For The Love Of Port

Eric, I was thinking the same
That said, if I'd just won the lottery in time I could have beaten the Syms in buying this Quinta. I've been up there in Casal de Loivos looking down on Sabordela and Bomfim and it is just a stunning location. I wouldn't mind owning that!

We're off to New Zealand. Probably still a bit of a port wasteland, but the rest of the wines are very interesting!

1. Flor de Crasto 2004 A new bottling by Quinta do Crasto. This wine sells at € 6,95 over here, and is clearly meant as a basic wine. Bright purple colour, warm nose with berries, cherries, herbs and some freshness from eucalyptus. The first mouthfeel is actually quite tannic and acidic. Dark cherri...

2. Symington's Altano Reserva 2001 I'm not a big fan of the regular Altano... well, that's understating it a bit, quite frankly I think it simply is a bad wine. But I never tasted the reserva, and I was eager to find out if I would like this better. It sells at € 13,95. Nice colour, slightly more c...

Krohn Reserve Tawny
Dusty, dull and very sweet. Best to be washed away with a glass of Grolsh.

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Niepoort Senior Tawny
Nice and round, remarkably full and complex for a tawny in this price category. Very nice.

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Kopke 10 YOT
A bit medicinal and alcoholic on the nose, but nice flavours. Spicy and racy. Always a good 10YOT.

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Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 YOT
More delicate on the nose than the Kopke, quite sweet but not cloying. A polite port, with nice complex flavours.

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Niepoort 10 YOT
Clearly the most complex of the bunch with citrus notes, tangy freshness and a long finish.

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Dow's 1996 Colheita
Nothing wrong with this, but it's just very, very dull. And that's all.

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Kopke 1992 Colheita
Not bad, but certainly not as good as the 10YOT from the same producer. A bit one-dimensional.

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Krohn 1991 Colheita
I don't like this at all. Very medicinal and bitter.

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Krohn 20 YOT
Full and sweet with nuts, raisins and some milk chocolate. Very nice.

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Dow's 1980 VP
Very concentrated, packed with young fruit. Dry and tight. Still closed and way too young. A fantastic port, one of my favorites.

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Nice one! Do you still have some left in the bottle? I'd like to taste...

A nice theme. I've tried two different ones: 1. Flor de Crasto 2004 A new bottling by Quinta do Crasto. This wine sells at € 6,95 over here, and is clearly meant as a basic wine. Bright purple colour, warm nose with berries, cherries, herbs and some freshness from eucalyptus. The first mouthfeel is ...

Roy, although it looks like a very interesting project, $950.00 does seem to be a bit expensive for a map you'd want to take along on a trip to the douro. A phtocopy from Hugh Johnson's wine atlas is probably a brighter idea.

As far as I know, there isn't one. There are army maps that are very detailed, but most of them are something like 10 years old and outdated. Also not all quintas are on them. The Symingtons made a beautiful map of the area, but next to the quintas that the Symingtons own or who supply them, only a ...

Hi, and welcome!

This is a great port that deserves to be tasted on its own, IMO. I've tasted it recently, you can find my TN here. Enjoy!

Yum, a great port! I still have a full case and I'm in no hurry to open them, they'll go a long way.