{"id":13882,"date":"2017-01-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/is-white-port-wine"},"modified":"2018-02-15T13:46:33","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T12:46:33","slug":"is-white-port-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/en\/is-white-port-wine","title":{"rendered":"Is white Port wine?"},"content":{"rendered":"

White Port is something of a rare beast: Not everyone has seen it, and fewer still really understand what it is. Port, the <\/span>fortified wine<\/span><\/a> from Portugal\u2019s Duoro Valley, is best known as a sweet, highly alcoholic <\/span>red<\/b> wine. Where does white Port fit into the equation, and is white Port wine<\/strong> or is it something else entirely – a liqueur or cocktail, perhaps?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, white Port is a wine. Like the better-known red wines of the same region, white Port wine comes in a variety of styles. Look hard enough and you\u2019ll find white Ports that are crisp and dry all the way up those that are sweet, rich and luscious. Fans of <\/span>Sherry wines<\/span><\/a> may appreciate white Port wine for its versatility and the range of flavours it can offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Making white Port wine<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The grapes for white Port wine must come from the Duoro region of Portugal, and a great many different varieties are permitted. These grapes are generally not household names internationally. A typical white Port wine could contain such varieties as Arinto, Codega, Gouveio, Viosinho, Rabigato and Boal. Don\u2019t worry if you haven\u2019t heard of any of these grapes – they clearly don\u2019t have the worldwide recognition of <\/span>Sauvignon Blanc<\/span><\/a>! <\/span><\/p>\n

As a fortified wine, the production of white Port includes halting alcoholic fermentation. This fermentation transforms natural grape sugars into alcohol, so when it is interrupted the resulting wine retains some of this sugar and can taste sweet. Interrupting the fermentation is achieved by \u201cfortification\u201d, where the winemaker adds a highly alcoholic neutral grape spirit to the wine. What remains is a wine that is high in both sugar and alcohol. Drier white Port wine is produced by allowing the alcoholic fermentation to go on for longer and thus transform more of the sugar into alcohol.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How should you drink white Port wine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You can serve and drink white Port in a number of ways, which may go some way to explaining the confusion about what it is!<\/span><\/p>\n