Have you ever heard the phrase “money doesn’t grow on trees?” If you would have asked the Mayans and the Aztecs back in 250 A.D., they would have said. “Yes, it does!” The cocoa bean was their form of currency, and only the upper class could afford to drink their money. What they discovered is what we still love about chocolate today; its perceived ability to increase stamina, endurance, mood, romantic arousals… LUST!
There are actually a wide variety of fortified wines in the world, for which Port is just one kind. But it is a special one, and of the fortified wines, it is the oldest. Fortifying means that a grape spirit, or brandy, is added to the wine to help preserve it. The brandy is added during fermentation, which then kills the yeast as the yeast can only survive in an environment that is just so high in alcohol. This means that wine retains its sweetness. From here, the wine goes into a series of ageing containers. Depending on how long the ageing process is, the wine maker is making Ruby or Tawny port.
As we all go into celebrating Labor Day this coming weekend, we pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of workers here in the United States. So, it is fitting that we take time to acknowledge all the labor that goes into making a bottle of wine.
Friday, September 2nd marks National Chianti Day. I think we can all embrace a pseudo-holiday that involves wine! This wine-oliday was inaugurated in 2020 by Santa Margherita, in order to highlight and showcase the Tuscan’s star wine, Chianti.
