Getting to know port

Port is one of the world's great fortified wines. Originating in Portugal, Ports now are produced throughout the world with flattering imitations from Australia and the U.S.

Two basic Port styles are vintage and wood-aged. For sophisticated palates and plump pockets, vintage Port is produced from grapes grown in a single exemplary year. The wine is bottled after two years of barrel maturation, requiring (and rewarding) decades of further aging in bottle. Afficianados herald the currently released 2003 for exuberant fruit balanced by powerful tannin; the 1985 vintage just coming into its own. Vintage Ports range from $60 to $1,000-plus per bottle.

Wood-aged Port is divided into Ruby and Tawny, both multi-vintage blends. Ruby is lightly aged to retain its namesake ruby color and fruitiness, for an easy and affordable quaff, more-or-less $10. Tawny is barrel-aged up to 30 years, acquiring tawny color and caramel flavors and range in price from less than $10 for Australian-made to more than $100 for Portuguese Tawny with 30 years age.

Late-bottled Vintage unites both styles with grapes grown in one fine but not outstanding vintage and wine barrel-aged four to six years for immediate drinking. Hovering around $40, "LBV" offers complex flavors that won't push your credit limit.

Port is fortified during fermentation, a process where distilled spirit is added to the vat knocking fermenting yeast cells silly, arresting further alcohol production and maintaining natural grape sweetness. At about 20 percent alcohol, a full glass will knock you silly too, so serve in 2- to 3-ounce pours as a rich after-dinner treat, classically with Stilton, roasted nuts and pears.