NV Croft Pink Port

[Glenn E.]

I found a bottle of this at my local QFC grocery store, and since I'd been wanting to try pink Port I picked it up to take to a tapas party that was last night. I picked this particular party because while a couple of these friends like Port, most of them only drink wine so I thought it would be a good test. I served it at fridge temp - about 45 degrees - based on others' experiences.

NV Croft Pink Port
Color: Bright pink in the glass - it's aptly named. Clear and vibrant, it presents an inviting (if strangely colored) glass of Port.
Nose: Not really at all like Port. It smells much more like a "white zinfandel" or similar California pink wine than like a Port. There's not much alcohol on the nose, though, which is good since there wouldn't be much to help balance it out. I've heard others mention strawberries on the nose, but I'm really not getting that... just some very soft, very faint reddish fruits.
Palate: Sweet, with a bit of tang similar to a white zin, and some faint fruitiness. And that's really about it. To me it is far too sweet to be refreshing, but it isn't cloying so I guess that's a plus.
Finish: None worth noting.

I can't really give this a score because - to me - it's not a Port. Several others at the party tried small tastes, but that's all they drank. I had roughly a full "tasting" sized serving and my wife had about half that amount. One friend also tried about a half tasting. By the end of the night the bottle was still 80% full. Now in its defense, there were several bottles of wine at the party including a couple of really nice reds and a very good vinho verde. But still... no one liked it enough to drink more than a small taste, and there were 15 people at the party.

I think I would like it much more if it weren't quite as sweet. For me it borders on Kool-Aid, and that's just not what I'm expecting nor is it what I want. Reduce the sweetness (to the dry side of Port) and I think it could be really refreshing. As it is, I'd rather just have a Coke.

[Eric Menchen]

You could cut with tonic, seltzer, lime, mint ...

[Glenn E.]

You could cut with tonic, seltzer, lime, mint ...

Which you can also do with a Coke...

[Andy Velebil]

I've got a bottle of this in the fridge as I type

The one thing that irks me is when people say Pink (or Rose) Port is not Port. Then that makes any White Port not Port either because it's not even made with the same grapes as regular red Port. Just like a Dry White Port, a Lagrima Port, or something else, THIS IS PORT. Matter of fact, it's more "Port" than a white Port is as Rose/Pink use the same red grape varietials, just made in a different way.

I understand people not liking it, especially serious consumers and collectors of Port. Again, it's not marketed toward us, just like most basic rubies and tawny's aren't marketed to serious collectors. But I look at Pink/Rose Port for what it is, a basic entry level Port that can be satisfying on a hot day or as an aperitif. ok no more

[Moses Botbol]

Pink port has its place and makes a nice aperitif. Would I drink it all the time? No.

It should just be served, not heralded as "port", just something dropped in front of you and enjoyed. That being said, I would still vinho verde over pink port any day.

Pink port will have solid footing in the mixed drink settings; for martini's and the like.

[Glenn E.]

The one thing that irks me is when people say Pink (or Rose) Port is not Port.

You do realize that revealing a pet peeve around this lot is dangerous, right? *poke* *poke*

I was careful to say that it is just my opinion. It's not Port to me because it doesn't look like Port, doesn't smell like Port, and doesn't taste like Port. Served blind and with no prior knowledge of what it might be I might have guessed an especially sweet California White Zinfandel... but probably never in a million years would I have guessed Port. At least with white Ports (especially white Colheitas) I can recognize the basic characteristics of Port in the glass. Not so with this pink stuff.

That doesn't mean it can't have its place. As mentioned, if cut properly with something to take the edge off the sweetness, it might make a good aperitif. I can see how it might be refreshing on a hot afternoon. Etc, etc.

Matter of fact, it's more "Port" than a white Port is as Rose/Pink use the same red grape varietials, just made in a different way.

Oh, so it has to be red grapes to be Port in your book? The IVdP has a list of approved white grapes, too, you know.

[Andy Velebil]

The one thing that irks me is when people say Pink (or Rose) Port is not Port.

You do realize that revealing a pet peeve around this lot is dangerous, right? *poke* *poke*

I put on my bullet proof vest this morning after I posted

I was careful to say that it is just my opinion. It's not Port to me because it doesn't look like Port, doesn't smell like Port, and doesn't taste like Port. Served blind and with no prior knowledge of what it might be I might have guessed an especially sweet California White Zinfandel... but probably never in a million years would I have guessed Port. At least with white Ports (especially white Colheitas) I can recognize the basic characteristics of Port in the glass. Not so with this pink stuff.

i am glad we have our own opinions, it would be a boring world if we didn't. But let me ask you this....If white Port was just introduced would you say it wasn't Port either?

