A Complete Guide To Tawny Port Wine: Styles, 10 Best Bottles (2024)

Tawny Port is a light, aromatic fortified wine admired for its nutty flavor and oxidative character. Its sweet and luscious palate makes it a superb dessert wine.

It is made from the indigenous grapes grown in the colder regions of Douro valley in northern Portugal.

Let’s discover everything about Tawny Port - how it’s different from Ruby Port and Vintage Port, its various styles, taste and characteristics, 10 best bottles to buy in 2024, and their investment potential.

Also, discover some amazing food pairings with Tawny Port and its unique winemaking processes.

Port Wine: A Quick Glimpse

An authentic Port wine comes from the Douro Valley of Portugal. The Douro appellation has three official Port wine zones.

• Baixo Corgo 
• Cima Corgo
• Douro Superiore

Tawny Ports are mostly made from the grapes grown in the cooler Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo wine regions.

Here’s what you need to know about Port wine:

• Grape Varieties Used in Port Blends
• Types of Port Wine
• What is the Difference Between Ruby and Tawny port?
• What's the difference between a tawny Port and a Vintage Port?

A. Grape Varieties Used in Port Blends

More than 40 indigenous grapes are allowed in the Port blend, but there are five main ones: 

• Touriga Nacional
• Touriga Franca
• Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
• Tinta Barroca
• Tinto Cão

The dominant grape varieties in Tawny Port wine blends are Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cao. Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca are used in small quantities.

B. Types of Port Wine

Officially, there are four main Port wine styles. 

• Vintage Port: It is made from the harvest of a single year.
• Late-Bottled Vintage: It is a Vintage Port aged for at least six years. 
• Ruby Port: It has a bright red color and delicious fruitiness. 
• Tawny Port: It is a sweet wine (aged in oak casks) full of nutty and caramel flavors.
• White Port: Made from indigenous white wine grape varieties, white Port wines range from fresh aperitifs to complex and layered dessert wines.
• Rose Port: It is a younger Port admired for its sweet flavours of strawberry, violets, and caramel.

C. What is the Difference Between Ruby Port and Tawny port?

Ruby Port has a bright red color with strong red fruit and berries flavors. It is usually drunk young.

Tawny Port, on the other hand, has brownish-red color with strong nutty flavors. 

D. What's the Difference Between a Tawny Port and a Vintage Port?

Vintage and Tawny Port are the two most universally recognized fortified wines. 

The main difference between Vintage Port and Tawny Port lies in their winemaking. While Vintage Port is made from the harvest of a specific year, Tawny Port is usually a blend of several vintages. 

Additionally, Vintage Port wines are aged in large oak barrels, followed by bottle aging. Tawny Port makers age their wine in a small oak barrel.

Now, let’s look at Tawny Port in detail.

Tawny Port Wine Styles or Classifications

The Port and Douro Wine Institute (IVDP) classifies Tawny Port into two categories based on style and aging.

1. Aged Tawny Port

As the name suggests, Tawny Port is aged between 7 to 40+ years. Here are the different Aged Tawny Ports.

• Reserve: It is a young Tawny wine aged for about seven years. Reserve Tawny is usually medium golden-brown with fruity flavor and hints of maturity.
• 10 Year Old Aged Tawny: A 10 year Tawny wine has a slight brick red color with mellow notes of chocolate and nuts. 10 year Tawny Port showcases noticeable red fruit notes.
• 20 Year Old Aged Tawny: Itis a well-balanced enigma of youth with delicate freshness and fruit flavors combined with the savory notes of oak barrel aging. 20-Year-Old Aged Ports can vary from tawny pink to amber orange depending on the house style. 
• 30-year old Aged Tawny: The notes of wood aging (burnt caramel and honey) become dominant after 30 years while the young fruity flavor becomes subtle. The wine turns deep brown, and touches of green appear in the body. 
• 40-year old Aged Tawny: Richer and sweeter than other Aged Tawnies, 40-Year-Old Tawny wine shows notes of maturation. It has a highly scented and lifted nose, locally known as ‘vinagrinho’ (a little vinegar.) 

