Pink Port - Drink Ideas?

[Moses Botbol]

My girlfriend came home with 3 bottles... 2 bottles of Croft Pink Port and Magnum Aveleda VV. What are your ideas for serving Pink Port? I tried a glass lastnight with a ice cube, and it was pretty nice actually. I wasn't in the mood to be serious about this stuff, but I think it will fair well in the market. Just sweet enough, not overpowering, yet has the welcome Port flavor. The bottle is really cool too. Croft did a nice job on this. I was thinking it would work well with a splash of soda or with a splash of VV.

:help:

[oscarquevedo]

Hi Moses,

Rose Port has been my summer drink! I use to drink it chilled but I also like it on the rocks. I know a restaurant (located in the old train station of Ferradosa - Douro) that serves it with a mint leaf. It's refreshing and fruity, perfect for a afternoon spent with friends. Just be careful because it is very easy to drink and in a couple of hours you can easily drink 4 or 5 glasses!

[Moses Botbol]

Oscar:

Thanks for the tip. I ton of mint growing in my back yard! I was thinking a splash of soda with chilled pink port. Now add the mint

[Andy Velebil]

I've had it with tonic and it's quite refreshing. Soda also sounds like it would work. Please let us know what you find,

BTW, just a couple of days ago I got to try Oscar's Rose Port and Kopke's Rose Port. Both were a step up from the Croft, which I also think is good. Even certain unnamed UK members admitted they were tasty to drink and a couple stated they "quiet enjoyed this." How's that for a shocker

[Moses Botbol]

Actually, I am quite impressed with Croft Pink and they did an amazing job! It's like rose wine concentrate. Add water, you get a stand out rose wine. Add seltzer, get fantastic sparkler... The ripe fruit, mostly cherry, a flesh quality to port without being intense. Not hot at all either. Worth picking up a bottle if you like rose wine or light mixed drinks.

[Derek T.]

Even certain unnamed UK members admitted they were tasty to drink and a couple stated they "quiet enjoyed this." How's that for a shocker

I remind the honourable member from LA of Rule #1: What happens in the Douro, stays in the Douro

But, now that I have been "outed" by my previously trustworthy friend I will state here and now that the Quevedo and Kopke "pinks" were indeed better than I had previously experienced. That does not mean I will be buying or drinking them as I don't like pink wine, never mind pink port, but they were definitely wines that were well put together.

Oscar and I had a long conversation about this topic when all others had retired to bed so he knows my general views on pink port so I am sure he will not be suprised when I put forward my suggestion to Moses original question of drinking ideas for pink port: Give it to your wife/girlfriend and enjoy a nice glass of mature VP for yourself

Derek

[Andy Velebil]

Even certain unnamed UK members admitted they were tasty to drink and a couple stated they "quiet enjoyed this." How's that for a shocker

I remind the honourable member from LA of Rule #1: What happens in the Douro, stays in the Douro

But, now that I have been "outed" by my previously trustworthy friend I will state here and now that the Quevedo and Kopke "pinks" were indeed better than I had previously experienced. That does not mean I will be buying or drinking them as I don't like pink wine, never mind pink port, but they were definitely wines that were well put together.


Derek

I wasn't talking about you, but since you outed yourself :hello: I must say those two were better "put together" as Derek put it. They had more body and texture to them than the Croft Pink, not to mention a nicer finish as well. I'm sure in due time there will be a good number more of really nice ones as producers get more experienced at producing them.

[Moses Botbol]

I put forward my suggestion to Moses original question of drinking ideas for pink port: Give it to your wife/girlfriend and enjoy a nice glass of mature VP for yourself

Derek

Ya right... If you met my girlfriend, you know she would be ask you if you knew the Bishop of Norwich and to pass the '70 Graham... She has drank quite some vintages and knows the difference. Her ratings are right in line with ours.

We did drink some Croft Pink with soda yesterday. I think it's better just chilled, served neat. She thought it tasted like Riunite when mixed with soda For sure, this port is an apertif.

[oscarquevedo]

Derek is from the old school of Port, very conservative, a traditional British. He really loves vintage Port and he helped me a lot to understand the British market for Port Wine. Rose Port is hardly an option for him. I understand and respect. The new category of Rose Port that Croft launched last year has not him as target or any member. It is for those who seldom drink Port and don't know much about it. It also to bring young people to Port.

Andy, Moses, Oscar and others, we all love Port, we are really dedicated to our passion and we can also enjoy with a glass of Rose Port. But we are exceptions due to our background on Port.

There is room for everyone and there is a lot of room for Rose Port.

[jramos]

Visit the Croft Pink website for drink ideas: http://www.croftpink.com/croftpink/pages/cocktails.php

[Roy Hersh]

This is a first ... two consecutive posts from people in the Port trade after 4 years.

