Fortified Wine

Port

Port is the fortified wine of the Douro valley in northern Portugal, made by adding grape spirit part-way through fermentation, which stops the yeast and leaves the wine sweet. It is usually 19 to 22% ABV; our recipes take 20%. Ruby styles age briefly and stay fruity, tawny styles age longer in cask and turn nutty, and our Porto Flip and Port Old Fashioned both call for tawny.

Quick Facts

ABV20% ABVThe IVDP gives 19 to 22% for most port.

Legal categoryFortified wineA liqueur wine under Regulation (EU) 1308/2013; Porto/Port is a protected designation of origin on Defra's register

OriginDouro Valley, Portugal

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

Our keeping timeOnce opened, stoppered and cool: ruby and tawny about eight weeks, LBV four to six weeks, vintage two or three days (Graham's guidance).

Storage

Unopened: cool and dark; corked vintage and LBV on their sides, stoppered bottles upright. Once opened: we keep it stoppered, somewhere cool, and white port in the fridge.

Allergens

Contains: sulphites.

The ingredient

About Port

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Black fruitSweetnessNut (tawny)Spice

Tasting Notes

Ruby runs dark-fruited and sweet with peppery grip; tawny trades the fruit for hazelnut, caramel and dried figs. White is honeyed and lighter. One name, three profiles.

Spirit stops the ferment and keeps the sugar

Port is made from grapes grown on the schist slopes of the Douro. Part-way through fermentation the winemaker adds grape spirit, which stops the yeast while there is still sugar in the must; the IVDP gives one part spirit to four of must-wine as the usual proportion. That is why port is sweet, and why it reaches 19 to 22%, well past the strength of a table wine.

Ruby keeps its fruit; tawny trades it for nut

The IVDP divides red port into two families. Ruby styles, from basic ruby to reserve, LBV and vintage, are aged to hold their colour and fruit. Tawny styles, from basic tawny to the 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old and the single-year colheita, age in cask with air and take on amber colour and walnut. LBV and vintage both come from a single year; vintage is bottled young and ages in glass. White port is made from white grapes and is often served chilled.

Port styles and how long they keep once opened (Graham’s own advice for its ports; white port our guidance)

Ruby

How it ages: Short time in tanks or large vats
Once opened (Graham's): Within eight weeks
Typical use: Mixing, fruit-led drinks

Late bottled vintage

How it ages: One year, four to six years in wood
Once opened (Graham's): Four to six weeks
Typical use: Neat, food

Vintage

How it ages: Short time in wood, decades in bottle
Once opened (Graham's): Two or three days
Typical use: Neat, after decanting

Tawny with an age

How it ages: Years in cask with air
Once opened (Graham's): Within eight weeks
Typical use: Porto Flip, Port Old Fashioned, neat

White

How it ages: Usually young; served cold
Once opened (Graham's): Not given; keep it in the fridge
Typical use: With tonic over ice

Style	How it ages	Once opened (Graham's)	Typical use
Ruby	Short time in tanks or large vats	Within eight weeks	Mixing, fruit-led drinks
Late bottled vintage	One year, four to six years in wood	Four to six weeks	Neat, food
Vintage	Short time in wood, decades in bottle	Two or three days	Neat, after decanting
Tawny with an age	Years in cask with air	Within eight weeks	Porto Flip, Port Old Fashioned, neat
White	Usually young; served cold	Not given; keep it in the fridge	With tonic over ice

Tawny suits drinks without citrus

Both our port recipes leave out citrus, which lets a tawny's walnut and dried fig carry the drink. A ruby makes either drink sweeter and fruitier, and loses the walnut. The Porto Flip binds 45ml with brandy and egg yolk under grated nutmeg; the Port Old Fashioned stirs a smaller measure with bourbon and a little demerara syrup over one large cube.

Using it

Using Port

Usage

Our recipes use tawny: 45ml leads a Porto Flip, dry shaken with 15ml brandy and 10ml egg yolk, then shaken with ice; 22.5ml sits under 45ml bourbon in a Port Old Fashioned, stirred 20 to 30 seconds over one large cube.

Pro Tip

The yolk in a Porto Flip binds only after a dry shake. Shake without ice for 10 to 15 seconds, then with ice for 10 to 12, and double strain so the surface is smooth enough to take the nutmeg.

