PORT BASICS: Why do you drink Port?

[Roy Hersh]

Can you explain what captivates you most about this drink that we all love? Simply put, WHY do you drink Port?

[Moses Botbol]

Tasty

[John M.]

Agree it is quite tasty. It's also a lot of fun to share, savor and discuss.

[Al B.]

Good value for money - especially for a former claret drinker

[Luc Gauthier]

I truly enjoy the taste .
But the joy of sharing an excellent VP with people who can share their knowledge and experiences is what its all about .
On top of that I have the opportunity to go to Portugal
On top of that I get to meet toilet bowls I've never met

[Andy Velebil]

Cause it's sterile and I like the taste. Ok, maybe the not the first one, but for sure the second one.

And yes, the value to quality ration does help.

BTW, if you can dodge a Port bottle you can dodge a ball!

[hugo oliveira]

For several reasons:

- tasty
- great to share with friends
- it's from my home country :)
- and it has a lot of "intangible" value. For those who know the Douro, producing such a fine wine there is something amazing... when you think on all the labour that goes into each grape! Also you're drinking history when drinking an old bottle...

[Michael Hann]

Of course, because Port tastes good! It has a distinctive taste that is generally pretty different from other wines -- the sweetness, the strong alcohol distinguish it from most red wines. At another level, for me, Port fills a drinking niche that other wines do not. All of my other wine drinking involves drinking a wine in the context of a meal. I do not drink Port in the context of a meal. It is often something I drink later in the evening, say starting at 8:30 PM, usually with some walnuts and figs. Definitely not a meal. I'm not saying it couldn't be drunk in the context of meal, just that I don't.

[Luc Gauthier]

Cause it's sterile and I like the taste. Ok, maybe the not the first one, but for sure the second one.

And yes, the value to quality ration does help.

BTW, if you can dodge a Port bottle you can dodge a ball!

I was pretty good at dodge ball when I was 12
But , have never dodged a Port bottle ( Is this required tranning for the police force )

[Andy Velebil]

Cause it's sterile and I like the taste. Ok, maybe the not the first one, but for sure the second one.

And yes, the value to quality ration does help.

BTW, if you can dodge a Port bottle you can dodge a ball!

I was pretty good at dodge ball when I was 12
But , have never dodged a Port bottle ( Is this required tranning for the police force )

Not exactly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMWdnkSMPGM

[Luc Gauthier]

Ouch !! ( I'd rather meet a toilet bowl )

[Josh H]

For the most part, when I drink any alcoholic beverage, it's for the taste. Port, though, brings another dimension to the game. I love the taste, don't get me wrong, but there's a less tangible benefit to drinking it as well.

The best way to describe it is that when I drink it, I hum. Not literally, of course, but my body sort of hums with contentment and satisfaction. It makes me feel warm, calm, and content. I can sit for hours with a bottle, thinking about everything I'm tasting, feeling it slide calmly into my brain and take all those little axons and neurons and give each one a great big hug.

In short: It's joy in a bottle.

P.S.: The unfortunate thing is that most of my circle of friends neither appreciate the taste, nor experience the internal "glow" of this most spectacular of spirits.

[Al B.]

For the most part, when I drink any alcoholic beverage, it's for the taste. Port, though, brings another dimension to the game. I love the taste, don't get me wrong, but there's a less tangible benefit to drinking it as well.

The best way to describe it is that when I drink it, I hum. Not literally, of course, but my body sort of hums with contentment and satisfaction. It makes me feel warm, calm, and content. I can sit for hours with a bottle, thinking about everything I'm tasting, feeling it slide calmly into my brain and take all those little axons and neurons and give each one a great big hug.

In short: It's joy in a bottle.

P.S.: The unfortunate thing is that most of my circle of friends neither appreciate the taste, nor experience the internal "glow" of this most spectacular of spirits.

That is absolutely perfect! You've captured exactly why I dink Port. I read your post just as I took a generous sip of Warre 1986 LBV and I read your words as the warm glow spread through my body.

Brilliant post.

And as for the friends...all I can suggest is that they need some additional education (or you need to widen your circle of friends!)

[Derek T.]

For the most part, when I drink any alcoholic beverage, it's for the taste. Port, though, brings another dimension to the game. I love the taste, don't get me wrong, but there's a less tangible benefit to drinking it as well.

The best way to describe it is that when I drink it, I hum. Not literally, of course, but my body sort of hums with contentment and satisfaction. It makes me feel warm, calm, and content. I can sit for hours with a bottle, thinking about everything I'm tasting, feeling it slide calmly into my brain and take all those little axons and neurons and give each one a great big hug.

In short: It's joy in a bottle.

P.S.: The unfortunate thing is that most of my circle of friends neither appreciate the taste, nor experience the internal "glow" of this most spectacular of spirits.

That is absolutely perfect! You've captured exactly why I dink Port. I read your post just as I took a generous sip of Warre 1986 LBV and I read your words as the warm glow spread through my body.

Brilliant post.

And as for the friends...all I can suggest is that they need some additional education (or you need to widen your circle of friends!)

Let The Force be with you. This is indeed the joy of drinking Port. It might be because I know what goes ino making it, but when I drink a glass of Port, any Port, I experience an appreciation of what I am drinking that transcends just drinking something that tastes nice. There is a warm, satisfying glow that comes from drinking Port that no other drink that I have had can generate. It is comfort in a glass.

[Andy Velebil]

Josh,
First let me welcome you to FTLOP

You summed it up very eloquently.

[Glenn E.]

For the most part, when I drink any alcoholic beverage, it's for the taste. Port, though, brings another dimension to the game. I love the taste, don't get me wrong, but there's a less tangible benefit to drinking it as well.

The best way to describe it is that when I drink it, I hum. Not literally, of course, but my body sort of hums with contentment and satisfaction. It makes me feel warm, calm, and content. I can sit for hours with a bottle, thinking about everything I'm tasting, feeling it slide calmly into my brain and take all those little axons and neurons and give each one a great big hug.

In short: It's joy in a bottle.

P.S.: The unfortunate thing is that most of my circle of friends neither appreciate the taste, nor experience the internal "glow" of this most spectacular of spirits.

That is absolutely perfect! You've captured exactly why I dink Port. I read your post just as I took a generous sip of Warre 1986 LBV and I read your words as the warm glow spread through my body.

Brilliant post.

And as for the friends...all I can suggest is that they need some additional education (or you need to widen your circle of friends!)

+2.

Yes, very much joy in a bottle.

[Tom Archer]

Forget all the tangible ailments of mankind - the biggest killer is stress..

..and the best stress killer I know is port.

The oldest person to have ever lived (with certainty..) was Jeanne Calment, who reached the grand old age of 122 years. Her recipe for longevity? - A glass of port wine every day..

Forget the idiot doctors whinging about alcohol intake - Port Is Good For You - repeat every day...

And then there is the fascination of the wine, it's taste and subtle variations, depending on production method and terroir.

Not to mention it's longevity - the glass in front of me was made when I was six..

..and it's barely mature!