On the left bank of the Douro River, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Taylor’s is one of the oldest port houses. The company is celebrating its 331st year this year.e birthday. However, recently, it no longer produces only wine. She has facilities to make her own tonic. Because if port sales are down, demand in bars is on the rise. And the cocktail that brings this fortified wine back to life is the “port and tonic”.
This mixture of white port, tonic, lime and ice resembles gin and tonic. But its taste is different: it is less strong in alcohol and softer in the mouth.
“Port brings a lot of complexity to the cocktail,” observes Taylor’s sales director João Rebelo. This is our way of reaching the younger generation, because we are seen as an alcohol for old people. »
PHOTO FROM OFFLEY’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
Ready-to-drink port? You saw correctly!
Taylor’s is not the only port house to make this observation. Sogrape, producer and owner of several brands including Offley, has just marketed its “portotonic” in a very popular format in Quebec: the can.
“This is our way of reversing the decline in port wine,” explains Teresa Araujo of Sogrape.
This ready-to-drink is made with a white port created to measure for cocktails. The Clink vintage contains less residual sugar, 60 grams per liter rather than 100 on average, and its aromas are expressed more on fresh fruit, rather than on the classic notes of candied fruit. In several European countries, it is possible to buy Clink in a bottle and mix it with tonic at home.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM GRAHAM’S PORT SITE
The latest addition to Graham’s Port: Graham’s Blend No5
The Symington family has also created new ports to integrate this new market. Graham’s Blend No5 is produced with grapes harvested at night, to bring more freshness to the drink. If the difference can be tasted, it is also seen: the label is very colorful and the shape of the bottle is reminiscent of that of gin.
“We worked on the look,” explains the Canadian market manager at Symington, Sérgio Azevedo. It has to catch the eye. It is a challenge, because the Douro and Port Wine Institute applies very strict rules. »
Because if port houses are reinventing themselves to curb the decline in sales, they all have the same objective: to interest a new generation in the classic vintages which have built the reputation and heritage of Porto for almost three centuries.
Variation in the shaker
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
At Jjacques, in Quebec, mixologist Frédéric Pouliot serves the Porto Flip.
Port has not yet taken over the cocktail menu of every bar in the province. However, in the cozy atmosphere of the jjacques cocktail bar, in Quebec, mixologist Frédéric Pouliot revisits forgotten alcohols. Its current menu unsurprisingly contains an offering based on this fortified wine.
Customers are amazed that you can make a cocktail with port. They see it more as a digestive.
Frédéric Pouliot, mixologist
Frédéric Pouliot prepares a Porto Flip, a gourmet cocktail that is served as dessert. He also suggests serving the alcohol as an aperitif in a martini by simply replacing the vermouth with port. The fortified wine also fits into the popular Aperol Spritz, swapping the bitter liqueur for red port.
Producer and importer Emmanuel Cabral also observes this trend. For several years now, he has been encouraging people to prepare their sangria with port. According to him, this festive drink undoubtedly contributes to the renewed interest in fortified wine in Quebec.
“When you think that the majority of ports are aged for several years in oak barrels, it is not an expensive product for the quality,” he maintains.
A bottle of white port costs an average of $20, half the price of a gin.
What is port?
Port is a fortified wine made in the Douro region of Portugal. During vinification, fermentation is stopped by adding a wine brandy to the vat. The drink thus retains natural sugar and its alcohol content is higher. Everything is then aged for several years in bottle or oak barrels depending on the different categories. Traditionally red, white port was popularized 100 years ago. As for rosé port, it has been produced since 2008.
Ready-to-drink: tasting note
Port lovers will immediately recognize the aromas of ripe fruit typical of fortified wine. These aromas integrate seamlessly with those of the tonic. Gin and tonic lovers will perhaps be confused by the much more moderate heat of the alcohol and the less powerful aromas. It’s fresh, light and fruity.
Offley Clink Portonic, $4.30 (250 ml)
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Porto Flip, to serve at the end of a meal, like a dessert
Jjacques Porto Flip
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz of brandy
- 1 oz Tawny 20 year old port
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- 1 whole egg
- Nutmeg
Preparation
In the shaker, combine all the ingredients except the nutmeg. Shake once without ice. Add ice then shake again. Strain into a cup and grate the nutmeg to decorate.