Port Wine Question - Substantial Differences?

Hey Dan - I'm glad that you've found a wine that agrees with you! Let me take a look at your questions one at a time:

Will you like the $5 port as much as the $15? Well, there is only one way to find out, and it involves risking $5. My guess, however, would be no. There are many good ports that are available for about $15.00 (Fonseca Bin 27, Kopke Ruby) and a couple that are under $10.00 (Warre's Warrior, for example) but none that I have heard of for $5.00. However, if you are just getting into the business of drinking port, it's all worth a try.

Is a Port a Port? No. There are ports and then there are ports. A true Port is from Portugual only - in much the same way that a true Champagne is only from the Champagne region of France. However, just as there are Champagnes from Champagne and Sparkling Wine from many other places (like California), there are Ports from Portugal and other fortified wines made in a "Port" style (mainly from California and Australia). What is a fortified port style wine? It is a red wine (usually made from the sort of robust grapes that grow in the Douro region of Portugal) that has been fortified with neutral tasting brandy. Adding the brandy to the fermenting wine suddenly kills the all the yeast before they have finished converting the natural sugars in the grapes to alcohol. In practice, that means that you are left with a sweet and alcoholic beverage.

Are there real differences between a good Port from Portugal and less expensive versions from California? I think so. There are many different kinds of Port from Portugal, but the best (even for $15 or so) will be rich, well-textured and complex. I find cheap port-style wines from Australia to have a messy, over-done flavour that reminds me of a woman with lipstick smeared around her lips and leopard print leotards.

I just wrote a column itemizing my favourite cheap Ports. If you are interested, you can find it here:

Hope this helps!

Matthew The Short Cellar

Matthew, I read your very nice article about ports. You left out the pistachios with the stilton and the vintage port. You have to have that bit of crunch to make it all work together. I have six bottles of 1962 Warre Port sitting downstairs in the cellar. Recently the 7th bottle was spectacular! When would you drink the remainder?

Kent

My dear friend - Port is only in Portugal - Douro, that $5 XXXXX is another thing is no a Port. Enjoy only the true Port from Portugal, Please visit me site :

Thank you Brito. I can certainly appreciate your proud view. I wound up buying a bottle from Portugal and it is lovely (sorry, again; can't remember the name). How nice it is to drink a small glass of Port after a strenuous day at the office. Never thought I'd like any kind of wine but Port is quite delicious :). I will look at your site later from home.

And thanks also to Kent for the tip on pistachios. I happen to love them too so I'll try them with the Port tonight!

Dan

Pistachios! Of course. I will try that the next time I am making an evening of a bottle of port. Thanks of the tip. You are a lucky fellow if you still have half a dozen bottles of 1962 Warre's haunting your basement. Hat's off to you and your patience. If the port tastes spectacular now, I would slowly work my way through the last six. Obviously, you are in no hurry, since it is still drinking well now, but it is not likely to improve much after 46 years. Experimentation is definitely your best option when you have so many bottles to play with! Matthew