Actually, the Brandy in port is not used to stop fermentation, but to keep the wine from spoiling in transit. Back in the days before powered travel, ships (with sails) would transport this wine from Portugal to England, and by the time the wine reached British ports, it would spoil.
Brandy is put in the wine to help fortify it against bacteria (as bacteria do not like alcohol)…
Now, “port” is generally used to name any very sweet dessert wine with an alcohol content greater than 17%, I believe. It’s because of this nomenclature rule that a guy at Texas A&M university, College Station is able to market a “port” wine with 20% alcohol and no brandy in it whatsoever.
Actually, the Brandy in port is not used to stop fermentation, but to keep the wine from spoiling in transit. Back in the days before powered travel, ships (with sails) would transport this wine from Portugal to England, and by the time the wine reached British ports, it would spoil.
Brandy is put in the wine to help fortify it against bacteria (as bacteria do not like alcohol)…
Now, “port” is generally used to name any very sweet dessert wine with an alcohol content greater than 17%, I believe. It’s because of this nomenclature rule that a guy at Texas A&M university, College Station is able to market a “port” wine with 20% alcohol and no brandy in it whatsoever.
And it’s fortified, you say? I wonder if port has anything to do with the country of Portugal…