Just because this is a "new" thing, people automatically assume it's not Port because it's not what they are used to. It's something new, and as such, it will take time for people to accept it. Think back to the late 1700's and early 1800's when Port as we know it came about. I'm sure there was some controversy back then as well.

But honestly, what does Port taste like? White Port taste different than Tawny, Tawny different than Ruby, and an old White Colheita tastes nothing like a Lagrima, no?

[Glenn E.]

If white Port was just introduced would you say it wasn't Port either?

I don't think so, particularly with regard to the white Colheitas. I recognize the "essence" of Port in those. Sure, Dalva's 1952 Golden White Colheita tastes different than a 1952 Vintage Port or a 1952 (tawny) Colheita, but the structure is similar. At least to me.

Pink Port is unrecognizable as Port to me. Maybe I'll have a different opinion in 20-30 years when the first aged "Pink Colheita" hits the market.

Just because this is a "new" thing, people automatically assume it's not Port because it's not what they are used to. It's something new, and as such, it will take time for people to accept it. Think back to the late 1700's and early 1800's when Port as we know it came about. I'm sure there was some controversy back then as well.

Give me some credit. Unlike some people I didn't pass judgement until I'd tried it, and I tried it with an open mind. In fact I was really looking forward to trying it. But for me, as Port, it fails. It's not because it isn't what I'm used it, it's because it doesn't look like Port, doesn't smell like Port, and doesn't taste like Port. You know the saying, right? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it must be a duck. Well this is the opposite.

That doesn't mean it's a bad drink or that it was a mistake. As I've said already, I can see how some people might enjoy it. And if their enjoyment of The Pink Drink leads them to try Port, then that's great! I'm sure that would be viewed as a success by the producers, and rightly so. And it sounds like it's a great mixer - add tonic, lemon, lime, club soda, whatever you want.

I'm with Moses on this one. If you're going to serve it, don't build it up by telling people it's Port. Just serve it and let it stand on its own merits, because if you build it up as Port when you serve it you're just going to confuse your guests... either then (if they're familiar with Port) or later when they try Port for the first time.

[Andy Velebil]

Give me some credit. Unlike some people I didn't pass judgement until I'd tried it, and I tried it with an open mind.

I give you lots of credit for this...just busting your chops a little

I don't think so, particularly with regard to the white Colheitas. I recognize the "essence" of Port in those.

So what "essence" is missing in a Pink/Rose?

You know the saying, right? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it must be a duck.

That gangster I stopped today doesn't agree with this saying

Just serve it and let it stand on its own merits

One of the best statements I've heard..I agree 100%.

[Glenn E.]

I don't think so, particularly with regard to the white Colheitas. I recognize the "essence" of Port in those.

So what "essence" is missing in a Pink/Rose?

Well for starters, try as I might I couldn't find any depth to the wine at all. Perhaps my taste buds have been seared off by too many 2007 cask samples, or maybe I was already looking forward to the 1964 Noval Colheita that I'd also brought with me to the party, but I just didn't find any complexity at all in the Croft Pink Port. My first impression was of white zinfandel, then that it was very sweet, then... really nothing much at all. "Kinda like a really sweet white zinfandel" doesn't sound much like Port to me.

To me, even a Ruby Reserve (the "lowest" form of Port that I drink) has considerable complexity to it. We may call them simple, but that's in comparison to a Vintage Port or aged Tawny. Realistically, they're still quite complex for such "simple" wines.

Also to me, Port has bold and/or strong flavors. Even "elegant" Ports are usually still quite powerful... they're just less powerful than their less elegant bretheren.

I miss both of those things in the Croft Pink. The Kool-Aid reference was off the cuff, but it's really pretty spot on. This is a simple, sweet drink. Well-chilled and served with something else like tonic water it could make for a very refreshing drink on a hot day, but even that says to me that it's not like Port. When it gets hot out, I don't want Port - even a "light" white Port - because it's too heavy. I usually don't even want a Coke because even that can be too sweet. (More a Pepsi problem than a Coke problem, but I digress.) All I want is some ice cold lemonade. So I guess that might be another part of the Port "essence" for me - it's a fairly full and bold drink, bordering on heavy. Or at the very least it's non-light.

[Moses Botbol]

My girlfriend thought Croft Pink with soda tasted like Riunite.