Fine Portuguese Wine

Port is a famous wine from Portugal that can give better tastes with the right storage methods. Like other wines, port has to be stored in a cool and not cold location. The storage space should have a steady temperature and no light as it can damage the port. If the bottle is corked, it should be laid on its side and if it is stoppered, it should be stored standing up.

Port should be served at temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius while white port can be served chilled. Even ruby port may be served slightly cooler while some ports have to be decanted before serving.

Opened bottles of port wine have to be consumed quickly. If the bottle has a stopper, it can be kept for a few months in a dark place. However if the bottle is with a cork, it has to be consumed earlier. The rule of the thumb is that the older is the vintage of the wine, the faster it has to be consumed.

The unfiltered port wines tend to form a sediment in the bottle and thus require decanting. Without decanting, there will be a sediment in the glass and with decanting the port, port can breathe. Bottles that were laid on their sides have to stand upright for an hour or two before opening. It then has to be poured slowly into a clean and dry decanter where you have to stop pouring when you see any sediment. However if the cork of the bottle has disintegrated, then you have to filter the wine using a piece of clean muslin.

Port is usually drunk after dinner, in a cordial glass. This is a drink that is not drunk, but sipped from a wine glass. This is because by sipping the wine, its assimilation to the bloodstream is slowed down.

When serving port after dinner, you can enhance the richness of the wine by serving it with dried fruit, nuts and cheese. Even eating chocolate with wine is appreciable; however remember that chocolate is basically a double barreled favorite with port wine. Instead of eating normal, sweet milk chocolate, eat dark chocolate with your port wine.