeira, this unique wine, as the story goes, came about by accident when barrels of Port were accidentally left aboard a ship after a long hot voyage to the new world. When the ship returned to Madeira with the barrels still on board, all believed the wine to be ruined. Upon tasting the very overheated and oxidized wine the wine producers of Madeira found it to be surprisingly delicious. Today Madeira wine is crafted similarly to Port but with a few distinct twists; the wine is heated, sometimes to temperatures exceeding 125F, and intentionally exposed to a copious amount of oxygen. While heat and oxygen are typically a wine's worst enemy, Madeira’s iconic nutty, baked, and caramel profile comes from this long exposure to the elements.

Madeira wines can also boast flavors of brown sugar, toasted walnuts, molasses, cinnamon, and maple. This unique production method makes Madeira fairly indestructible, and is considered by many to be the longest aging wine in the world. In fact, you can still find drinkable Madeira from the era of George Washington!

Michigan Port Wines

One might be pressed to find many similarities between old-world Portugal and new-world Michigan, but one would not be reaching far to suggest that Michigan wine producers have succeeded in bringing honor to the famous Portuguese beverage.

While the Portuguese government does not typically allow the use of the word “Port'' on wine labels produced outside their country, they do allow the use of the term if a winery has produced Port before 2006. Michigan's oldest winery, St. Julian, is one such establishment that crafted Port wine for decades. Any winery producing Port-style wines after 2006, unfortunately cannot legally use the ionic term and instead often label their bottles as “Dessert Wine.” Today, dozens of Michigan wineries are crafting delightful examples of Port, not only from wine grapes but also other local fruits like cherries, raspberries, and even apples.

St. Julian - “Catherman’s Port” blends the traditional Port-style with modern winemaking practices from Michigan’s oldest winery.

Nathaniel Rose Ruby Port - Crafted from overripe Chambourcin grapes, Nathaniel Rose’s Vintage Ruby Port is sure to tickle the fancy of Port lovers.

45 North Fortified Cherry Wine - Located North of Traverse City, 45 North’s extensive offering of wines includes a fortified cherry Port. While some people may turn their nose up to a wine made from fruit other than grapes, the fact remains, it's still tasty.

Black Star Farms - Black Star offers a variety of fortified Port-style wines, including both a Raspberry and Cherry Port. However, the ‘Sirius Red Dessert Wine’ is their most traditional Port crafted from wine grapes.

These are just a few of the many Michigan wineries crafting Port-style wine, so if you’re thinking of priming your palate to Port, just know the locals have managed to create some very stellar examples of the British invention.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Often asked if he’s even old enough to drink, Jack is a writer, educator, and professional wine judge. The Oregon native studied winemaking under mentor Stephen Reustle and occasionally contributes to the award winning blog Wine Folly.