Port wine. This is a fortified wine produced in the northerly part of the Douro Valley, east of Oporto, and classified by both vintage and blend. Wines produced in exceptionally good years are kept aside to become 'vintage' ports. These wines are bottled at least two years after harvesting and then may be stored for anything up to 20 years. 'Bl;ended' ports, are made in the same way as sherries, mixtures of previous years' ports being added to the present year's to make a standardised result with a guaranteed quality. These are kept in barrels for a minimum of five years and include 'ruby' ports, which are full-boded and deep in colour, and 'tawny' ports which are lighter and amber in colour. Also available are 'white' ports, which are sweet and aromatic and may be drunk, like fino sherry, as an apéritif.
