Why don't more women drink Port wine?

[Derek T.]

Whilst reading Amber's post I was nodding in agreement with everything right up to this sentence...

women (stereotypically) have a lot of patience when it comes to husbands

[Roy Hersh]

Maybe Amber meant, "except for one's prone to drinking Port?"

It was worth creating this thread, if only to prove we could get a couple of the many women who are LURKING here (Port lovers indeed ) to come out of the shadows and join us, if only for a post or three.

[Melanie R.]

I'm new to the world of wine and port, and brand new to the forum. I agree with the perception of port as a drink for the "old guy in the smoking jacket" and have to admit that as a fairly young woman I feel a little strange getting "into" port. However, as I have yet to meet a port I didn't like, I'm going to put aside silly stereotypes such as these and maybe help dispel them.

The more perplexing question for me is not why more women don't like port, but why I do like port. In my limited experience, I tend not to like red wines because of their overly alcoholic and/or tannic qualities. So how could I be a port lover? Can anyone explain this to me? Maybe it's the extra sweetness that makes port so likeable.

[Glenn E.]

Melanie, I don't think that's strange at all.

Then again, maybe it's just me.

I don't drink wine or beer at all - they just don't appeal to me. I also don't really drink mixed drinks unless they're the sweeter/fruitier variety. (If it comes with an umbrella, I'll probably like it. ) I do drink dessert wines, but that's probably because they're much closer to Port.

For me I think it's the sweetness and the sippability. (Is that a word? It is now!) Port is something that I can enjoy throughout the evening without having to drink a lot. One glass can be sipped and savored for a long time. It's sweet, which appeals to my sweet tooth, but it's not syrupy so it still seems like a "grown up" drink.

It's just the perfect alcoholic beverage!

[Moses Botbol]

Melanie:

Welcome to the Forum. Port is generally not as tannic (unless a very new vintage) and is easy drinking and can be casual or formal.

The question of this thread is at odds with my own experience; all the women around me drink port by default.

[Daniel R.]

I'm new to the world of wine and port, and brand new to the forum. I agree with the perception of port as a drink for the "old guy in the smoking jacket" and have to admit that as a fairly young woman I feel a little strange getting "into" port. However, as I have yet to meet a port I didn't like, I'm going to put aside silly stereotypes such as these and maybe help dispel them.

The more perplexing question for me is not why more women don't like port, but why I do like port. In my limited experience, I tend not to like red wines because of their overly alcoholic and/or tannic qualities. So how could I be a port lover? Can anyone explain this to me? Maybe it's the extra sweetness that makes port so likeable.

Melanie,

The "old guy in the smoking jacket" is also a cultural thing. In Portugal there is no such perception and men and women of all ages drink port. In my opinion port the answer to your question is simple: port is a very easy drink to drink as it has a great balance of sweetness/complexity/alcohol.

[Melanie R.]

Yes, I'm sure that perceptions about women and alcohol, or certain types of alcohol, could be cultural, or maybe just influenced by whatever group you hang out with. I can imagine that port would be much more widely appreciated in Portugal, where it originated. It would be interesting to know how popular port is in various countries around the world.

[Peter W. Meek]

Now where can I get a smoking jacket? (I already have the "old guy" part down pat.)

Why do we need smoking jackets anyway? They date back to a period where, what we now consider to be, a man's shirt was considered a form of underwear. OK to let cuffs and collars be exposed, but the arms and torso? Never! They also pre-date central heating, when something extra like a jacket was needed. Likewise the wings on a winged armchair (another Port requirement); they kept radiation loss down and prevented drafts getting to the body. Now: picture heat-hating me -- sitting there on a stool in my Speedo (all 18+ stone of me; the Speedo is likely invisible) sipping my Port. That's the modern Port drinker for you.

[Moses Botbol]

Smoking jackets are primarily to keep you from stinking after smoking a cigar. Like proper smoking overall's.

Smoking jackets are different from dinner jackets.

[Peter W. Meek]

Smoking jackets are primarily to keep you from stinking after smoking a cigar. Like proper smoking overall's.

Smoking jackets are different from dinner jackets.

Lazarus Long (a Heinlein fictional character) once said, "Beware of enterprises that require you to buy new clothes."

[Eric Menchen]

I did not buy any new clothes specifically for Port drinking.
I did buy new clothes in Porto after TAP lost my luggage, but that's a different situation.
Now that I think about it, and at the risk of stereotyping ... If we told women they would have to buy new clothes for Port drinking, maybe more might get involved?

[Melanie R.]

I did not buy any new clothes specifically for Port drinking.
I did buy new clothes in Porto after TAP lost my luggage, but that's a different situation.
Now that I think about it, and at the risk of stereotyping ... If we told women they would have to buy new clothes for Port drinking, maybe more might get involved?

LOL...you might have something there.

[Roy Hersh]

I did buy new clothes in Porto after TAP lost my luggage, but that's a different situation.

Rookie. I had my luggage lost on 3 consecutive trips to Portugal, but none were at the hand of TAP. United Airlines, Continental and US Air. Of those three, the absolute worst in terms of telling the truth and remedying the situation was US Air (US Scare is more like it). The airlines and TSA would have you believe that the system is that "checked luggage" NEVER can fly unless it is matched up to a passenger." I can prove this is nonsense, as my luggage in 2 of 3 of the above cases was on a different airplane from me.

Now ... back to my charming neighbor, Melanie and her thoughts on women & Port consumption.

[Brian C.]

Forgive me but I just have to mention that when we went to Portugal a few years ago, British Airways was not able to get our luggage in time to our connecting flight in Heathrow. Of course, we didn't pack enough stuff in our carryons. So we were stuck in Lisbon without luggage, and it took about a day and a half for the luggage to make it to the hotel. We had to get on the subway and head over to the Vasco de Gama shopping mall that evening, all the while feeling really out of place, trying not to give ourselves away on that long train ride from Rossio to Oriente, as a suspicious character or two was sizing us up. We walked really fast once we got off that train, that's for sure. It was a real adventure shopping for clothes and toiletries without speaking their language, to say the least. Just show the card, have them ring it up, and then "obrigado." Nerve wracking and stressful at the time, but so funny to think about it now.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Roy Hersh]

Brian,

Although I've run across some scoundrels, especially late night with some druggies on the street, in reality, I've never felt fear in Porto. Maybe it is due to having grown up in NYC and knowing REAL fear, but Porto by comparison ... is extremely friendly. Although I don't speak Portuguese either, I've never let that get in the way of a good story.


Where are all the women lurkers? Come on, we'd love more input.