The Highest Quality Port You Can Buy

If you're splashing out on a bottle of port for a special occasion, you want to make sure it's a good one — but how do you know if your sweet fortified wine is top quality? To find out, Food Republic consulted wine expert and owner of Lexi's Wine List, Lexi Stephens. "The highest quality ports are typically vintage ports," explained Stephens. "This means the wine comes from a single vintage, rather than a blend of multiple vintages."

The vast majority of port from Portugal's Douro Valley is a blend. Vintage port — which makes up a mere 2% — is only produced in years when the quality is considered outstanding. This doesn't happen very often; on average, it's around three or four times in any 10-year period. Before the port can be bottled and labeled as vintage, the producer must receive approval from the official Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.

The clue that vintage port is well-aged is in its name, but this aging process does not all take place in the barrel. Instead, it spends a maximum of 30 months in oak before being bottled, where it continues to mature and improve for many years, perhaps even centuries. This method of aging is a key difference between port and sherry, and also sets a vintage variety apart from other types of port, such as tawny, which is ready to drink as soon as it's bottled.

The exceptional quality means vintage ports "tend to be more complex and age-worthy, and they come with a higher price tag," explained wine expert Lexi Stephens. For that reason, they require a different approach to storage and consumption than other styles. While a vintage variety can be consumed around 15 years after it has been bottled, when it is still relatively young, it will continue to grow in complexity for at least 40 years. This is one reason it's so popular among collectors.

While the best way to store whiskey is by keeping the bottle upright, vintage port should be stored on its side. This ensures that the cork remains moist, which helps prevent oxidation, and also means that the sediment in the bottle is not disrupted. If there is a white splash mark on your bottle, keep this uppermost, and make sure it's stored in a cool, dark place (no warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit).

While it's not always necessary to decant wine, it's best to decant vintage port before it's consumed to remove the sediment. You don't need a decanter, so don't worry if you don't have one — just use a clean glass bottle. The intense fruitiness of vintage port means it pairs perfectly with robustly flavored cheeses or rich desserts. Just make sure to drink it within two days of opening to enjoy it at its best.