Port Wine

I am looking for an easy to find, great value, sweet port wine. I didn't post this question on the wine forum because it is probably the only wine question I will ever have. I tried a port in Napa from Del Dotto winery that I really liked, but Del Dotto wants $75 a bottle and that is way out of my price range.

Any suggestions?

[Robin Garr]

Justin, if you want "real" Port from Portugal, your best bet is a non-vintage Ruby or Tawny Port. Most local wine shops will have at least a small selection. Look to pay in the $15 to $20 range for Ruby, $20 to $50 for Tawny depending on the number of years in bottle.

If you don't give a rats about the Portuguese brand and just want a good Port-type wine, to for Australia. Hardy's "Whiskers Blake", usually available around town for $15 or so, is an excellent tawny.

Again, go to a wine shop with knowledgeable staff, such as but not limited to The Wine Rack, Old Town/Wine Market, Gemelli, Westport, and ask the proprietors' advice. Most of our fine-wine shops (as opposed to corner liquor stores) will know what they're doing and won't steer you wrong.

I am looking for an easy to find, great value, sweet port wine. I didn't post this question on the wine forum because it is probably the only wine question I will ever have. I tried a port in Napa from Del Dotto winery that I really liked, but Del Dotto wants $75 a bottle and that is way out of my price range.

Any suggestions?

Knowing nothing of Port I did a little wiki read up on it and was left with a couple questions.
First, while I understand that brandy is added to stop the fermentation(fortifying) I dont understand why that would done. Is there a historical/cultural reason that this is done?
Second,do you know the Bishop of Norwich?

This is what I found from wineintro.com.


Port's History
Port first became popular when the English were at war with France, and could therefore not drink French wines. The English went in search of a new location to set up vineyards, and the Duoro Valley proved to be quite suitable. The vineyards are laid out along very steep hills, terraced to provide footing for the vines.

In the seafaring days when this occurred, something had to be done to wine to allow it to survive the long ocean journeys. Brandy was added to allow the wine to last longer, and to be more resistant to temperature changes. Wines altered like this were called "fortified wines", and port is one of the more famous of the fortifieds.

There are 48 authorized grape varieties which can go into a port. The most common are 8 red and 8 white, with tinta rariz, tinta francisca, touriga nacional and touriga francesca topping the list. Port is kept in oak for a relatively short time, and depending on the quality of the year, is blended with other years for a consistant taste. It is then fortified and aged in bottles. Every Quinta, or 'house', determines its own vintage years.



Enjoying Port
Ports should be stored differently depending on their type. The Standard port, including Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) ports, have a stopper-with-plastic-top seal. These are not meant to be aged, and should be stored upright, so the cork does not have any contact with the liquid within. The plastic seal is not meant to hold in the liquid on its side. Vintage ports, on the other hand, are meant to be aged and have a traditional, "normal" wine-type cork. These should be stored on their sides like any other wine.

The standard port is meant to be bought and enjoyed quickly - that's why it doesn't have a full cork. It is not meant to be aged. Once opened, if the bottle is kept corked (stopped), it can last between one (Ruby) and four (Tawny) months before its flavor is lost. A vintage port, once opened, loses its flavor quickly (again, like wine). It should be drunk within 24 hours of decanting if possible.

Port should be served around 65 degrees, in a narrow wine glass, and the glass should only be half filled. This keeps the alcoholic content from overwhelming the flavors. It often needs to be decanted, and is traditionally served with Stilton or cheddar cheese. Port also goes very well with chocolate. Port aromas include pepper, smoke, truffles and black currant. "Standard" port should be drunk within a year or two of purchase. Vintage Port peaks at around 20 years for good quality port.


Types of Port
White Port is made from a selection of white grape varieties, and is then aged and fortified. It is typically a simple multi-year blend of vintages, can be sweet or dry depending on the house style.

Ruby Port is the most basic of port styles. This is made with a blend of red grape varieties and is blended from several years. It should not be aged, and tends to taste of berries, with light tannins.

Tawny Port is a ruby port that has been aged for several years in small oak barrels. This gives the port a tawny color, as well as a buttery, nutty caramel flavor. If a tawny port is listed as being "10 years" or "20 years", this means that the *average* vintages used in the blend is that number. A 10 year tawny might include some wine from 8 years old, and some from 12 years old, and so on. These are usually sweet.

