Belgium Chocolate & Port Wine!

My dear friend and former roommate in Finland, Mary from Belgium, came to visit me in Portugal this week with a box of Belgium chocolate in hand and Leffe brew. We had a lovely 2 days in sunny Porto, the capital of Port wine. You would not believe the beautiful autumn weather we are experiencing here. Everyday is sunny and about 70 degrees. Unbelievable, really! So, we enjoyed the sunny weather by the Douro river and tasted some Port wine, the sweet Portuguese fortified wine. There are numerous Port wine cellars in Porto, we chose to visit the Sandeman Port cellar and by noon we had already enjoyed 2 sweet ports.

A few facts about Port wine:

1.) The European Union and Canada, only allows the product from Portugal to be named "PORT".

2.) Distilled spirits (such as brandy) is added to the grapes to increase the alcohol content (approximately 20%) and sweetness.

3.) In the U.S., the federal law mandates that the Portuguese product be named, "Porto" or "Vinho do Porto."

4.) Ports age 2 ways: in wooden barrels (see pic.) or in sealed tanks.

5.) There are many different types of Port depending on the aging process, and grapes ... tawny port, ruby port, garrafeira, white port, vintage port, reserve port, and crusted port.

6.) Port wine is named for the seaside port town of Porto, where the wine was produced and brought to market, via the Douro river, in the 17th century.