Justin has turned me onto port, something I haven’t partaken in since being frightened by the turpentine-like brews favoured by my father. I figured I should do some research on it and found a decent interview over at Grape Radio. It turns out that port was introduced to winelovers in the early 1800s by British merchants looking for a way to get Portugeuse wine to the UK (although it has been made in Portugal since the mid-15th century). Fortifying the wine with brandy helped it survive the long ship voyage. Maybe I should invest in some wine down the track.
« Gold
hmm, i awas told (by the lovely chappy at block georgwe winery in Pemberton, WA) that the Portugeuse have opted to go down the track of the French, and claim ‘Port’ as a region specific name, and refuse international manufacturers the right to the name, ‘Port’.
Although, on further inspection, he’s still selling White Port, and not the Verdehlo Liquer he was suggesting as a name change…. hmmm