Late Bottled Vintage was created specifically for the restaurant market, to give them a vintage type port that did not have a sediment and could last a while after being opened. The winemaker filters and fines this port and then pre-ages it for the consumer, usually for 6 or more years. When you buy your LBV port, you should drink it soon - it is not meant for aging. When you open this bottle, though, you can expect it to last for a full month before starting to lose its flavor.

Vintage Port is the high end of port releases. Only the best years are declared a vintage and used for this purpose. All of the grapes from a single harvest are used in a given wine. A 2000 vintage port contains only grapes from the 2000 harvest. This wine is aged in oak and then aged in the bottle. When you buy a vintage port, often YOU must then age it for another 10-30 years before it is at its best drinking flavor. This is the type of port you find in expensive cellars, waiting for decades to be enjoyed.

[Robin Garr]

Knowing nothing of Port I did a little wiki read up on it and was left with a couple questions.
First, while I understand that brandy is added to stop the fermentation(fortifying) I dont understand why that would done. Is there a historical/cultural reason that this is done?

Justin's long post is good. Short answer: Fortified to survive the long boat trip to England from the Douro. The Brits, after a while, learned to like it that way. The wine tasted good and lasted forever.

Second,do you know the Bishop of Norwich?

"Don't bogart that Port."

Knowing nothing of Port I did a little wiki read up on it and was left with a couple questions.
First, while I understand that brandy is added to stop the fermentation(fortifying) I dont understand why that would done. Is there a historical/cultural reason that this is done?
Second,do you know the Bishop of Norwich?

Knowing nothing of Port I did a little wiki read up on it and was left with a couple questions.
First, while I understand that brandy is added to stop the fermentation(fortifying) I dont understand why that would done. Is there a historical/cultural reason that this is done?

Justin's long post is good. Short answer: Fortified to survive the long boat trip to England from the Douro. The Brits, after a while, learned to like it that way. The wine tasted good and lasted forever.

Second,do you know the Bishop of Norwich?

"Don't bogart that Port."

Knowing nothing of Port I did a little wiki read up on it and was left with a couple questions.
First, while I understand that brandy is added to stop the fermentation(fortifying) I dont understand why that would done. Is there a historical/cultural reason that this is done?
Second,do you know the Bishop of Norwich?

Wow, thanks to the Brits, we have port wine, and the India Pale Ale.... products made to stand the test of time on ocean voyages. Did they make the twinkie too?

Keeping it local:

Has anyone tried the "ports" that Huber's makes?

http://www.huberwinery.com/catalog_cate ... hp?id=Port

Keeping it local:

Has anyone tried the "ports" that Huber's makes?

http://www.huberwinery.com/catalog_cate ... hp?id=Port

We carry two ports from Huber. The Ruby port is decent. It is fortified with their brandy, and has a bit of a burn to it. Their Knobstone Reserve port is really really good, much better than the ruby port.

My two cents: You just can't go wrong with Graham's Six Grapes for a cost effective ruby port from Portugal.

Know this, too: Every Christmas, we have a meeting of the Pants Down Pot Luck Port Tasters Society at NABC Grantline/Rich O's. Anyone who brings a bottle for the melee is welcomed. It isn't until December, but contact me again then and I'll provide details.

Tried Westport and Wine Rack and neither of them had any of the ports mentioned in this posting.

Tried Westport and Wine Rack and neither of them had any of the ports mentioned in this posting.

Me thinks you may need to find different package stores. Graham's is a virtual default. Todd, you carry that, right?

Port, blue cheese, walnuts....and a fire in mid-January. As the weather warms port becomes a bit on the heavy side for my taste. Just about everyone should have Six Grapes. Taylor, Fladgate makes some decent 10 and 20 y/o tawnys that are readily available.

Well, since wine was brought up, whats a good wine for an outdoor party on a warm afternoon? Everybody's gonna bring beer and liquor and burgers and dogs and chips, I think I'm gonna bring wine and cheese and bread and blow their mind.

How about Boones farm, American(non of that fancy kraft stuff either), and wonderbread(slightly stale if you are connoisseur.

How about Boones farm, American(non of that fancy kraft stuff either), and wonderbread(slightly stale if you are connoisseur.

Heaven forbid. Shall we direct you to the NASCAR discussion forum?