all about white port

A Quinta do Noval white port with a view of the Douro Valley in Pinhao, Portugal.

I love Sazeracs (so much so that my handle pays homage to the drink). But, I also enjoy a bit of white port.

I must admit that, while I have always enjoyed having a glass of a tawny or ruby port since my cousin introduced this beautiful drink to me when I was in college many decades ago (no worries, I was legal), I never really knew about white port until about a few years ago. That was when Mr. Sazy Rock and I went on a trip deep into the Douro River in Portugal to a small town called Pinhao. (I tagged along with him while he was on a business trip to Quinta do Noval.) We drank not just all sorts of red port, but also a lot of white port.

What is white port?

Unlike the hubster, I am not a wine expert but this is what I know. All ports are wine. But, like its red brethren, white ports are fortified with brandy. Unlike red ports, white grapes are used to make white port.

Ports have a reputation for being too sweet. Well, a lot of them are. But, a lot of them are not. Particularly, some white ports are dry and crisp.

Personally, I like to drink my white port with ice, tonic water and a slice (or wedge) of lemon. It is a refreshing drink especially on a hot day. I tend to buy a not-too-expensive white port (on the semi sweet side) because I tend to mix it with tonic water. I like to have two parts white port to one part tonic, which I pour in a glass that already has ice and lemon. Most of the time, however, I just eyeball my pours. Despite not being precise with my measurements, I have enjoyed every single white port and tonic drink I've made so far. Paired with roasted almonds, this white port cocktail rocked my world. 

A word of caution: it bears repeating that white port is fortified with a spirit. So, its alcohol content is higher than your typical white or red wine. You have been warned.

View from Quinta do Noval - where I had my first white port.

(For more on ports in general, Mr. SR wrote a handy beginner's guide.) 

Some tidbits:

According to Mr. SR, ports were initially fortified so that they could survive the journey from Portugal to a country that consumed a lot of booze -- England. (As a side note, Mr. SR told me that the Sherry and the Madeira were also fortified for the same reason - so they could survive the journey to England from Spain and Portugal's Madeira islands, respectively.) Also, while port wines come from Portugal, many brands have English names -- Graham's, Sandeman, Taylor's, Warre, Cockburn, etc. This was because English folk who loved booze set up warehouses in the western port city of Oporto or Porto (hence, the name of the wine) back in the day (as in the 1700s). From the Douro Valley, wines were sent down the Douro River for storage in the warehouses in Oporto where the climate was cooler. From there, the wines were sent to England. So, thank you England for giving me (and the world) the white port to enjoy. 



Have you tried drinking white port? What is your favorite white port?