this is a shortcut!   Dave's Recipe for a Port from our Barons Blend
6 or so gallons Barons, 4 pounds brown sugar, 4 pounds chopped dried raisins and at bottling time add a fifth of brandy.

A RECIPE & PROCEDURE FOR MAKING PORT  

2009 Tom Mitchell 

1.      Select varieties with proper color – white or red. The varieties should exhibit  

1.      good ripe fruit characteristics (ripe berries, cherries, currants), * 

2.      a decent tannin structure, and  

3.      have a sufficient TA (I prefer above .9).  

2.      Adjust the brix to 24^o using cane sugar of your preference white, light brown, brown or dark brown - they each add their own signature to the favor. 

3.      Add ~ ¼ teaspoon of DAP per 5 gallons 

4.      Use a good yeast having high sugar and high alcohol tolerance such as EC-1118, or K1V – properly rehydrate and plan on fermenting around 70 – 75^oF so as to minimize yeast stress.¹ 

5.      At 1/3 depletion (16 brix) add ½ teaspoon of Fermaid-K dissolved in ¼ cup of hot water per 5 gallon – hot water helps stop the volcanic boil-over that may otherwise occur. 

6.      At 2/3 depletion (8 brix) add ¼ teaspoon of Fermaid-K dissolved in ¼ cup of hot water per 5 gallon and enough sugar to raise the brix to 14^o. 

7.      Continue the fermentation until the ferment drops to 12^o brix. 

8.      Add the proper amount of brandy to make five gal at the alcohol content you desire. 

9.      At this point the fermentation should terminate. Allow sufficient time for the wine to settle, then rack the wine off the lees into a clean carboy. 

10.  I like to add some fine, medium toast oak chips or 2 medium toast oak sticks for white port or for Red port dark toast oak chips or oak sticks at this time, as they will contribute to the complexity of the product. I prefer to start low and gradually add more each week until the desired affect is achieved and then rack to a clean carboy where it may be cold stabilized then age and mellow before bottling. Keep it in a cool place out of direct light for the entire process.  

*You may choose to add some dried or crushed fruit such as raisins*, currants*, raspberries, cherries etc. before the initiation of fermentation. * I especially liked the raisins and black currants in which I cut the raisins and currants in two before adding to the wine base. 

1.      Keep the level of the wine in the carboy at the shoulder of the carboy to help prevent boil-overs or blown carboys from plugged airlocks. 

2.      Ports generally have a residual sugar which tends to moderate the bite and hotness of the high alcohol content.