Aperitif In England And France

In England the traditional pre-dinner aperitif would be sherry from Spain.

In France the traditional pre-dinner aperitif would be Port from Portugal. Tanwny Port.

What's Tawny Port?
   When wine is picked from the grape it is red colour. Fresh bright red like fresh blood and fresh red grapes. After it ages in the barrel it goes brown like the barrel, like dried blood, or dried plums which turn into dark coloured prunes.

Here's a Tawny Port as an aperitif. You can see the tawny brown colour, like a tawny owl. My picture makes it look slightly red on my screen. the plate is red, but the drink is brown.

Port, Portugal & Portuguese Wine Labels including Mateus rose

Port is 20 per cent alcohol, a fortified wine, so it tastes sharp on the back of the throat like whisky.

Port is made from blends of grapes.

You keep the best a long time.

Ruby port, (dark red port, aged in the bottle)
then reserve,
then special reserve,
then LBV late bottled vintage,
then Vintage (very old).

Tawny port spends a long time in a barrel, decades, darker colour from the barrel.

Portuguese wine

You can visit the house on the Mateus Rose bottle. It's in Northern Portugal.

http://www.casademateus.com/visita.htm