The fruit for Croft Fine Tawny Porto is sourced in the traditional way, from the highest-quality individual growers in the Douro Valley, where the varying altitude and aspect of the vineyards creates the potential for a complex wine of great character. In the winery, the newly developed, robotic “Port Toes” technology for treading allows the winery to maximize the quality of the fruit by imitating the traditional action of human feet and avoiding damage to the bitter grape seeds. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Croft Fine Tawny is a blend of three- to four-year-old wines selected for their ability to mature quickly to produce a mellow, rounded flavor. The blend is matured in neutral casks for an average of three years before bottling.