For The Love Of Port

I know plenty of serious wine enthusiasts who along the way, get spoiled by drinking so many great bottles of wine. In doing so, it takes some really amazing stuff to get them excited about what they're drinking and in order to get the juices flowing, it has to be a 97+ point wine experience. This is what I call "jaded."

Does the same happen with Port? Do you think you will ever get to that point with Port wine?

I have never had the experience of drinking any wine that has been scored at least 95 points by a critic. But I enjoy any well made wine that provides what may be described as solid value, outperforming its price. While reading the AQFTPT I was drinking a simple 2007 Torres Vina Esmeralda, scored just 84 points, and enjoying it very much for just under $10 a bottle.

I like the opera and most pro sports. One should enjoy beautiful sophistication and beautiful simplicity in everything.

Ray

Magnums of anything are exciting.

I am jaded, but whatever port is open, I am usually excited to drink it. There's little post war port left I haven't tried (big names), so it's the ones I haven't tried (big name or not), or the one's I know to be outstanding that get me excited.

I always enjoy drinking port and will always get excited when looking forward to doing so with friends who I know will enjoy the stuff.

What I do find fatigues my palate is a tasting where we have a large number of great ports. When I choose to dump a glass of Taylor '48 to make space for the next and even greater wine, then I know that my palate has been fatigued.

But I still get as much enjoyment out of sharing a bottle of Roeda '95 with others as I do, say, a Croft '45.

Al B. wrote:When I choose to dump a glass of Taylor '48 to make space for the next and even greater wine, then I know that my palate has been fatigued.

For the Sunday tasting at the first Gala, my wife and I had to leave early to catch a plane. No one there was too proud to turn down what we had left in our glasses. And that didn't include the 1935 Sandeman or 1947 Noval, as we didn't have any of that left

In a word, No.

I can honestly say I've been very fortunate to have had some really great Ports over the years, yet I still can open a Reserve Ruby like Six Grapes, Bin 27, or a Niepoort Junior Tawny and enjoy them for what they are. So no, I don't think I am jaded in that respect. However, what I am jaded about is "ports" from other countries. I drank more of these when I was getting into Port and liked them. And I've had some good ones, so don't get me wrong, but the majority of them just don't hold water to the real thing anymore. So I guess that could be construed as a jaded palate.

Alex is right. It's hard when you have a huge tasting of great Ports and you have to dump something to make room for others still to come. But that really isn't jaded IMO, it's more like survival mode

I like the opera and most pro sports. One should enjoy beautiful sophistication and beautiful simplicity in everything.

Ray, I like this answer