Editing Port wine (section)

==Region and production==
[[File:The Douro Valley vineyards.jpg|thumb|The vineyards that produce port wine are common along the hillsides that flank the valley of the River [[Douro]] in northern Portugal.]]

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region.<ref name="fp"/>{{rp|492}} The wine produced is then fortified by the [[Mutage|addition of a neutral grape spirit]] known as [[aguardente#Portugal|aguardente]] to stop the [[Fermentation (wine)|fermentation]], leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol content]]. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as [[brandy]], but it bears little resemblance to commercial brandies. The wine is then stored and [[aging of wine|aged]], often in [[barrel]]s stored in a lodge (meaning "cellar") as is the case in [[Vila Nova de Gaia]], before being bottled. The wine received its name, "port", in the latter half of the 17th century from the [[seaport]] city of [[Porto]] at the mouth of the [[Douro River]], where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, and the name ''Douro'' thus an official [[appellation]], in 1756, making it the third oldest wine after [[Chianti]] (1716) and [[Tokaji|Tokaj]] (1730).

The reaches of the valley of the Douro River in northern Portugal have a [[Regional climates levels in viticulture|microclimate]] that is optimal for [[horticulture|cultivation]] of [[olive]]s, [[almond]]s, and especially grapes important for making port wine. The region around [[Alijó Municipality|Pinhão]] and [[São João da Pesqueira]] is considered to be the centre of port production, and is known for its picturesque ''quintas''&nbsp;– estates clinging on to almost vertical slopes dropping down to the river.

===Wine regions===
[[File:Porto.Grahams03.jpg|thumb|Aging in wooden barrels]]

The demarcation of the Douro River Valley includes a broad swath of land of pre-[[Cambrian]] [[schist]] and [[granite]]. Beginning around the village of [[Barqueiros]] (about {{convert|70|km|abbr=on}} upstream from Porto), the valley extends eastward almost to the Spanish border. The region is protected from the influences of the Atlantic Ocean by the [[Serra do Marão]] mountains. The area is subdivided into three official zones: the Baixo (lower) Corgo, the Cima (higher) Corgo, and the Douro Superior.<ref name="ocw">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70699042 |title=The Oxford companion to wine |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |editor-first=Jancis |editor-last=Robinson |isbn=0-19-860990-6 |edition=3rd |location=Oxford |oclc=70699042}}</ref>{{rp|536}}
* '''Baixo Corgo''' – The westernmost zone located downstream from the river [[Corgo River|Corgo]], centred on the municipality of [[Peso da Régua]]. This region is the wettest port production zone, receiving an annual average of {{convert|900|mm|in}} of precipitation and it has the coolest average temperature of the three zones. The grapes grown here are used mainly for the production of inexpensive ruby and tawny ports.<ref name="ocw"/>{{rp|536}}
* '''Cima Corgo''' – Located upstream from the Baixo Corgo, this region is centred on the town of Pinhão (municipality of [[Alijó]]). The summertime average temperature of the region is a few degrees higher, and annual rainfall is about {{convert|700|mm|in}}. The grapes grown in this zone are considered of higher quality, being used in bottlings of vintage, reserve, aged tawny, and late bottled vintage ports.<ref name="ocw"/>{{rp|536}}
* '''Douro Superior''' – The easternmost zone, extending almost to the Spanish border. This is the least cultivated region of Douro, due in part to the difficulties of navigating the river past the [[rapids]] of [[Valeira Dam|Cachão da Valeira]]. This is the driest and warmest region of the Douro. The overall terrain is relatively flat, with the potential for [[mechanical harvesting|mechanization]].<ref name="ocw"/>{{rp|536}}

===Grapes===
{{See also|List of Port wine grapes}}

[[File:Porto.Grahams12.jpg|thumb|right|Vintage ports from 1870 and 1873]]

