Shiraz/Syrah Port Question

I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.

The six we are tasting are Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus) Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS) Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile) Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA) Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon) K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)

I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info, please share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any other interesting tidbits.

thanks, J~

Reply to
J~
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Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the selection of Australian Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.

If you are leading the tasting you might try scanning through the archives of Gourmet Magazine of about 4 years back for an article that they did on Shiraz/Syrah. They got down to what they thought that the wines of each country were trying to achieve. Very good article.

Reply to
Bill Loftin
Reply to
Timothy Hartley

In the US you can call some junk made from Thompson Seedless, Port, and get away with it as long as you conform to BATF's regs. A number of good wineries make port-like wines with Zindandel and other grapes, so if you poke around you might find one using Shiraz/Syrah.

Reply to
joseph b. rosenberg

Chateau Reynella Old Tawny Port

I think it also has Grenache. Very Good!

Reply to
Young Martle

oops! should be Chateau Reynella Old Cave Tawny Port

Reply to
Young Martle

"Timothy Hartley" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@tgh.eurobell.co.uk...

Snip>>

You are right - real port comes only from Portugal. But Australian winemakers have long called fortified reds "port" - vintage or tawny - quite legally in Australia. They have made them from shiraz, grenache, cabernet, whatever. The mis-naming is gradually dying out due to trade agreements and regulations similar to those forbidding the use of the term champagne for sparkling wines. Proposed alternative names such as "Australian Sweet Fortified Red" do not quite sound very marketable to me.

Reply to
Martin Field

Hi J~ I think the reason you haven't found any info is because the wine is called Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2002. I've got a couple but haven't opened one yet (I tasted it at the winery last year) I can't find my notes for the wine but I got some from Nicks Wine Merchants here in Melbourne (

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2002 Mitolo Jester Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 94/100 Opaque black purple colour with deep purple hue. Lifted nose with notes of violets, spice and blackberry emerging showing very good varietal character. The palate is generous with big 'joosy' fruit flavours supported by a very strong flavour of very pronounced liquorice, toasted oak, spice and blackberry. Fine dryish tannins. Long aftertaste of liquorice, plum and spice followed by black pepper. Winner of "Best Red Wine - Under $25" at the McLaren Vale Wine Show!!

Also on your port question Australia is, as was mentioned by someone else in the thread, moving away from the term "port". You can quite a lot of good "Liquer Shiraz" for Tawny Port Styles or "Vintage Fortified" for Vintage Port Styles in Oz now. I have added a note for you (also from Nicks, I haven't tried this wine) for a show vintage (Depending on the year they will make them out of Shiraz, Touriga or Cab Sav)

1985 Seppelt Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Shiraz This is a politically correct 'Vintage Port' packaged as a Show Vintage Shiraz and is an outstanding example. Deep brick red colour. The nose is superb displaying some very fine brandy spirit, liquorice, raisin and exotic marzipan aromas. The palate is mouthfilling - a velvet smooth texture runs right through the wine displaying perfect integration of component parts. Flavours of liquorice, marzipan and raisins fill every corner of the palate - exceptional length and complexity. Perfect balance and very, very long liquorice, brandy and raisin after flavour. At 20.5% alcohol, it's one of those 'moreish' wines that needs some good company

Hope that's some help. Cheers Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Goldfinch

The ones I have seem to all be Grenache. Opened a Bernesh Brae last night... a bit lighter than the Cockburn/Fonseca/Grahams tawny's but not bad.

Reply to
Ron Natalie

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