Valente Costa Moscatel Porto Porto

Description

Until around 1756, the production of “shipment wines”—the name given to Port wines at the time—followed the so‑called “old process” of winemaking. Fortification, always in small quantities, was introduced only after fermentation had finished, yielding dry wines. In 1820 the modern fortification method appeared, deliberately stopping the alcoholic fermentation to produce sweet wines. This technique only became widespread in 1852, at which point Port wines began to resemble those we know today. Thus, Port wine is a fortified wine produced in the Demarcated Douro Region under peculiar conditions stemming from both natural and human factors. The traditional process involves halting the must’s fermentation by adding grape spirit, allowing the wines to “lot” together, and then ageing them. Port wines are divided into different categories based on ageing style—Ruby, Tawny, White, and Rosé. The bottling year may not match the image shown. (Illustrative image only)