Learning How to Enjoy Vintage Tawny Port Wines

There is a certain charm that comes from a Vintage Port that has been cellared for many decades. However, if you are a little impatient and are looking for something that will satisfy your instant gratification, then that is the time for a Tawny Port. Fortified Portuguese wines, Tawny Ports will gain sophistication and grace from their spending time in oak barrels. The best Tawny Ports that deliver great taste are bottled only after they have spent many years in the oak barrels.

Tawny Ports are named because of the color they take on from the wood of those oak barrels. The ages of the Port will always be on the label when bottled. As the Tawny Port ages in their oak casts, evaporation occurs. Master blenders will top off those oak barrels and when done well results in a mature sweet tasting tawny Port. Most Tawny Ports are a medium dry and usually sweet dessert wine that is made from the red grapes grown in the Douro Valley found in Northern Portugal. The Tawny Port is fortified with brandy and aged in oak barrels.

The shelf life of the Tawny Port is one reason many enjoy this wine. A Tawny Port will keep well once it has been opened and will resist spoilage as a Vintage Port is inclined to do. A Tawny Port will never need decanting to remove sediment, as other wines require. This makes the Tawny Port a favorite of many as it is simple wine to open and serve right away.

Another reason for the popularity of the Tawny Port is how easily it pairs with a vast array of different dessert dishes. Tawny Port is delicious with vanilla ice cream, fresh berries and mild cheeses, butterscotch pudding, crme brulee, or warm fresh figs. For those who do not enjoy the taste of single malt scotch one pairing that many of us enjoy with our Tawny Port is a good cigar.

Extending the life of a bottle of Tawny Port is as simple as making sure that you put the cork back on the bottle and place it in the refrigerator until you want to enjoy more. Doing this will guarantee that the Tawny Port will stay fresher for a few weeks until your ready to enjoy more.