Not only that, but Jorge Ramos (of The Fladgate Partnership who is responsible for the USA and other countries, for his company) after two and a half years of very serious "lurkerdom" has officially come from the shadows to make his very first posting ... I am nearly speechless.

Jorge, this one's for you!

[Andy Velebil]

Woohoo!

Jorge,

Great to finally have you with us I do hope you stop in from time to time, even if it's to give us ers the scope on new things. After all, we are Port nerds and any info from producers is always greatly appreciated. Roy already gave a nice intro about him and I'll just add that he is a fun guy to be around and super nice to boot (just don't tell his boss )

Now if we can just get those in the trade to follow the rules about usernames

[Roy Hersh]

Here are some cool suggestions of Port cocktails from Sandeman's website

http://www.sandeman.eu/pleasure/cocktails/en/2

[Andy Velebil]

Derek is from the old school of Port, very conservative, a traditional British. He really loves vintage Port and he helped me a lot to understand the British market for Port Wine. Rose Port is hardly an option for him. I understand and respect. The new category of Rose Port that Croft launched last year has not him as target or any member. It is for those who seldom drink Port and don't know much about it. It also to bring young people to Port.

Don't listen to those Brit's Oscar, they only say that out loud. Secretly they buy large amounts and drink it in private so no one will know

Andy, Moses, Oscar and others, we all love Port, we are really dedicated to our passion and we can also enjoy with a glass of Rose Port. But we are exceptions due to our background on Port.

There is room for everyone and there is a lot of room for Rose Port.

Oscar, I agree 100%. Having had several Rose/Pink Ports I can say there is definitely room for lots of Rose Port. Those Rose/Pink Ports I've had have all been a nice drink. Personally, it is more of summer drink for me as they are quite refreshing when really chilled on a warm day. The hard part for some people to get over is they think it's not Port. While we've debated this before, it is Port. Just as a Rose wine is a wine. For what they are, they are perfect and almost everyone I've shared them with has agreed.

We've all complained that the Port industry needs to do something to attract younger people to Port, now we have a product that is capable of doing just that. We, as serious Port drinkers, need to do our part to attract younger people to Port and this is a great product to achieve that goal. So I suggest instead of being negative about them because some of us personally wouldn't buy them, we spread the word for newbies to try these types of products.

Ok no more

[Eric Menchen]

Thanks for the links Jorge and Roy. I have some white Port waiting for an opPortunity, and (Brits stop reading now) I'm just going to have to find some of this pink Port to try. What do you know? wine-searcher shows the cheapest place for the Croft pink is one of my local stores.

[Derek T.]

Visit the Croft Pink website for drink ideas: http://www.croftpink.com/croftpink/pages/cocktails.php

Jorge,

Thanks for taking the plunge!

You may remember that I met you at Vargellas with Frederick Blais just before the 08 harvest and it is great to see you here.

Please stick around

Derek

[Roy Hersh]

We've all complained that the Port industry needs to do something to attract younger people to Port, now we have a product that is capable of doing just that. We, as serious Port drinkers, need to do our part to attract younger people to Port and this is a great product to achieve that goal. So I suggest instead of being negative about them because some of us personally wouldn't buy them, we spread the word for newbies to try these types of products.

Very well said Andy!


But honestly, I also understand the traditional (Brit) mentality when it comes to Pink and Rose Port, too. When one of us "Port geeks" for lack of a better term, tries these ... the flavor profile offers no resemblance to any type of Port we know. So I do "hear" what Derek and others have said about Pink and Rose Ports. But back to what Oscar said, alluding to the fact that these products are not created or marketed towards us, the serious Port geek.

For many years (long before FTLOP) I was known for gently admonishing folks (online) for drinking their Vintage Port young. Of course it was just teasing, but I was serious about the side effects of infanticide. :wall: It took years before a kinder and more gentler Roy emerged and would no longer harrass those who would drink 1994 VPs after dinner in swank restaurants in NYC, circa 1998. Maybe I WAS born a Brit afterall. I was weaned on drinking 20-40 year old Vintage Port right from the get go. It took me years before I was ever willing to crack something under 15 years old and honestly, at first, I generally did not like it. I found it very simple compared to what I was used to drinking. It is only a decade now since I have totally reversed that "policy" and now I think nothing of dipping into a VP from the 1990s or even this decade ... albeit, typically for the sake of a TN ... nonetheless, I can and do appreciate them fully.

Fast forward to last year. We had an innovative and cool new "revolutionary" product that came out (Croft Pink) and I was very accepting of the fact that it tasted good, but nothing like any Port I had ever tasted. I have enjoyed Pink Port and Rose Ports too. That said, I would not buy either, but hey, the people these are aimed at are mostly in their 20s-30s and people who enjoy sweet cocktails. They certainly have their place in the market and personally, I hope they are hugely successful in introducing people to the greater good of Port, around the world.

Go Pink Port, go Rose Port!

Great job Andy.