40-Year-Old Tawny wines showcase the knowledge and blending skills of the winemaker through the delicate balance of tannins and flavors. 

2. Colheita

Unlike other aged Tawny Port wines, the Colheita is a wine made from a single year’s harvest. 

Colheita wines are aged for at least seven years in wood before bottling - though many winemakers age it for much longer. It is one of the softest and most fruit-driven wines. 

The silky-smooth Tawny Port has complex flavors and a seductive aroma that leaves you wanting more! 

Taste and Characteristics of Tawny Port Wine

Tawny Port has several layers to it. Here’s everything about it. 

What color is Tawny Port?

Depending on the house style, the color of Tawny Port wine can range from hues of tawny pink to deep brown.

What does Tawny Port taste like?

A fine Tawny Port wine typically showcases notes of almonds, toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, dried fruit, butterscotch, toffee, and crème brûlée.

Is Tawny Port sweet or dry?

Tawny Port is an extremely sweet wine with as much as 100+ g/l of residual sugar.

How many calories in Tawny Port?

A 3-ounce serving of Tawny Port wine contains around 120-130 calories.

What is the alcohol content of Tawny Port wine?

Tawny Port has around 19%-20% alcohol.

How much acidity does Tawny Port have?

Tawny Port has low acidity of about 3%-4%.

10 Best Tawny Port Wines in 2024 (Including Tasting Notes, Prices)

From Charles Symington to Grahams Port, there’s a range of Tawny Ports. Here are some of our favorite bottles. 

• W & J Graham's 'Ne Oublie' Tawny Port
• Real Companhia Velha Quinta das Carvalhas 'Memories' Very Old Tawny Port
• Niepoort V V Old Tawny Port
• Fonseca 40 Year Old Tawny Port
• Taylor Fladgate 40 Year Old Tawny Port
• Ferreira Dona Antonia 20 Year Old Tawny Port
• Dow's 40 Year Old Tawny Port
• Burmester Jockey Club Reserve Port
• Quinta da Boeira 20 Year Old Tawny Port
• Quinta do Noval 40 Year Old Tawny Port

1. W & J Graham's 'Ne Oublie' Tawny Port ($7,568)

This rare, complex, wood aged Port wine has been finally bottled after 130 years. 

The dominant aroma includes dried orange peel, tobacco, dusty florals, cherries, exotic Indian spices, and smoke hints. Beautifully balanced on the palate, the wine gives a subtle citrus note with black cherry and raisin. 

2. Real Companhia Velha Quinta das Carvalhas 'Memories' Very Old Tawny Port ($2,500)

This sweet red wine got a near-perfect 99 by Wine Spectator for its caramel, cherry, brown sugar, and toffee flavors. 

3. Niepoort V V Old Tawny Port ($1,558)

It had a heavily scented nose with aromas of dried figs, raisin, honey, smoke, cigar leaf, and coffee. Silky smooth on the palate, you notice a vibrant acidity that gives the wine a bright freshness.

4. Fonseca 40 Year Old Tawny Port ($229)

The Fonseca 40 Year Old wood aged Port wine has the richness of ripe fruit. This fortified wine gives off flavors of walnuts, marmalade jelly, and a lasting taste.

5. Taylor Fladgate 40 Year Old Tawny Port ($215)

A classic Aged Tawny Port wine, the Taylor Fladgate 40 Year Old Tawny Port is full of spicy aromas and a dominant nutty note. 

You get a concentrated aroma of dried figs, honey, and Christmas spices on the nose. The palate of this red wine has layered notes of nutmeg, roasted coffee, and walnuts. 

6. Ferreira Dona Antonia 20 Year Old Tawny Port ($52)

This 20-year-old Tawny Port has an attractive tawny color with coppery hues. 

Its intense bouquet packs nut and spice aromas with a hint of dry fruit and marmalade. The palate is full-bodied, delicate, soft, and velvety with a lingering finish. 

