The Walman Report®
Featuring Travel Restaurants
Entertainment & Wine
As Heard on WQXR,
The Radio
Station of the NY
Times, &
Seen In Trump World Magazine & CulinaryGourmetNY, The
Definitive Guidebook To NY Dining.
Copyright 2003 by Punch In International® News Syndicate
www.punchin.com E-Mail: restaurant@punchin.com
Punch In is Proud to be the Recipient of the
Prestigious 5 Star Web-Award For Distinguished Content
Copyright 2003 by
Punch In Internationa®l Syndicate.
Wine On Line®
The Enigmas and Enjoyments of Port
Portugal's
wines are among the world's best (the robust reds are personal favorites). The undeniably
appealing fortified wine, Port, is as singularly baffling, as it is seductive. The
Portuguese language, which seems impossible to manipulate, doesn't help, nor does
one's lack of familiarity with grape-names and regions. Limiting our wine-talk
to Port-talk, the tech-stuff goes something like this.
Port is a
sweet wine (in varying degrees of sweetness) made from grapes of the Douro
demarcated region. Quality and characteristics are due in no small degree to
the geography of the Douro, which is one of the world's oldest demarcated wine
growing areas. It is cold and dry in the winter and hot in the summer. Stretching
along the river Douro, it comprises parts of the districts of Vila Real,
Braganca, Guarda and Viseu.
Port is
always a blend and among the varieties of grapes authorized (and recommended)
by law, the following are noteworthy. White: Malvasia, Viosinho, Donzelinho and
Gouveio. Red: Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cao, Touriga Francesa, Touriga
Nacional. The above factors plus the fact that marketing is traditionally done
in the district of Oporto gave birth to the appellation: Denomination of Origin
"Porto."
Characteristically,
Port usually has an alcoholic content of 19 to 22%, except for dry-light Port
that can be 16.5%. While most of us are familiar with red variations: full (vintage),
ruby, tawny (the color arriving from the fact that the wine is aged many years
in wood), medium and light tawny, pale, straw-colored and golden white also
exist. Port's sweetness can range from very sweet to extra dry.
Port goes
through a fairly long period of aging in oak casks, and bottles. To confuse matters a bit more, port can be
"vintage," i.e. from one harvest, produced in one year of exceptional
quality and recognized by the I.V.P. (Port Wine Institute) and corresponding
legislation as having the right to use the name vintage and respective date.
Vintage port is aged in wood for only 2 years and slowly matures in the bottle
(20 years or more). It leaves a deposit and is decanted several hours to a day before
serving.
Port can
also be L.B.V. or Late Bottled Vintage, with similar restrictions (aged in wood
twice as long as Vintage port, around 5 years), Port wine with date of harvest
and Port wine with an indication of age, i.e. 10 years old, 20 years old, 30
years old, over 40 years old.
Two other
labelings are Vintage Character (made by a variation of the Solera system used
for Sherry) and Light Dry. Another word you may encounter in Port-talk is
"colheita," which is a vintage dated port of a single year, aged a
minimum of 7 winters in wood and is thus tawny. The bottling date will be on
the label.
In case
you thought we has touched the bottom of Port-knowledge, we still have to deal
with a choice of which Port. I will suggest trusting a top of the line
importer, such as the ever dependable Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd, whose
Churchill is not only a personal favorite, but continues to win awards each
year from the world’s top wine writers. Follows three recommendations with
tasting notes and necessary information.
Churchill's Port Finest Vintage Character
Producer Background: Founded in 1981 by John Graham and
his wife Caroline Churchill, Churchill’s port is an independent, family-owned
Port Wine House -- the first independent port wine house established in more than
fifty years.
Churchill’s is the only
port wine producer who begins with wines produced only from grapes grown in
Grade A vineyards. And according to Robert Parker, Jr., writing in The Wine
Advocate, “Churchill has established an impeccable reputation for superb
quality.”
Churchill's Port was named Best of Nation at the 2002 San Francisco
Wine Competition.
