Port

Port wine (also Porto wine) is sweet, fortified wine from the Douro Valley in the northern part of Portugal; it takes its name from the city of Oporto, the centre of port export and trading. Port has been made in Portugal since the mid 15th Century. Port became very popular in England after the Methuen Treaty of 1703, when merchants were permitted to import it at a low duty, while war with France deprived English wine drinkers of French wine. The continued English involvement in the port trade can be seen in the names of many port shippers: Croft, Taylor, Dow, Graham, Symington. Similar wines, often also called "Port", are made in several other countries, notably Australia, South Africa, India and the United States. It has been made in and around St. Augustine, Florida since the mid 16th Century. In some nations, including Canada, after a phase-in period, and the countries of the European Union, only the product from Portugal may be labeled as "port." In the United States, the Portuguese product, by Federal law pursuant to a treaty with Portugal, must be labeled "Porto" or "Vinho do Porto" for differentiation.

Port wine is typically thicker, richer, sweeter, and possesses a higher alcohol content than most other wines. This is caused by the addition of distilled grape spirits (such as brandy) to fortify the wine and halt fermentation before all the sugar is converted to alcohol. It is commonly served after meals as a dessert wine, or with cheese. In France, white port is served as an apéritif. It has an alcohol by volume content of roughly 18% to 20%.

Wine with less than 16% ethanol cannot protect itself against spoilage if exposed to air; with an alcohol content of 18% or higher, port wine can safely be stored in wooden casks that 'breathe', thereby permitting the fine aging of port wine. (In contrast, wines with only a slightly lesser fortified alcohol content of 15% to 17.5% are considered to be sherry, formerly known as 'sack'.)

Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Port":
Tuna Braised with Cranberries, Port, and Cream, Port Wine Ice Cream With Hot "liquor" Sauce *, Cantaloupe Soup, Danish Onion - Champagne Soup, Apple Butter with Port, Leek& Potato Soup W/Stiliton, Port, & Sage L, Many Mushrooms Soup, Apple Pie With Port With Cheddar Cheese Crust, Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust, My French Onion Soup- Bon Appetit, Stilton and Leek Soup with Port, White Pork Sausage(Boudin Blanc De Liege), Vegetable Consomme With Mushroom Ravioli, Port & Blue Cheese Bread, Portly Cheese Bread, Blue Cheese and Port Bread(EB), Port Wine Soaked Fig Bread, Roast Turkey With Grapes And Prunes, Pump House Peaches In Flame, Walnut Cake with Coffee Cream, Canard A l'Orange, Stilton Mill-Feuille With Golden Raisins And Warm Walnuts, Three-Onion Ragout, Potted Blue Cheese With Port, Portobellos With Port, Mushroom Stuffed Wontons, Sun-Dried Cherry And Cabernet Sauce, Old Angelo's Gorgonzola Cheese Pate with Raspberry Sauce, Rhubarb Cherry Sauce for Poultry, Tangy Potted Cheese, Decadent Chocolate Brownies W/ Port Cream Beringer Vineya, Strawberry Port Pie, Cumberland Sauce, Sugar Plum Mince Pie, Della Robbia Pound Cake - Country Living, Recommended Canners(Part Of 3), Plums In Port, Cranberry Port Relish, Fresh Gingerbread With Port-poached Pears, Galia Melon In Port(Hl), Port-Glazed Figs, Ported Stuffed Figs, Peaches Poached in Red Wine with Pepper, Mulberry Ice, Seared Tuna And Spinach Salad With Warm Pancetta Dressing, Blueberry Cake, Aspic Jelly - Great Chefs, Ham Mousse With Peaches, Strawberry Fool, Mulled Port Wine Jelly