For this reason, wine-loving Brits turned to Portugal as a source of their libations. This was a period of unrest in Europe, and England was nearly always in conflict with France over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Port wine began its illustrious history in the 1600s. Though today it's easy to pop a wine into a refrigerator to slow down the aging process, this wasn't always the case. This means that the wine has brandy added to it during the fermentation process to make it last longer. Port wine is different from standard wines because it's fortified.

Here's everything you need to know, from how it got its name to what temperature to store Port wine to make sure it tastes amazing and lasts as long as it should. If you're ready to dive headlong into the wonderful world of Port, it helps to know a thing or two about the care and keeping of this special spirit. Port wine is an old-fashioned delight that's making a big comeback as a new generation of sippers learns to love this fortified wine. Wine rewards those who are willing to branch out and develop their palettes, and this is especially true of Port. Still, that's no excuse for sticking to the same old Chardonnay year after year.

There are so many different kinds of wines out there that it would take a lifetime to try them all.

What age can you bet on ports