Styles of port

There are two broad categories of port, fortified wines whose style is shaped by either cask ageing or bottle ageing. Wood-matured ports, often called simply wood ports, are aged either in wooden casks or, sometimes, cement tanks, and are ready to drink straight after fining, filtration, and bottling. Ports designed to mature in bottle, however, are aged for a short time in wood and are bottled without filtration. It may then take up to 20 or 30 years before such a wine is ready to drink. Within these two general categories there are many different styles of port. The official legislation governing the different categories of port was tightened up considerably in 2002 and the following are now permitted.