Port trade dispirited by price rises

Usually it’s too much brandy that gives you a headache, not too little. However, the port industry is faced with a serious shortage of spirit with which to fortify its wines, according to a leading port producer.

A confluence of different factors have caused the problem. Firstly, EU subsidies for distillation have been phased out, coming to a final end in 2010. This measure, which was designed to deal with the EU wine lake, resulted in good volumes of local, inexpensive grape spirit that port producers were only too pleased to put to use. Now that European wine production levels...