For The Love Of Port

They say this was aged 32 mo. in old oak casks. It has a typical table wine nose, but rich and heavy. Made from Tinto Cao, Tempornillo, Sousao, and Touriga Nacional. They say it's co-fermented--not sure what that means,but it must have to do with the process of making the brandy added at the end of fermentation. I'd say it's bland--tastes of blackberry & currant, not bright fruity flavors,nor darker fig or raisin flavors. Maybe just sllghtly woody. Maybe a hint of almond or dark cherry.Not very tannic, acidic, sweet, or anything--just well balanced and very pleasant. I enjoyed ever sip, but at about $20 (@Fred Meyer, Bonney Lake Wa.) it's not inexpensive for 375ml. I guess I'd say it's a bit subdued, not extraordinary. As it's made by a small local producer and they probably put a lot of work and care into making this I'd llke to tout it more, but the price stops me. I looked this up on Wine Searcher, and interestingly, it's won several awards.

dave berg wrote:They say this was aged 32 mo. in old oak casks. It has a typical table wine nose, but rich and heavy. Made from Tinto Cao, Tempornillo, Sousao, and Touriga Nacional. They say it's co-fermented--not sure what that means,but it must have to do with the process of making the brandy added at the end of fermentation. I'd say it's bland--tastes of blackberry & currant, not bright fruity flavors,nor darker fig or raisin flavors. Maybe just sllghtly woody. Maybe a hint of almond or dark cherry.Not very tannic, acidic, sweet, or anything--just well balanced and very pleasant. I enjoyed ever sip, but at about $20 (@Fred Meyer, Bonney Lake Wa.) it's not inexpensive for 375ml. I guess I'd say it's a bit subdued, not extraordinary. As it's made by a small local producer and they probably put a lot of work and care into making this I'd llke to tout it more, but the price stops me. I looked this up on Wine Searcher, and interestingly, it's won several awards.

Generally refers to all the mentioned grapes being fermented together instead of separately, then combined later after fermentation.

Is this a Portuguese Port? And can you post a pic of the labels?

Andy Velebil wrote:

dave berg wrote:They say this was aged 32 mo. in old oak casks. It has a typical table wine nose, but rich and heavy. Color is a nearly opaque reddish black--very nice. Made from Tinto Cao, Tempornillo, Sousao, and Touriga Nacional. They say it's co-fermented--not sure what that means,but it must have to do with the process of making the brandy added at the end of fermentation. I'd say it's bland--tastes of blackberry & currant, not bright fruity flavors,nor darker fig or raisin flavors. Maybe just sllghtly woody. Maybe a hint of almond or dark cherry.Not very tannic, acidic, sweet, or anything--just well balanced and very pleasant. I enjoyed ever sip, but at about $20 (@Fred Meyer, Bonney Lake Wa.) it's not inexpensive for 375ml. I guess I'd say it's a bit subdued, not extraordinary. As it's made by a small local producer and they probably put a lot of work and care into making this I'd llke to tout it more, but the price stops me. I looked this up on Wine Searcher, and interestingly, it's won several awards.

Generally refers to all the mentioned grapes being fermented together instead of separately, then combined later after fermentation.

Is this a Portuguese Port? And can you post a pic of the labels?

This is from Goldendale Wa., near the Maryhill museum, and the Stonehenge replica, on the Columbia River. I am not able to post a picture, but if you click on 'Wine Searcher,' the picture comes up. I'd never thought of fermenting the grapes separately and combining later---would make for a very interesting taste comparison, if possible. I think maybe I'd call this port 'Woodbridge Portacinco' lite, and I'd bet 2 or 3 of the grape varieties are the same.

dave berg wrote:I'd never thought of fermenting the grapes separately and combining later---would make for a very interesting taste comparison, if possible.

It does indeed. If you're very lucky, occasionally it is possible to taste the 1983 Ramos Pinto VP side-by-side with the 5 separately bottled and aged component wines. We got the opportunity to do this on the 2010 Port Harvest Tour at Quinta da Ervamoira and it was very fun and educational. Of the component wines, the only one that I thought could stand on its own was Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo). The others just weren't interesting at all as Ports, but of course the full blend 1983 Ramos Pinto is one of the best Ports of that vintage. It really shows the art of a master winemaker!

So the wine-searcher hit I found was for a 500 ml bottle, $17.72 at Atlas Wine Sales.