Port Tasting in Porto

This past summer I traveled to meet some friends in France and Portugal. While in Portugal I acquired a taste for Port, and who wouldn't! It is deliciously sweet and alcoholic. A fortified wine, Port was actually originally invented by British merchants in the early 1700's, during a time of war with France. The British turned elsewhere for their wine, but found that to make the wine last during the trip back to Britain they had to fortify it, and thus Port was born! The Port houses, which line one of the banks of the Duoro river in the city of Porto, are subsequently almost exclusively British-named brands that were really just exporters at one point, such as Dow, Graham, Sandeman, Cockburn, Taylor, and many more. The Port houses in Porto have also figured out the commercial side of tastings. Lined up next to the river, these producers/shippers provide tours of their facilities, education on the making of Port, and of course, tastings. They make it easy to try the main categories, Ruby, Reserve, Rose, Tawny, and White port. Though they do quite a good business with tastings and bottles you can buy in their facilities, the Port industry has a relatively robust export side as well. In 2018 almost 10 million barrels of Port were shipped abroad for a value of EUR 450 million (annualized figures based on  https://www.ivdp.pt/en/docs/StatVendas/Porto/Table%201_2018.pdf figures). Sweet, very alcoholic, and relatively affordable, Port has become a favorite of mine, if only as a special treat.