Port wine can be made by fortification using different variations.

(1) To minimize the amount of brandy needed, most commercial Port is made
by fermenting a couple of days, running off and then fortifying the liquid.
The juice is exposed to the solids for just a couple of days, so extraction
is limited.
(2) Small producers often ferment for a couple of days, fortify the _must_
and then press a few days later. In this case, the liquid is exposed to the
solids for a much longer time. The alcohol level is high so there is much
more extraction. But, unfortunately, some brandy is discarded with the
pomace.

Note that the second method of making fortified Port more closely duplicates
the extraction conditions that naturally exist when the extended
fermentation method is used.

Lum
Del Mar, California, USA
www.geocities.com/lumeisenman


"miker" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for the comments Lum, and Franco I did the search you suggested
> and found Jack Keller's comments from 1999 where their club compared
> ports made from both methods. Hope Jack doesn't mind me re-posting part
> of his post:
>
> "All of these were relatively young ports, 2-6 years old. In
> my opinion, the port made without brandy had a much deeper and richer
> flavor, while the ports made with brandy fortification were fruitier,
> more complex and somewhat more interesting."
>
> Not sure from this which style he actually preferred. Maybe Jack will
> see this and comment more.
>