Portugal, although having a fair amount of competent and sometimes outstanding table wines, is known primarily as being home to some of the greatest fortified wines in the world. Chief among these is port. By Portuguese law, port is the fortified wine made from vineyards along the Douro river and shipped from the city of Oporto near the point where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. In the United States these wines are distinguished from other port wines by use of the term Oporto or simply Porto.

Popularized by the British in the 18th century, they have become world famous and are now made in an array of styles. The other great Portugese fortified wine, though vastly underappreciated, is Madeira. Made in styles ranging from nearly dry to very sweet, youthful to centuries old, Madeira is always marked by a characteristic note of acidity and the famous aromatic note to which it has leant its name...maderization.