Pass the Port, Please

This test kitchen note comes courtesy of our Pastry Princess:

An overcast sky and ripping wind made for a desolate evening at home (ever the rare occurrence in this robust city). And with an endless pile of mess engulfing almost every empty space in my room, I was destined for dreadful evening. Over the year, I’ve slowly discovered ways in which to make myself more productive, or in the very least I’ve found ways to make the passing time more pleasurable, and a spicy port happens to be one such vice. Aching for the perfect remedy to console myself on such a wintry evening, I cracked open a bottle of port; Nieport Ruby Porto to be exact. With admirable density and flavorful oomph full of spicy nuts, dark fruits and creamy caramel notes, it felt effortlessly smooth caressing my lips. Nothing makes a body cozier during winter than a glass of port (sorry, but even I must give hot chocolate a back seat to port). I swooned, I sipped, I got sticky, I drank. Such a sweet cap to a blistering day.

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Port is a fascinating, yet confusing topic. You may think it’s just a dessert wine… perhaps the most common, too… but Port is sexy. It’s sassy. If fact, the sexiest of dessert wines. And sublimely delicious. Now that’s the truth.

Port is a fortified wine, meaning that certain spirits, particularly brandy, and sometimes additional flavorings, herbs or spices are added to protect and stabilize the wine (giving it a longer shelf life after opening). The addition of brandy takes place either before or during the fermentation process, the timing of which makes a difference to the end product. If added before fermentation, the wine has a higher sugar content and is, therefore, sweet; if added after fermentation a dryer wine is achieved. Fortifying also gives them a more complex and robust flavor, as well as increasing the alcohol content. Fortified wines are generally between 17 and 21 percent alcohol. Marsala, madeira and sherry are other fortified wines, and as with port, are often called “stickies” as they tend to be thick, sweet and, well, sticky. (read more)

gilded fork, test kitchen, food, cooking, port wine