Wine Type: Dessert Red
Grape Type: Made from the traditional Port
grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinta
Cao
Country: Portugal
Region: Oporto
Vinification: A blend of wines aged for 4 - 5
years, from the top vintage quality quintas. Ready to drink as soon as bottled.
Tasting Notes: According to The Wine Spectator,
“A Vintage Character which gives you just that. Wonderful raspberry and
chocolate aromas and flavors, medium body and sweetness and a long, velvety
finish.”
Food Match: Hard cheeses.
Churchill's Port Late Bottled Vintage 1996
Producer Background: Founded in 1981 by John Graham and
his wife Caroline Churchill, Churchill’s port is an independent, family-owned Port
Wine House -- the first independent port wine house established in more than
fifty years.
Churchill’s is the only
port wine producer who begins with wines produced only from grapes grown in
Grade A vineyards. And according to Robert Parker, Jr., writing in The Wine
Advocate, “Churchill has established an impeccable reputation for superb
quality.”
Churchill's Port was named Best of Nation at the 2002 San Francisco
Wine Competition.
Wine Type: Dessert Red
Grape Type: Made from the traditional Port
grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and
Tinta Cao
Country: Portugal
Region: Oporto
Vinification: Produced from wine of one year,
aged from between 4-6 years before being bottled. Unlike most LBV’s,
Churchill’s will continue to age after being bottled and will throw sediment
and should be decanted.
Tasting Notes: Rich and concentrated, with
overtones of plums and berries with a firm structure. According to the Wine
Enthusiast, “ Classy and rich, with youthful character prevalent.”
Food Match: desserts, chocolate.
Churchill's Port 10-Year Tawny
Producer Background: Founded in 1981 by John Graham and
his wife Caroline Churchill, Churchill’s port is an independent, family-owned
Port Wine House -- the first independent port wine house established in more than
fifty years.
Churchill’s is the only
port wine producer who begins with wines produced only from grapes grown in
Grade A vineyards. And according to Robert Parker, Jr., writing in The Wine
Advocate, “Churchill has established an impeccable reputation for superb
quality.”
Churchill's Port was named Best of Nation at the 2002 San Francisco
Wine Competition.
Wine Type: Dessert Tawny
Grape Type: Made from the traditional Port
grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinta
Cao
Country: Portugal
Region: Oporto
Vinification: Fully aged in cask for an average
of ten years.
Tasting Notes: According to Rober M Parker Jr,
“Unquestionably the finest Tawny I’ve tasted in years. What makes it profound
is its complex fragrance of roasted nuts and sweet fruit. There is impeccable
definition and richness, a velvety texture and a long lusty finish. It is all a
Tawny should be.” The Wine Advocate 94 Points.
Food Match: desserts.
Port is traditionally
sipped with, instead of or after dessert. Accepted accompaniments include
cheese or walnuts. If your head is swimming after this lengthy dissertation,
you probably won't want food any way, so I suggest you do a tasting of desserts
with your two bottles of Port instead and go from gooey, creamy and rich with the
Special Reserve to simple, dry cookies or cakes with the vintage. Nuts or
cheese as ingredients will be appreciated and chocolate is a congenial
bedfellow for either.
And there you have it. But
the real enjoyment of fine port is in the drinking. Start slowly, and develop
your knowledge and appreciation.
These reviews are available and have been seen on the Internet. Click here to see an index of other reviews on the worldwide web <http://www.punchin.com>. <http://www.wineonline.net>. They have been heard on WNCN, WEVD and WQXR radio, seen in Fodor's and Mobil Guide Books, and printed in Chocolatier, Troika, Trump and Metropolitan Millionaire magazines and newspapers and throughout the world, including the NY Post, Women's Wear Daily and the NY Times, via the Punch In International Network. This review may be reprinted free of charge, so long as source and byline credit are included: "The Walman Report," "Punch In International®," Wine On Line International®.
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE PUNCH IN HOME PAGE
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO WALMAN'S NEWEST REVIEWS
CLICK HERE FOR WALMAN'S HISTORIC REVIEWS
CLICK HERE FOR INTERNET WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE
CLICK HERE FOR BROADWAY ON THE NET