For The Love Of Port

the temperatures drop in the autumn and winter months?

Or are your Port consumption habits fairly consistent throughout the year?

For some I know the TYPES of Port change during the different seasons, but I know of others who never vary. I'd like to hear from as many of you that would like to pontificate here.

My Port consumption definetly increases in the cold and dark Alaska winters. While it is light outside during the summer, dinner doesn't even happen until 10PM and there is usually a lot less lounging around inside in the evenings.

Type: I think my tawny consumption stays about the same all year round, but i definely add in alot more VP and LBV come fall, and especially around the holidays.

Yes, my port consumption increase as the weather gets colder and the days shorten. It also becomes (even) more tawny-focused. Perhaps we drink a VP with the christmas dessert, but then we hit the tawny, eating marzipan, nuts etc.

Regarding wine in general, it also becomes heavier and heavier, focusing on Rhone-vareitals in december and bordeaux in the autumn and spring, whereas the whites and stickies get their turn in the summer.

Mine doesn't change at all, except perhaps that offlines become more frequent as they do seem to be seasonal.

I pretty much drink one bottle of port a week, year round.

Alex

Mine stays about the same year round. Although it does tend to drop just a tad sometimes in the summer depending on how hard my training regimen is for upcoming races.

I do tend to have more age designated tawnys in the summer, mostly because I can enjoy the bottle slowly over a week. Whereas in the winter, I drink slightly more VP's, most of the those consumed within 1-3 days max. Of course there is also more offlines in the winter months it seems, so that may have a factor also.

As this is coming up on really my first full year of drinking Port in any significant quality, I would say that I can imagine myself going with a few extra bottles of VP and good unfiltered LBVs around the holidays and as the winter darkness starts to take over.

I'm not sure about QUANTITY of Tawny vs VP, etc, but I know that I tend to splurge more and open more 'older' bottled of age-designated Tawnies (20, 30, 40) vs the 10s that are a staple throughout the remainder of the year.

Todd