Tawny Port

Overview

Tawny is a wine which has been aged in wood for long enough that it loses its colour and takes on a tawny/amber hue. Tawny ports are blended from several vintages which means that they are non-vintage wines.

Made from the best fruit from undeclared exceptional years, Tawny ports are left to mature in seasoned wooden casks (600-640 litres), usually in Villa Nova de Gaia, for minimum seven years, until considered ready to be blended and bottled. During the years of ageing, the wine’s colour will fade and begin to take on a tawny hue as well as a soft velvety texture.

The finest Tawnys – referred to as Aged Tawny – are bottled with an indication of age on the label, which is either 10, 20, 30, or over 40 years, but always estimations as Tawny Ports are blended from a number of year’s production.  At The Perfect Bottle, we focus on 30- and 40-year-old Aged Tawnies - these are the richest and sweetest styles, and often have an almost unctuous concentration, length, and complexity.

Tawny Ports are ready to be drunk when purchased and will not improve further in bottle. And while there is no hard and fast rule, an open bottle of Aged Tawny will tend to last around 6-8 weeks before the delicate fruit starts deteriorating.

Key Grape Varieties

More than 80 different grape varieties are authorised to make red port, but over the years the best varieties have been identified and today the five varieties most often planted and spoken of when the word ‘port blend’ is employed are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao.

Food Pairing

Aged Tawnies pairs wonderfully with blue cheese, such as for example Roquefort and Stilton, as well as desserts with dried fruit and walnuts/hazelnuts, crème brulee, figs, dark chocolate, but also suits a roasted foie gras very well. Pecan pie at Christmas is a classic match. In the Douro, port shippers enjoy drinking Aged Tawny chilled in summer or to refresh the palate after a long dinner, while many French people enjoy it chilled as aperitif any time of year.

Key Producers

We offer Tawny Ports from the following producers:

• Taylors