Port and Sherry are both fortified wines, often referred to as dessert wines due to their consumption following dinner. While they share similarities, there are several differences between the two.
Key Takeaways
- Port wine is dark red in color, originating from the Douro Valley in Portugal, while Sherry is a light-colored wine from the Jerez town and surrounding areas in Spain.
- Fermentation is stopped midway for Port wine, resulting in a sweet and rich texture, while Sherry undergoes complete fermentation, making it devoid of any sweetness and dry in texture.
- Port wine is made using various grape varieties, whereas Sherry is made using only three grape varieties, with around 90% of it coming from Pedro Ximenez grapes.
Port Wine
Port is a dark red, sweet wine that originates from the Douro Valley in Portugal. The name of this fortified wine comes from a city called Oporto in this region. Although Port wines are produced in various parts of the world, including Australia and the United States, connoisseurs consider Portuguese Port wine to be the most authentic.
Many different grape varieties from the Douro Valley can be used to make Port wine. Some of the more common varieties include Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, and Tinta Borocca. Harvesting in the steep slopes of the valley is still done by hand since machines find it difficult to pick grapes in these areas. The grapes are crushed into juice and stored in large steel tanks, where fermentation occurs through natural yeast. After nearly half of the sugars in the juice have been fermented, alcohol is added to strengthen the wine. This fortification also signals the end of fermentation, as port is intended to remain somewhat sweet. Once fermented, the wine is stored in wooden casks to mature for almost another year.
Sherry Wine
Sherry is a light-colored fortified wine that comes from Spain. The production area for Sherry is in and around a city called Jerez, located in the province of Cadiz. Sherry is only considered authentic if produced in this region of Spain. It is made using only three types of grape varieties, with around 90% of Sherry being made from Pedro Ximenez grapes. After harvesting, the grapes are dried under the sun to raise the concentration of sugar inside the fruit.
Following the crushing and obtaining of juices, fermentation begins and proceeds until completion, turning all the sugar in the juice into alcohol. This process leaves no sweetness in the juice, and a layer of natural yeast called Flor floats over the juice in the barrels.
Differences between Port and Sherry
• Port comes from the Douro Valley in Portugal, while Sherry comes from Jerez town and nearby areas in Spain.
• Port is dark in color, while Sherry is light-colored.
• Fermentation is stopped midway in the case of Port wine, leaving it a bit sweet, while fermentation is allowed to be completed in Sherry, making it devoid of any sweetness. This is why Port is sweet and rich in texture, while Sherry is dry.
• Fortification takes place before the completion of fermentation in Port, while the fortification of Sherry is done after the completion of fermentation.
• The alcohol content is higher in Port than Sherry (around 20% in Port, compared to around 12% in Sherry).
• Port wine is made using various grape varieties, while Sherry is made using only three grape varieties.
