By Shannon Latimer

A Question of Style
Port traditionally comes in a wide range of styles.

Ruby Port is young and fruity, and can be a blend of several vintages. It is fermented in wood and aged for a short while in the bottle.

Vintage Port is made from grapes harvested in the same year. It is usually made during a particularly good season.

Tawny Port is aged in oak barrels for about ten years or more—that’s how it achieves its ‘tawny’ colour. It is generally a blend of several vintages, and has a more subtle flavour than Ruby or Vintage port.

Late Bottled Vintage is usually a single vintage aged in barrels for about six years. It is bottled only once the producer thinks it is ready to drink.

Crusted Port is from a good year, but not one declared a Vintage. It is bottled quite early and is intended for laying down for some time.

What’s In a Name?
As the quality of South African port improved over the years, the Portuguese became worried and officially objected to our using the name ‘port’, saying that the name is the exclusive property of wines made in Portugal. They also wanted us to drop terms like ‘Tawny’ and ‘Ruby’. Eventually the European Union came up with a compromise. We had to drop the word ‘port’ but could use the names of the different styles. We now label our ports with the word ‘Cape’ in front of the style, e.g. Cape Ruby. That hasn’t stopped us giving the Portuguese a run for their money.

How to Serve Port
The ritual of serving port is part of the enjoyment of the wine, and it adds an element of style and tradition to the occasion.
1. Let the port stand for about 24 hours before you serve it to guests. This will help settle any sediment at the bottom.
2. Refrigerate for about 30 to 45 minutes before serving. The ideal temperature is between 17 and 20°C—winter ‘room’ temperature.
3. If you are decanting the bottle because of sediment place a candle behind the decanter before you start pouring. (This helps you to see through the neck of the bottle.) Pour the port into the decanter. Watch the neck to ensure no sediment comes out with the wine. Once all the port is in the decanter, place it in front of the host, who will then pass it around the table.

Passing the Port
The ritual continues with ‘passing the port’. There is more technique than you would expect in this simple action. Etiquette demands that the port is always passed from right to left.
The decanter is placed before the host, who serves the person on his right, then himself. Then he passes the bottle to the guest on his left, who serves himself then passes again to the left. The decanter must be passed all the way around the table and placed once again in front of the host.
It is poor manners to ask for the port. So if a guest is distracted and forgets to pass on the port, the host needs to be alert and ask, “Do you know the Bishop of Winchester?”
A guest who knows this port-passing custom will pass the port along in embarrassment.
If the guest answers, “No,” the host responds with, “He is an awfully good fellow—but he never passes the port.”

How Long Can I Keep the Bottle Open?
You can expect different port styles to have a different shelf life after being opened. In general, the older the port, the shorter the period you can keep your bottle open.
Ruby, Tawny, Special Reserve and Late Bottled Vintage: Drink within 5–6 weeks after opening.
Aged Tawnies: Drink within 5–10 days.
Vintage Port: Drink within 24 hours. Make sure you invite friends around to get the job done.

What Temperature Is Best?
If you serve your port too warm, the alcohol will evaporate. Both wood-aged and bottle-aged port are best served at a winter ‘room’ temperature, about 18°C. 30 minutes in the fridge should do it.
Serve Special Reserve, Fine Tawny and Aged Tawny slightly more chilled. 45 minutes to one hour in the fridge should chill it nicely.