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This year, Vancouver International Wine Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary with feature countries Spain and Portugal. Just like previous years, I drank my way through the big tasting room. But this year my focus was on the Ports.

What is Port Wine?

Port Wine (“Vinho do Porto” in Portuguese) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in Portugal. It is a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine. Although you may find fortified wines outside Portugal (e.g. Vista D’oro makes an awesome walnut port-style wine), only the product from Portugal may be labelled as Port or Porto.

Through the tasting and in talking with the wine reps, I’ve learned about the different styles of port:

Ruby Port is the most extensively produced type. It’s usually stored in stainless steel tanks to prevent oxidation and preserve its bright red colour and full-bodied fruitiness.

Tawny Ports are aged in wooden barrels, exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. They turn into a golden-brown colour and the oxidation gives the wine nutty, caramel, and/or prune, raisin notes. If there isn’t any indication of age, it’s just a generalization that the wine has spent time in wooden barrels.

Late Bottled Vintage (often referred to simply as LBV) is typically bottled between four and six years after the vintage, with similar quality like a Vintage Port. If the LBV is filtered, it’s not meant to be aged.

Vintage Port is made entirely from grapes of the same vintage year. They may be aged in barrels for 2-3 years before bottling. You can drink it right away but it’s meant to be cellared for decades as it improves with age.

Here is what I tried:

Quinta Do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Port 2012

Caves Messias 10 Year Old Port & Colheita 1995 Port

Sandeman Porto Tawny 20 Year Old

Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage 2011
Warre’s Vintage Port 1985
Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port 2013

Vicente Faria Vinhos Gloria 10 Year Old Port

Fonseca 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Fonseca Bin No. 27 Fine Reserve Port
Fonseca Quinta do Panascal Vintage Port 2008
Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 2015

Ramos Pinto Late Bottled Vintage Port 2012
Ramos Pinto 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Ramos Pinto 20 Year old Tawny Port
Ramos Pinto 30 Year old Tawny Port

Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage 2012
Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny
Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny

Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Taylor Fladgate Fine White Port
Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 2012
Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 2015

Having tried the various styles, I enjoyed the Tawny Ports the most. It’s fragrant, sweet, some of them nutty; it’s almost dangerous because you don’t really taste the alcohol haha. Specifically, I really liked and wouldn’t mind buying Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny, Taylor Fladgate’s Fine White, Ramos Pinto 10 Year Old Tawny and Dow’s LBV.

Final Thoughts

Some of these ports are available at BC Liquor Stores, some are not. I’m glad I got the opportunity to try all of them. The Vancouver International Wine Festival has always been a great event to learn about wines and different wine countries. Look forward to attending the 2019 festival featuring California!