Over a hundred varieties of grapes (''castas'') are sanctioned for port production, although only five ([[Tinta Barroca]], [[Tinto Cão]], Tinta Roriz ([[Tempranillo]]), [[Touriga Francesa]], and [[Touriga Nacional]]) are widely cultivated and used.<ref name=Mayson>Mayson (1999), ''Port and the Douro'', p. 93</ref> [[Touriga Nacional]] is widely considered the most desirable port grape but the difficulty in growing it, and the small yields cause Touriga Francesa to be the most widely planted grape.<ref name=Mayson/> White ports are produced the same way as red ports, except that they use white grapes&nbsp;– [[Donzelinho Branco]], [[Esgana-Cão]], [[Folgasão]], [[Gouveio]], [[Malvasia Fina]], [[Rabigato]] and [[Viosinho]]. While a few shippers have experimented with ports produced from a single variety of grapes, all ports commercially available are from a blend of different grapes. Since the [[Phylloxera]] [[Great French Wine Blight|crisis]], most vines are grown on [[Grafting|grafted]] rootstock, with the notable exception of the Nacional area of [[Quinta do Noval]], which, since being planted in 1925, has produced some of the most expensive vintage ports.

Grapes grown for port are generally characterized by their small, dense fruit which produces concentrated and long-lasting flavours, suitable for long aging. While the grapes used to produce port made in Portugal are strictly regulated by the [[Instituto do Vinho do Porto]], wines from outside this region that describe themselves as port may be made from other varieties.

===Sales===
In 2013, there were 8.7&nbsp;million cases of port sold, 3.6% less than the previous year, at a value of $499&nbsp;million. Port sales have been declining since 2005 and in 2014 were down 16% from that year.<ref name=sales>{{cite web |url=http://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.php/2014/06/05/9490/global-port-volume-slips-but-premiumization-well-underway-in-u-s/ |title=Global Port Volume Slips, But Premiumization Well Underway in U.S. |date=5 June 2014 | work=Shanken News Daily |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref>  In 2023 about 7.2 million cases were sold, with a value of €364 million.<ref name=ivdp>{{cite web |url=https://www.ivdp.pt/en/information/statistics/global-statistics/ |title=Global Statistics (2023) |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref> Declining sales are attributed by some to increasing prices, due to the increased cost of alcohol used in the production process.<ref name=sales/> Declining sales have also been attributed to the global rise in alcohol levels of table wines.<ref name=graperadio>{{cite AV media |url=http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2009/06/29/alcohol-levels-and-wine/ |title=Alcohol Levels and Wine |date=29 June 2009 |website=Grape Radio|access-date=1 February 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114042655/http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2009/06/29/alcohol-levels-and-wine/ |archive-date=2016-11-14}}</ref> As of 2014, the leading brand in Portugal is Cálem, which sells 2.6&nbsp;million bottles annually.<ref name=calem>{{cite web |url=http://m.drinksint.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/4235/Bright_Outlook_port_side.html?current_page=2 |title=Bright Outlook Port Side |date=10 January 2014|first=Hamish |last=Smith |work=Drinks International |access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref>

===Transport===
[[File:Rabelo Douro en–Porto.jpg|thumb|right|''Rabelos'', a type of boat traditionally used to transport barrels of port down the River Douro for storage and aging in caves at Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto]]
[[File:Porto wine barrels (7872306736).jpg|right|thumb|A [[Rabelo boat|barco rabelo]] carrying display port barrels]]

Port is produced from grapes grown in the Douro valley. Until 1986 it could only be exported from Portugal from [[Vila Nova de Gaia]] near [[Porto]], Portugal's second-largest city.<ref name="fp"/>{{rp|492}} Traditionally, the wine was taken downriver in flat-bottom boats called '[[Rabelo boat|barcos rabelos]]', to be processed and stored.<ref name="fp"/>{{rp|305}} In the 1950s and 1960s, several [[hydroelectric power]] dams were built along the river, ending this traditional conveyance. Currently, the wine is transported from the vineyards by [[tanker truck]]s and the ''barcos rabelos'' are only used for racing and other displays.