Talk Dry, Drink Sweet

There's an industry podcast called "The Wine Crush" (you can find it on iTunes) where the host, Laura Lawson, regularly says that when it comes to wine, Americans talk dry but drink sweet. The booming sales of Moscato wines seem to verify that observation.

Long before the Moscato craze, however, sweet dessert wines were (and are) a mainstay of the industry. Tokaji wine, for example, is found in literature going back to 1635. Ice wine, Sauternes, Sherry, Vin Santo and Port are just a few of the types of dessert wine that you'll find on the shelves of Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge. A non-vintage Cockburn's Ruby or Tawny Port can cost $12.99 for a 750ml bottle, and a Chateau d'Yquem vintage 2011 can be about $145.00 in the Bottle Club®.

We'll take a closer look at Port wine, often called Porto, in this posting. Port wine comes from the Duoro Valley in northern Portugal (like Champagne comes from Champagne, France). It's fortified, meaning that a neutral grape spirit (aguardente) is added. Fortification originally was to preserve the wine, and it typically takes a wine up to about 20% ABV (table wine is usually around 12% to 13%). Especially when compared to Moscato, a Port will be richer, heavier, possibly sweeter, and definitely higher in alcohol. The name "Port" derives from the town of Porto, at the mouth of the Duoro River, that served as a shipping point for the wine.

Quinta dos Malvedos, flagship vineyard for Graham's Port

What you find in our stores generally fall into several categories: Everyday (Tawny or Ruby, without an age statement), Vintage, Late Bottle Vintage, and Aged (10 year, 20 year, etc.).

"Vintage" is a familiar term to most wine drinkers. When you see a specific year on the label of a bottle of wine, then all of the product inside the bottle is made from grapes harvested that year. For Port wine, not every harvest is of sufficient quality to be labeled "Vintage". The Symington Family Estates produce Graham's, Cockburn's, Warre's, Dow's, Quinta Do Vesuvio and Altano, and they are well-known wines to Port lovers. This is from their press release on the 2011 harvest:

"The Symington family is pleased to announce their decision to declare 2011 as a Vintage year. This is only the third Vintage Port declaration for all the Symingtons’ Port companies since 2000.

The 2011 Vintage Ports are of an exceptional quality and are expected to age superbly over the coming decades. The weather is the decisive factor in creating outstanding wines in the Douro and the strong winter rains in late 2010 were crucial. April and May 2011 were unusually warm and, combined with some rainfall, resulted in a reduction in the overall production of the region."

At Joe Canal's, we've already received a number of the Vintage 2011 Port wines from Symington. So whether you prefer to cellar a Port, or enjoy it now (that would be great after your pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving), you can find the perfect port.

The 2011 vintage Graham's scored 96 points from Wine Spectator. Dow's 2011 vintage rated 96-98 from Wine Advocate. The vintage 2011 from Cockburn's also scored 94-96 from Wine Advocate. Quinta Do Vesuvio's vintage 2011 scored 92-94 from Wine Advocate. All of these wines are currently in stock at Joe Canal's.

Yes, this still happens

Vesuvio is one of the very few estates in the Douro where the entire production of the property is made by foot treading in the traditional stone lagares (most, if not all Quintas that still tread also have other fermentation tanks as well). The magnificent 24 pipe lagares at Vesuvio are among the largest in the Douro, each requiring at least 50 people to tread.

 Foot treading at Quinta Do Vesuvio

To touch on the other styles of Port, the Everyday wines have grapes that can come from any recent harvest. These are made to be enjoyed immediately. Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) was intended for release as a vintage port, but was left in the barrel for longer than had been planned, and is bottled 4 to 6 years after the vintage. Ports with an age statement contain wines that are generally as old as printed on the label, and come from different harvests. Ruby Port is the most widely produced, and are aged in stainless steel or concrete tanks. Tawny Port is aged in a wooden barrel, offering additional flavors, as compared to the Ruby.

Generally, there are five different indigenous grapes used to produce Port. These are Tinta Barroco, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa (the most widely planted), and Touriga Nacional. The Touriga Nacional is widely considered the best choice, but is difficult to grow.  More than 100 different varieties of grapes are sanctioned for use in Port.

Harvesting by hand for Cockburn's

At Joe Canal's, our Wine Managers can help you select the right Port for your Thanksgiving, or for an occasion. Port can be enjoyed with dessert, as a social drink after the meal, with a cigar, or any time. Ask about Port wine today.