i had a great tour of one of the wineries in 2010 and traveled down the Douro for a six-hour cruise. Very nice wine from the homeland.
Port
- Thread starter conroygc
- Start date
You will see all kinds of 'fake' ports labeled "Port" but the true Portugeese ports are labled Porto. The o is the kicker there. Most respectable vintners won't go as far as labeling a Cali port-style zin as Porto. I'm sure it happens from some producers, but there are some sparkling white producers in the States that package their bottles as Champagne, not Champagne-style or Sparkling.
As others have mentioned, reach out to late bottle vintage Portos and 10yr tawneys to keep the budget down. Look into domestically produced port style wines as well. Zinfandel is especially nice for this, but I've had a few great Syrah and Cab Sauv based wines too. Also look into Maderia and Sherry. Get some good 10yr+ representatives and you'll be happy. There are also some great fortified Muscatos that are port-like in style. They're a little more akin to sherry or maderia though.
Justin is a Cali producer that makes a nice Cab based port called Obtuse. I had a 97 vintage and it was stellar. It wasn't as good as the 95 Dows vintage Porto I had, but it was also a good bit less expensive. Vintage cab is expensive and needs a lot of time to age properly. Expect to spend $50-100 for a good vintage porto and expect to age it for a long time. I have a 2004 Quinto do Noval that I don't plan to open for a number of years.
As others have mentioned, reach out to late bottle vintage Portos and 10yr tawneys to keep the budget down. Look into domestically produced port style wines as well. Zinfandel is especially nice for this, but I've had a few great Syrah and Cab Sauv based wines too. Also look into Maderia and Sherry. Get some good 10yr+ representatives and you'll be happy. There are also some great fortified Muscatos that are port-like in style. They're a little more akin to sherry or maderia though.
Justin is a Cali producer that makes a nice Cab based port called Obtuse. I had a 97 vintage and it was stellar. It wasn't as good as the 95 Dows vintage Porto I had, but it was also a good bit less expensive. Vintage cab is expensive and needs a lot of time to age properly. Expect to spend $50-100 for a good vintage porto and expect to age it for a long time. I have a 2004 Quinto do Noval that I don't plan to open for a number of years.
I'm not sure I'm convinced that the French have it right with their strong protection of "champagne" and such names, insisting that other sparkling wines not be called champagne. I guess I can see arguments on both sides, but ...
... every time a vintner in Australia or California (or wherever) puts "Port" on a bottle of fortified red desert wine, he's giving a bit of advertisement to "real" port, and acknowledging that it's the "real deal" that he's striving for.
Nowadays, everyone makes photocopies instead of "Xeroxes", and there's a subtle shift from Xerox being "the one" you want to use (and if you don't actually have a Xerox machine from Xerox, well, you know you settled for second best buy you can pretend, right?) ... to ... hey, any machine can make a photocopy and our Cannon does a darn fine job, thank you very much.
Here is a link to an article from 2005 about a trade agreement between US and EU regarding use of place names in wine (Champagne, Port, etc.). It's nice to finally agree to respect the place names, but I don't particularly like "grandfathering in" the companies who have been abusing the tradition only because they've been doing it for so long.
http://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Trade-agreement-preserves-California-Champagne-2607366.php
http://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Trade-agreement-preserves-California-Champagne-2607366.php
As Christmas nears, I make sure I have a good supply of LBV or high-end ruby (Six Grapes) on hand ... nothing nicer than sitting around on a winter's evening sipping port, cracking walnuts, and eating a few good chocolates. Mmm ...
(Port & walnuts = heaven.)
They have a tradition of abusing the tradition.
(Port & walnuts = heaven.)
They have a tradition of abusing the tradition.
Especially as we Aussies didn't get that concession and we've been abusing it at least as long. At least they stopped exploding their nuclear bombs upwind of us in exchange.
I'm no fan of Appellation Controllee (can't be bothered doing the accents just take them as there) but I've been served some truly appalling things under the name champagne over the years and if I were the French originals I'd be trying to distance myself from them too. It's kind of backfired on them in the long run 'cause a lot of the big name French houses are now producing "sparkling white" here now and they have to play by the same rules.
