Port, which is actually a English finding is only about 150 years old and is most popular in France, of all places. Although the port wine is now produced on rugged terrain in hills and mountain, it's been all over the world. Port is usually drank when it's young (about 3 years old), but can ripen surprisingly long to about 40 or 50 years.

Is port a Wine or distilled? This is a question unmistakably leads to everlasting discussions. Obviously, port owes a lot of itself to the wine stakes that grow along the riverbanks of the Douro, where the difference in production of the different quinta's (vineyard is Portuguese) are living proof of, but without the addition of brandy, the only thing coming out of Porto would be a strong, provincial wine.

One of the distinctive features of port comes from the moment when the brandy (77% alcohol) is added during fermentation, which causes the 'wines' to be kept and ripened much longer than regular wines. This is why we sometimes read about mutage, the mutation of the natural sugars during the fermentation.

Age determines the quality of the port:

• Ruby: younger than 3 years;
• Tawny: older than 3 years;
• Vintage: with a year on it's label
• Late bottled vintage: with a year marking and late bottled
• Quintas: from one vineyard, while usually port is a blended product
• and, last but by now means last: White port.

Port is not the only fortified wine: in Spain we find several types of sherry (xérès), in France there are the naturally sweet wines of Banyuls, Rivesaltes and Maury and then there is, of course, the Madera's. Most of these fortified wines have enough 'body' by itself, but de young 'rubies' can certainly add a bit more 'schwung' to a cocktail.