For The Love Of Port

In comparison to 3-5 years ago, are you drinking more Tawny & Colheita Port than in the past?

This will perhaps surprise people, but no I'm not. I'm drinking more LBV/Vintage than in the past.

How is this possible, you ask?

Well, I still prefer TWAIOA and Colheita, but those are for sipping and enjoying. When I want something to drink then I reach for an LBV or VP because they're generally easier to drink.

I know I'll get an argument on this, but I firmly believe that TWAIOA and Colheita are more complex than VP. They're more difficult to fully experience and so are more suited to leisurely sipping and contemplation. LBV and VP just go down easier, which makes them more suited to those occasions when you don't care as much about analysis and contemplation.

Note: I'm not saying that VP isn't complex - it can be amazingly complex. I just find it easier to "ignore" the complexity in an LBV or VP when I'm just drinking. TWAIOA and Colheita make me stop and take notice, so they're more difficult to just drink.

I still don't drink much wood aged port, but I drink more than I did a few years ago. I'm not particularly fond of 10yr old tawny, but I do like 20 yr old and up. There really aren't very many Colheitas and 20+ year old tawnies on the market over here (Far less than VPs and rubies in general) and they tend to be very expensive as a result. For example, the 2011 Fonseca VPs are cheaper than the Fonseca tawny.

I certainly do drink more of then now that I don't know many people to binge on Vintage Port around Boston. Wood aged port is just easier for a glass or three.

Not real sure, but I do probably drink more tawny's than VP recently. Mainly due to work where I don't have the luxury to properly decant or because a tawny can last for a week or so before finishing it (work and cycling has kept me quite busy lately). And while I love VP's, one can only drink so many of the usual suspects without getting a little bored. Whereas tawny's I can rotate between a large assortment and they tend to be better priced than VP, thus making better cellar defenders as well.

Currently I'm drinking far more wood-aged ports than VP. With the onset of summer, a nice cool tawny is just the ticket. I've also been doing quite a bit of climbing lately in preparation for some big walls this summer and as a result I haven't had the time needed to prep & properly enjoy a nice VP.

I originally drank very very little, but lately have expanded to making wood aged ports about 25% of what I drink, mostly due to ease in a busy week, but also because I've found a few I really like. I would drink even more, but while $20-$25 is where you can find very nice LBV to get my ruby fix, my tastes in tawny really start around the $45 mark.


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Bradley Bogdan wrote:I originally drank very very little, but lately have expanded to making wood aged ports about 25% of what I drink, mostly due to ease in a busy week, but also because I've found a few I really like. I would drink even more, but while $20-$25 is where you can find very nice LBV to get my ruby fix, my tastes in tawny really start around the $45 mark.

I somewhat agree--I am definitely ruby-centric but have come to enjoy the nicer tawnies but still really 10%-15% of my consumption--still that's a lot more than even just a year ago. Agree 100% on price points for a decent tawny versus a decent LBV.

Definitely.
Have only been mindfully drinking port for a bit over two years and have def gone from mostly young ruby to mostly tawny+madeira.
For my palate and for the ability to drink off of several different bottles over weeks/months it has taken on a central role on my drinking.

Glenn I'm very puzzled... TWAIOA

Explain this in Dutch please...

Monique Heinemans. wrote:Glenn I'm very puzzled... TWAIOA

Explain this in Dutch please...

Let me help, Tawny With An Indication Of Age. A fancy, and short, way of saying 10,20,30, or 40 year old tawny Port

Andy Velebil wrote:

Monique Heinemans. wrote:Glenn I'm very puzzled... TWAIOA

Explain this in Dutch please...

Let me help, Tawny With An Indication Of Age. A fancy, and short, way of saying 10,20,30, or 40 year old tawny Port

Yes, this. I used to refer to them as "aged Tawnies" until Roy pointed out that Colheitas are also aged Tawnies. Unfortunately it seems that there really isn't an easy name for that category of Port, so TWAIOA it is.

Glenn E. wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:

Monique Heinemans. wrote:Glenn I'm very puzzled... TWAIOA

Explain this in Dutch please...

Let me help, Tawny With An Indication Of Age. A fancy, and short, way of saying 10,20,30, or 40 year old tawny Port

Yes, this. I used to refer to them as "aged Tawnies" until Roy pointed out that Colheitas are also aged Tawnies. Unfortunately it seems that there really isn't an easy name for that category of Port, so TWAIOA it is.

Who's this Roy guy and what does he know. a Colheita's not a real TWAIOA lol.


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Thanks for the explanation, I knew it had to be someting like that, but I really couldn't figure it out ..

Yes, considerably more.

Definitely - I am drinking much more Tawny and Colheita than a few years ago.

Yes, definitely. I almost never buy other ports than tawnies and colheitas anymore.

Interesting to hear the comments. I liked Bradley's point about LBV vs. Tawny pricing and affordability. As for TWAIOA, American's love their acronyms; that's for sure Monique.

Joni, good on you! You need to meet Mr. Tawny some day.

I'd say between aged Tawny Ports and Colheitas too, they make up about 40% of the Ports I taste in a year. That's way up from 10-20 years ago.

Roy Hersh wrote:
I'd say between aged Tawny Ports and Colheitas too, they make up about 40% of the Ports I taste in a year. That's way up from 10-20 years ago.

Brings up another question for Roy and everyone else. Why is it up so much? Is it that there are more of them in the market now, easier to get, pricing, tastes changing....????

Much more yes. The more kind of "brandyish" taste does it for me with 20-40 years old Tawny Ports and Colheitas. On the other hand, the taste of alcohol shouldn't be too strong or dominant.
But i'm still a real amateur with VP's so i'm counting on learning about VP's more and more in the future. And there is occasionally couple of LBV's too waiting in my closet bar.

By the way, just out of curiosity, what do you think about this article and thoughts about Tawnies vs Vintage Ports: http://drosengarten.com/blog/tawny-port/