August 2009 VT: Enjoy your Port chilled

[Frederick Blais]

August is so hot, how do you enjoy your Port during this burning month, a little chilled maybe? Share your ideas, drink recipes and of course leave your tasting notes.

[Roy Hersh]

I tried another bottle of Kopke Rose Port and served it at cellar temp the first day and then chilled in the refrigerator the 2nd day. I liked it better colder. The acidity was brighter and it brought out the glycerin and provided a more viscous and round mouth feel. Oscar Q. said he enjoyed it quite a bit. I was slightly less enthusiastic as this is very sweet in style and definitely not a Port that I would buy. I am glad I tried it though. Low 80 point range for me, I'll put together a more formal TN.

[Glenn E.]

I had to opPORTunity to finish off three bottles of older tawnies recently (a 1937 Warre, a 1968 Kopke, and a Kopke 40-yr old). Since my house has no air conditioning, I had moved all three bottles into the refrigerator for storage during the hot weather.

Normally I like my tawnies at about 65-68 degrees because I feel that gives them the best bouquet and flavor. But I didn't really have that option with the fridge at about 45 and the house between 85 and 90!

What I found was that the acidity in all three Ports seemed slightly muted compared to when served at my normal temperature, and that the fruits and nuts in all three were significantly less obvious. However the chill also made them more refreshing and seemed to make them smoother, so the tradeoff was welcome in the heat.

[Frederick Blais]

Enjoying a Martinez 10yo. It is always one of my favourite 10 yo Tawny.

It was served around 12 celcius, probably around 55F. I love this delicious candied fruit, lots of figs, vanilla and grilled nuts bouquet that is very intense. Only a touch of alcohol on the nouse. The palate is smooth and perfectly balanced, flavours of candied fruits are dominant, good balance between acidity and sweetness. Lingering finish with a touch of nutmeg and orange peel getting in. Lovely 17/20

[Andy Velebil]

So I took a 1/2 bottle of the 1966 Barros Vintage Port I opened today and tossed it into the fridge to well-chill it (see TN HERE )

Since this was pretty much a tawny, well actually a Colheita I guess , it turned out quite nice well chilled. Actually, I liked it a touch more chilled. The cold subdued some heat letting the acidity really come forward and added some complexity to the maple and spices. However, being cold did mask that little bit of floralness that was there at room temp. So I guess it's a bit of a trade off, but one that I like since this is more tawny like now anyways.

[Michael M.]

I tried another bottle of Kopke Rose Port and served it at cellar temp the first day and then chilled in the refrigerator the 2nd day. I liked it better colder. The acidity was brighter and it brought out the glycerin and provided a more viscous and round mouth feel. Oscar Q. said he enjoyed it quite a bit. I was slightly less enthusiastic as this is very sweet in style and definitely not a Port that I would buy. I am glad I tried it though. Low 80 point range for me, I'll put together a more formal TN.

These Pinks are not my cup of tea. I did not like at all the Pink Port from Croft because of its excessive (artificial) sweetness. Some weeks ago I tasted the Pocas Pink. I would never buy this one to consume it myself. But I found it to be much better than the Croft. It was not overly sweet, had a certain grip but a kind of roughness too. I found it to have hints of vodka (not the worst thing, isn't it? ).

Must look for a contribution to this thread in the matter of Port.

[Andy Velebil]

I tried another bottle of Kopke Rose Port and served it at cellar temp the first day and then chilled in the refrigerator the 2nd day. I liked it better colder. The acidity was brighter and it brought out the glycerin and provided a more viscous and round mouth feel. Oscar Q. said he enjoyed it quite a bit. I was slightly less enthusiastic as this is very sweet in style and definitely not a Port that I would buy. I am glad I tried it though. Low 80 point range for me, I'll put together a more formal TN.

Interesting, as i though this one to be the better Rose I've had so far. In order of my preference so far, first is the Kopke, then Quevedo (but very close between them and I'd love to try them side by side), then the Croft last.

[Glenn E.]

I tried a 1964 Krohn Colheita Branco chilled this week (full TN here), and while I can see the appeal on a hot day I thought that it was much better once the glass had warmed back up to about 65 degrees. The nose and palate were both less expressive while chilled, though that did make it much easier to drink (as opposed to sip).