Top Tips

Buy the style the recipe names. Ruby for tawny turns a nutty drink into a fruity one.
A ten-year-old tawny is the usual mixing grade for our two recipes; older tawnies show more of their age neat.
Vintage and unfiltered LBV throw a sediment: stand the bottle up and decant before pouring.
White port and tonic is a long aperitif: Taylor's gives one part white port to two of tonic, over ice.

Possible Substitutions

Madeira: A sweet bual or malmsey for tawny when sipping: brighter acidity, and in our experience it keeps for months
Pedro Ximénez Sherry: Where sweetness and dried fruit matter more than the port's grip; sweeter

Production Method

Douro grapes are fermented until grape spirit (aguardente) is added to stop the fermentation and keep the residual sugar; ruby styles are aged briefly in tanks or large vats to keep their fruit, tawny styles longer in casks where air turns them nutty.

History & Context

Taylor’s own history of port says the Methuen Treaty of 1703 set the duty on Portuguese wine in England one third below the duty on French wine. Real Companhia Velha’s own history says it was founded on 10 September 1756 by royal charter of King José I, under the Marquis of Pombal, after a slump in exports to England that followed counterfeiting and adulteration; Taylor’s adds that the company held a monopoly on trade with England and Brazil.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is port?

A sweet fortified wine from the Douro valley in Portugal. Grape spirit is added while the wine is still fermenting, which kills the yeast and leaves natural sugar behind. The IVDP, the body that regulates it, divides red port into ruby and tawny styles, alongside white port, with categories such as LBV and vintage among the rubies.

Ruby or tawny port: how do they differ?

How long and how they age. Ruby styles spend a short time in tanks or large vats that keep air out, so they stay dark and fruity. Tawny styles age longer in smaller casks, where air turns them amber and brings out nut, caramel and dried fig. Our Porto Flip and Port Old Fashioned both call for tawny.

How long does port keep once opened?

That varies by style. Graham's advises finishing its ruby and its tawnies within eight weeks of opening, its LBV within four to six weeks, and its vintage port within two or three days. Keep the bottle stoppered somewhere cool, and serve white port from the fridge.

How strong is port?

Usually 19 to 22% ABV, according to the IVDP. Our recipes work at 20%. A 45ml measure in a Porto Flip holds about 0.9 UK units before the brandy adds its own.

What is LBV port?

Late bottled vintage: ruby port from a single year, bottled four to six years after the harvest. Filtered LBV is ready to pour; unfiltered or "bottle matured" LBV throws a sediment and needs decanting. It gives some of the character of vintage port without decades in the bottle.

What cocktails use port?

Two of ours, both with tawny. The Porto Flip, an IBA classic, shakes 45ml with 15ml brandy and 10ml egg yolk. The Port Old Fashioned stirs 22.5ml with 45ml bourbon, 5ml demerara syrup and orange and Angostura bitters. Neither has citrus, which lets tawny's nut and dried fruit show.

What is white port and tonic?

A long aperitif of white port topped with tonic over plenty of ice. Taylor's own site says its Chip Dry white port was first blended in 1934, and gives one third white port to two thirds tonic, garnished with mint and lime zest. It is far lower in alcohol than a gin and tonic.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto), “Port wines: introduction”.
IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto), “Port wines: the winemaking”.
IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto), “Port wines: special categories”.
Graham’s, “Fine Ruby”.
Graham’s, “20 Years Old Tawny”.
Graham’s, “Late Bottled Vintage”.
Graham’s, “Graham’s Vintage Port”.
Taylor’s, “Port Tonic”.
Taylor’s, “Chip Dry & Tonic”.
Taylor’s Port, “History of Port: The Marquis of Pombal” (producer’s history: the Methuen Treaty of 1703 and the Companhia Geral of 1756).
Defra, Protected geographical food and drink names (GOV.UK), “Porto / Port”.
legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex VII, Part II (retained)”.
IBA, “Porto Flip”.
Real Companhia Velha, “Our history” (the company’s own history: founded 10 September 1756 by royal charter of King José I; exports to England fell in 1750 to 1755 after counterfeiting and adulteration).

Make something

Made with Port

Featured In These Cocktails

Porto Flip Port Old Fashioned

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026

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