Ports & Fortified by the Bottle

Port, (named for the city of Oporto at the mouth of Portugal’s Douro River), is fortified wine made from the grapes of the Douro Valley. Fortification started in the 1700’s when locals, to keep the wine sweet and fruity, added Brandy to halt fermentation. Ports are cask aged, with the exception of the Vintage Ports, which are bottled aged.