For The Love Of Port

A 30-year old Tawny Port, a Colheita from the mid-1980's or a Vintage Port of the same age (1983/1985)?

For me, the Colheita. Have had most of the 83/85 VP's, 30 year tawny is cool, but at least the Colheita is a specific snippet of location & history.

The VP's are too young for me, and the single vintage makes the colheita more interesting than the 30-year. Not saying it's better, though.

It would depend upon which food I wished it to accompany. The more I read on this forum the more I become convinced that most posters drink Port for the sake of drinking. Am I alone in believing that the purpose of wine is to accompany and enhance food? I accept that the wrong choice can mean that either may overpower the other, but surely Port is not made simply to pour down one's throat. It has a higher purpose.

Alan McDonald wrote: ...but surely Port is not made simply to pour down one's throat. It has a higher purpose.

It does? and I thought it was just for drinking

I love and enjoy Port with food, and Port on its own as well.

Like others, I'll probably vote for the colheita.

Roy Hersh wrote:A 30-year old Tawny Port, a Colheita from the mid-1980's or a Vintage Port of the same age (1983/1985)?

Yes, absolutely! (They are all interesting in their own way.)

-- Gary

I'd opt for the colheita as well.

I must say I've never thought of having port with my food. Dessert, yes, usually walnuts, roasted pecans, Stilton or blue cheese, and once poached figs but often, as in the case of tawny or colheita, savouring it on it's own.

30 year old. If the Colheite were from the 1970's, I'd opt for that.

Alan McDonald wrote:It would depend upon which food I wished it to accompany. The more I read on this forum the more I become convinced that most posters drink Port for the sake of drinking. Am I alone in believing that the purpose of wine is to accompany and enhance food? I accept that the wrong choice can mean that either may overpower the other, but surely Port is not made simply to pour down one's throat. It has a higher purpose.

Hmmm...not sure on this. I would wholeheartedly agree with regard to table wines; if they aren't food friendly, I'm not all that interested. But I find myself mainly enjoying port on its own. I've played around with cheeses, and nuts, and dried fruits to good affect--had some Wensleydale with cranberries with port tonight, in fact. But by and large, I don't find the synergy between port and food that I routinely find between table wine and food. YMMV of course.

Mahmoud Ali wrote: I must say I've never thought of having port with my food.

Dessert, yes, usually walnuts, roasted pecans, Stilton or blue cheese, and once poached figs .

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Moses Botbol wrote:
It does? and I thought it was just for drinking

That is precisely the point I was making.