But where port is concerned, I'll take that "fake" comment as proof that our product can compete against the best on quality.
- Thread starter
- #27
Last night I finished off a bottle of ruby port with my boss while we smoked cigars. I had a CAO Mx2. It was a wonderful pairing!
I've had Port a few times with my father in law, but not much more than a small taste. I decided to pick up a bottle of Sandeman's Founders Reserve Porto from Fresh Market. I don't know anything about Port, but this bottle is pretty tasty. Its about 20%. Fairly sweet, but not in a bad way. The alcohol is there, but not overpowering. It would taste great with some strong cheese or bitter dark chocolate. At $15 for the bottle, I'm not disappointed.
I really like the idea of getting a bottle to drink with family at Christmas. I think I'm going to try to start that tradition with my brothers this year. They like to drink, so I don't think they will object.
One question - I live in SC and work in NC. This bottle of Port was in the grocery store at NC. I can't say that I've seen Port in the same store (Fresh Market) in Greenville SC. Where would I go to look for a better selection? Remember, in SC, they can't sell liquor in the same store as beer and wine. Even stores like Total Wine have 2 different entrances/checkouts. One to buy beer and wine, the other for liquor. If someone else in a Southern state with these stupid blue laws can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. I just don't want to search around Total Wine for 20 minutes only to find out that I need to be in the other store.
I really like the idea of getting a bottle to drink with family at Christmas. I think I'm going to try to start that tradition with my brothers this year. They like to drink, so I don't think they will object.
One question - I live in SC and work in NC. This bottle of Port was in the grocery store at NC. I can't say that I've seen Port in the same store (Fresh Market) in Greenville SC. Where would I go to look for a better selection? Remember, in SC, they can't sell liquor in the same store as beer and wine. Even stores like Total Wine have 2 different entrances/checkouts. One to buy beer and wine, the other for liquor. If someone else in a Southern state with these stupid blue laws can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. I just don't want to search around Total Wine for 20 minutes only to find out that I need to be in the other store.
Sandeman's is Portuguese from memory. Lindeman's perhaps? It's made about 40km from where I live in the Barossa Valley. I'm always slightly spun out to see how these things travel.
What's a good ,robust flavored Port that is NOT fortified ?
I'm no expert, but I don't think there is one...
Port is a style of wine. Much like there is no such thing as a non carbonated Champagne. Port is fortified with a neutral grape spirit similar to grapa throughout the fermentation process. As the spirits are added, it boosts the alcohol, eventually killing off the yeast, leaving more sugars behind than a normal wine that is allowed to fully ferment out.
If you want other sweet dessert wines, look at Muscato or even muscadine wines. I think there are some sweet reds, but I don't know them off of the top of my head. Keep in mind though that a sweet wine will have significantly less alcohol than even a regular wine, so will be nothing like Port.
Port is a style of wine. Much like there is no such thing as a non carbonated Champagne. Port is fortified with a neutral grape spirit similar to grapa throughout the fermentation process. As the spirits are added, it boosts the alcohol, eventually killing off the yeast, leaving more sugars behind than a normal wine that is allowed to fully ferment out.
If you want other sweet dessert wines, look at Muscato or even muscadine wines. I think there are some sweet reds, but I don't know them off of the top of my head. Keep in mind though that a sweet wine will have significantly less alcohol than even a regular wine, so will be nothing like Port.
Ah, you ask after the dry table wines of the Douro valley?
SI !! I do ! they are true ports ,correct ? and not fortified.....I have never tried a non fortified port,but they sound appealing..
They won't be marketed under the name of 'Port" but as "Douro" ... being the Douro river and valley where the grapes (of this wine and of Port) are grown. I've had a few and enjoyed them. Check your local reliable wine merchant and ask for recommendations, or just take a gamble!
I love port. Bottle/ sitting. Dont get me wrong, I dont drink much. But when I drink port, I drink my bottle. Not relater to port, other than the fact that they sell a great deal of it...is Portalis in Seattle, WA. A restaurant and wine shop. Its pretty much heaven if you want to know about any vino and eat some damn good French food with it. Ciao!
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