For The Love Of Port

As we’ve had the first couple of days of good weather this year (and it’s almost certain not to last), there’s quite a strong temptation to get through the year’s quota of Pimms before the rain restarts!

I would definitely agree with you on this one. I had the 97 a couple of months ago and had a very similar impression - lighter-bodied, spicy, and with fairly straightforward cherry/plum fruit. A solid port but not particularly exciting. That’s quite reassuring…I was worried that my palate was playi...

+24 Hours . Not much change, though it has mellowed somewhat. Now an extremely easy drinker. I think, overall, this is an entirely pleasant VP, though not quite interesting or exciting enough to warrant drinking again in the next few years. I’d be interested to hear what people think about the surr...

Smith Woodhouse VP 1997 I don’t really know the Smith Woodhouse Ports, so was going to get something a bit older, but this was the only one I found locally. As should be expected, the cork came out easily in one piece, and there was only a little sediment. 8+ Hours . Surprisingly large on the nose,...

Yes, as rejected simply means they were not approved to be sold as their intended product. Its a common thing and a sore spot for many producers. From what I've gathered, it really is a roll of the dice to see if your product gets approved the first or even second time around. It's really a bit sil...

Have a look at the article archive for my recent article on the Selo da Garantia. It is not a guarantee of quality in the bottle, whatsoever. It only really guarantees, that the contents of the bottle comes from the demarcated Douro region. Therefore the Selo solely is a geographical guarantee not ...

I think that Quinta de Vargellas gets so much ink that folks who drink a good amount of Port, get to know it and it is a standout place to visit in the Douro too, with lots of history. Terra Feita on the other hand does not have an equivalent of "Vinha Velha" bottlings and so, it remains ...

I must have been so traumatised by the Armilar experience that it had been wiped from my memory until I read your post :help: :snooty: I did wonder what the Selo de Garantia was actually guaranteeing for the Armilar...perhaps that the wine is non-toxic? I still feel slightly guilty about that bottl...

I’ve been disappointed by a few Ports, but the only ones that I have actively disliked have been some of the cheap rubies which really do a disservice to the Port. Apart from the Armilar Ruby (thanks to Derek for the picture), I think I’d struggle to get through a bottle of the Burmester Ruby, and t...

I wonder whether more effort could be directed towards improving the quality of natural corks. It would seem to me that the Port industry, in particular, would have a strong incentive to see whether it would be possible to produce stronger and sterile corks, before moving to other closures. For my p...

I was a reunion dinner a couple of nights ago where the Port was a custom labelled “house” ruby. It was horrific; perhaps the second least drinkable Port I can remember. I had a look at the bottle and saw that it was described as being made by Noval, which somewhat surprised me as, although I haven’...

I thought I might try to post a few of my notes on the forum (when they are a bit longer than my customary couple of words!). Sample glass at the time of decanting was quite unpleasant. Far too much alcohol. All other flavours obscured. Improved a bit after an hour or so. Greatly improved after abou...

There is, also, the other problem of visiting a vineyard. What does one do when the wine offered for tasting is so bad as to be almost undrinkable? That's happened to me on a few occasions...particularly, I'm afraid to say, with those Niagara valley vineyards in Canada! That said, I have noticed tha...

This reminds me of a story * from February where someone sent back an £18,000 bottle of 1961 Pétrus in a restaurant on the grounds that it was forged. (* for the record, the Daily Mail is not my paper of choice :D ) In addition to Roy's comment, with the exception of ultra-rare antique wines (such a...

I think sabrage relies on there being some pressure inside the bottle so it wouldn’t work with still wine...then you really would be slicing the top of the bottle with the sabre!

-Jacob

How much loose glass do you get with the tongs? I haven’t tried it myself and assumed that it was a clean break. I wonder if the folks who go in for sabrage have the same problem...

I’m with Frederick. Although I’ve tried cheesecloth and paper filters, I generally just use a funnel (and sometimes a tea strainer to catch any bits of cork if it disintegrated). If the sediment is not so stuck to the bottle that there’s more than a tea-spoon of undrinkable liquid left, I might deca...

As far as I can tell this combination is being kept alive by Marks & Spencer and the UK supermarket chains who sell little wicker baskets with a small bottle of ruby port and a lump of stilton as Christmas gifts. The most hilarious example I have seen of this was one sold to my ex-mother-in-law...

In terms of 500ml bottles, apart from the Warre's Optima (where, rather unimpressive, the 500ml bottle is “hidden” inside a box…) and, now the “Pink Port”, I was also thinking of the Delaforce Colheitas, which are, I believe, mostly sold in the 500ml. It also seems a bit more common in the Madeira m...

I eventually picked up a bottle of the M&S a couple of weeks ago, but have only just got around to opening it. I agree with much of what has been said above; it certainly tastes very different to any other Port and I can't see it enjoying much success with the existing Port market. Drinking it a...