Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.
-Evelyn Waugh

An Introduction To Port Glasses

Port is the name given to a fortified wine that originates from Portugal’s Duoro Region. The wine is named after the Portuguese city Porto where Port is traditionally shipped from.

Port Wine was created when the French prevented the British and Dutch from importing its wine during the seventeenth century. For this reason the countries looked to Portugal for their wine but due to journey times the wine would spoil before reaching its destination. To resolve this problem a grape based style of Brandy called Aguardiente was added to the wine in order to help preserve it for the journey.

The adding of Brandy killed the yeast in the wine and halted its fermentation therefore stabilizing it. The process also resulted in a wine that contained higher levels of alchohol (Around 20%) than conventional wines. For this reason Port is usually served in smaller volumes and in specially designed Port Glasses.

What Are Port Glasses ?

In general a Port Glass is suitable for not just serving Port, but also various fortified dessert wines. The design highlights the color and should direct the bouquet towards the nose.

It is customary for port to be served in small measures but in good sized port glasses. This is done so as to enable the wine to be swirled round the glass so that it can be aired in order to appreciate the quality of the aroma.

There are a significant array of different shapes and sizes of port glasses available to buy at the moment. A port glass is smaller than a conventional wine glass and you should expect to get around twelve servings out of a standard bottle.

Popular makes with shoppers include reidel and waterford port glasses and decanters.

Port Glasses Size ?

In the past people tended to use a traditional port glass to serve port. This glass resembled a small wine glass and held 6.5 oz or 190ml and typically measured 6 inches high. These days these are widely considered unfashionable and unsuitable for appreciating the taste and aroma of the wine as oversized glasses have gained favor.

Port Sippers

Although most Port Glasses tend to resemble the appearance of a wine glass, an interesting alternative is the Port Sipper or Schnapps Pfeiffe. These look quite unconventional in appearance and can be a good talking point or decorative feature. They were first used in Europe in the seventeenth century and have a design which allows Port to be tasted from the bottom of the glass. These can be used with other fortified wines, dessert wines and liqueurs and it is said to improve taste and prevent oxidization.

Port Decanters

Traditionally Vintage Port has been served and stored in a Port Decanter. The point of decanting port is to leave behind any sediment which may exist in the original bottle. Vintage Port which has been poured straight from the bottle into the glass can contain sediment which will affect flavor.

Only ports that have been matured in the bottle actually contain sedement and will require decanting. Typically Vintage and Crusted Port will need decanting as well as LBV Port which is marked Un-filtered, Traditional or Bottle Matured.