les Caves de Bacchus : the Port Wine

Recognise and choose a Port wine

Did you know ?
Contrary to the general opinion,
it doesn't exist one but rather several Port wines and
flavours with different virtues :

White Port wine.
A dry and fine vine, made exclusively with white grapes.

Port Ruby.
Red Port with is vivid red clear colour,just like the precious stone with the same name.
This wine with constant quality has a fruity taste and a pleasant young freshness.
Out of all the Port wines, it is the most tonic, - fortifying - and the most stimulating.

Port Tawny.
This is the best known Port in France, were it is generally sold after 3 to 5 years of ageing in barrels. The older the wine, the more its colours dresses in orange, and its mellow and fineness explodes.

Specials Category
Certain Twanys have an age of 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, and more than 40 years. They result from a gathering of several harvests, of which the average age is indicated on the label.

Others have a millésime, sometimes accompanying the word "Colheita" or "Réserve". In that case, the wine is only made from the grapes of that year ; it ages in barrels from its birth date until bottled.

LBV Port - Late Bottled Vintage.
This wine, made from one single year, which is indicated on the label,
iskept 4 to 6 years in barrels before bottled.
It is therefore lighter than a true vintage.

Port vintage, the lord of the wines.
When the harvest has been excellent,
you decide to keep the wine exactly as it is. It is not subject to any blending and is ageing for 2 years
in barrel before continuing its ageing in bottles.
The word "vintage" followed by "millésime",
is thus written on the label.
With a dark colour, and a magnificent bouquet
has an extraordinary fruity and concentrated taste.
This wine demands at least 8/10 of storing
and 15/20 years of the good years.

Ageing, the Port wine change its colour
from dark red to golden musk.

Each one of the Port wines obeys of course to the rules of production and codes raised by the law. These codes are strongly controlled by the "Institut du Vin de Porto". This institution, dependent on the state, who provides the "seal of guarantee affix" on the bottles ; assures the origin and the quality of all the Port wines bottled in Portugal.