7. Dow's 40-Year-Old Tawny Port ($184)

Dow’s 40 Year Old Tawny Port is made from ‘A’ classified vineyards and is aged in seasoned oak casks.

This intense and concentrated wine is dominated by fig and walnut notes. Flashes of green tea and ginger give the wine a refreshing flavor. 

8. Burmester Jockey Club Reserve Port ($22)

The Burmester Tordiz 40 Year Old Tawny Port is full of pleasant fruit flavours and cask aging notes. Walnut, caramel, vanilla, and almond notes dominate the full, rounded palate.

9. Quinta da Boeira 20 Year Old Tawny Port ($40)

This brown-colored wine with copper reflections has an opulent and voluptuous nose of jammy fruit, cassis, vanilla, spices, dried fruit, orange peel, caramel, and toasty notes. The palate is full of rich and concentrated flavors with a delicate finish.

10. Quinta do Noval 40 Year Old Tawny Port ($145)

A rich and nutty wine, the 40-year-old Quinta do Noval Tawny Port has a rich dark brown hue with wonderful green and yellow hints around the edges. The wine still retains a wonderful freshness and balance.

Investing in Aged Tawny Ports

Aged Tawny Port wines are meant to be drunk just after the wine is released. 

But, if you’re looking for a Port wine as a profitable investment, you should go for a Vintage Port wine. 

Vintage port wines like Dow, Warre, and Graham are bottled after about two years in the barrel, which gives them a great aging potential of about 20 to 50 years.

Some Vintage Port wines (like Niepoort 1863 Vintage) can age up to 100 years!

More importantly, how do you find the best and some of therarest Vintage Portwines without worrying about counterfeit bottles? 

The best way to buy your wine bottle is through a trusted wine investment company like Vinovest. With Vinovest, you can not only buy an authentic bottle of wine, but also store it securely and sell it to the perfect buyer anywhere across the world - from New Zealand to the USA.

Wondering how to drink Tawny Port wine?

Tawny Port: Serving and Food Pairing

To get the best of this dessert wine, you need to serve it right. Here’s how!

How to serve Tawny Port wine

Since they’re aged in wooden casks, you don’t need to decant Tawny Ports. Serve them directly from the bottle at about 10°C-12°C.

Which foods to pair with Tawny Port

Tawny Port is generally served as an aperitif or a dessert wine with blue cheese, soft cheese, pecan pie, or cheesecake. They also pair well with dark chocolate.

Does Tawny Port expire?

Technically, no. However, if not stored properly or kept open for a long time, the wine’s flavors would slowly fade, leaving behind a flat wine with a pungent aroma.

How long does Tawny Port last after opening?

An open bottle of Tawny Port lasts for around three months if stored right. However, ideally, consume a bottle of Tawny Port within two months of opening.

How to store Tawny Port

Store an unopened bottle of Tawny Port in a dark, cool, vibration-free place like a basement. After opening, recork the bottle and store it in the refrigerator.

How is Tawny Port Made?

Tawny Port winemakers focus more on creating a house style using a blend of multiple vintages rather than making a vintage wine. 

Tawny Port follows the basic Port wine process, where the wine is fortified during fermentation. The difference in methods comes after fermentation. 

Unlike Ruby and Vintage Ports, Tawny Port is aged in 600L and 640L seasoned oak casks called lodge pipes, where they go through gradual oxidation. The aging can be from seven years to as long as forty years. 

The oak cask aging also helps in the esterification of the wine. As the color fades, the wine develops ethyl esters and acetals, making it more aromatic and fruity. 

Get Your Hands On  A Lucious Tawny Port!

Tawny Port is the perfect wine to uncork on a special occasion. 

But, when it comes to long-term investment, you should go for Vintage Ports or other investment-grade wines like Champagne or Burgundy. 

The easiest way to build a collection of these coveted wines is to use a world-class investment platform like Vinovest.

Sign up today and start building a rewarding wine portfolio!