What this is all about...

It all started with a "little" book called 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die. I asked a few girlfriends if they would be interested in working through the book with me. I mean, 1001 wines, by myself? Thought that would seem a little selfish. Fortunately, I have some of the greatest friends in the world and they have willingly agreed to take the plunge with me. We have gone a little "off book" but I haven't heard a complaint yet.

As we continue with these tastings, I hope to share not only the wines and what we thought of them, but also the food we paired with the wine and recipes as needed. Food can make or break a wine and our tastings have borne that out. I want to share that information and help break the "mystique" of wine.

We are expanding our wine knowledge and narrowing our choices at the same time. The real time goal is for all of us to find a few varietals (that is what the different grapes are called) that we like and then find the lowest, consistently good price point for those varietals. You do NOT have to spend a lot of money to drink really good wine!!!

13 tastings down, 100s still to go. So grab a glass, pop a cork, and join us!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Port - December 2011 Tasting Notes

Port
This was a big tasting.  Lots of little sips, but wow!, what flavors.  Port is fortified wine.  This is not a "drink with dinner" beverage.  Port is best served slightly warmer than room temperature (pour in snifter and warm with your hand).  We tried LOTS of port.

While Port is for after dinner, it does not have to be served with sweets.  Dark chocolate is about the only sweet that really compliments the sweetness of the port.  Bleu cheese is a perfect balance for most port.

All Port MUST come from Portugal, specifically the Duoro region.  It is called "port" because of the city, Oporto, where all port used to be blended and aged before shipment.  Until 1986, this process was still required by law in Portugal.

Port is made from fermented grapes with clear brandy added in.

Ports range in price from $6 for a Ruby port to well over $800 for a LBV  or Vintage port.  We tried the following:

Dow's Ruby Port - $11.99 @ Wegman's
Graham's 10 Year Tawny Port - $31.99 @ Wegman's
Nieport Colheita Port - bought at auction
Quinta De Ventozelo LBV 2005 - from my private collection
Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 1996 - bought at auction
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