History of Port Wine
The history of port wine begins hundreds of years ago. It was first introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans in the first century B.C. By the mid-eighteenth century, the Portuguese were exporting nearly one million cases of wine down the Douro River. These wines were sold to the Dutch and the British. In the late nineteenth century, two unforeseen events threaten to derail the wine industry. One is civil war and the other is phylloxera, a disease that destroys the vines in the Douro Valley. Despite the Phylloxera eradication, however, the quality of the wine drops and port production dwindles.
When the Portuguese began shipping their wine, it was often spoiled during the long journey. That’s why they began adding brandy to the casks to help preserve the wine. This practice is still used in modern day production. Added brandy provides a smoother, richer wine than other Portuguese wines. The fortification process improves the wine’s ability to absorb alcohol. The history of port wine is complex, but it can be traced to several historical events.
Portugal’s Douro River region has a long history of growing grapes. In fact, grapes were first planted along the river in the time of Jesus. In 1756, the wines of the Douro region were formally demarcated. This was done to protect the quality of the Port wine. English merchants also began adding brandy to preserve the wine for export.
What is the History of Port Wine?
After the World War, the port trade survived the turmoil. The Great Depression, the Second World War, and the political situation in Portugal all affected the industry. But in the 1930s, the Portuguese president, Salazar, took interest in the wine trade and set up new bodies to protect the Port trade. The new bodies were called the Instituto do Vinho do Douro and Porto, and they regulate the grape and wine growing process. This has resulted in strict regulations for the production of Vintage Port.
In the early eighteenth century, Oporto wines were exported to France and Britain. However, France and England’s leaders began to pick on one another politically. The French leader Louis XIV cut off the English from importing wine to France. Meanwhile, King Charles II of England banned French wine.
Although port wine is the most popular sweet red wine in the world, it was not the first wine produced in Oporto. Port wine was originally just a red table wine. During the seventeenth century, a British wine merchant sent his sons to Portugal to find a source for the wine. Luckily, they found a monastery in Lamego, where the abbot added brandy to the wine before and after fermentation. After the process, the wine was still sweet.
Port is an ancient name in the wine world, but in recent decades, new categories have emerged, such as Taylor’s Chip Dry, which is a dry white Port. There are even rose-style Ports, and more than 80 different varieties are used in the production of Port wine.