I hope you have all been enjoying your summer, although many of you in the Southern Hemisphere are undoubtedly experiencing winter now. So while we are drinking the light white wines to pair with seafood and some excellent reds to complement food on the grill (BBQ, Barbie or Braai) you folks on the other side of the world have the chance to break into your stickies and Port stocks. Not that hot weather stops me from drinking Port year round, but my "official Port drinking season" runs from October though May. I enjoyed a great bottle yesterday, though it was a mild and sunny 78 degrees here.

There are some fun facets to the newsletter this month and I was excited to see my latest article was released today, and it appears here for your perusal. Additionally there is an excellent report by a Swedish gentleman with a curious hobby that is closely related to Port wine. In a departure from my usual suggestions of Port websites, I have chosen to feature a small, family run Quinta, in the Douro River Valley region. Last and certainly not least, I have included MANY of your excellent emails and provided responses in the Letters & Feedback column.

I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter. The next one is already in the works and will be arriving in the next 3 weeks. Please keep up the great suggestions and questions. The interactivity certainly makes this far more interesting according to many of your emails. This month, some members hailing from new countries, (for the newsletter's distribution) such as: Italy, Switzerland and the Philippines, have now brought us to 35 countries over the course of the past five months.
 

Roy
 

CONTENTS:

~ A Tasting Note: Dow 1977
~ Feature article: The Colheita, Garrafeira and Vintage Ports of Niepoort
~ Roy's monthly Port website recommendation
~ A hobbyist in Sweden gets creative
~ PortoLover's Mailbag: Letters and e-feedback
 

*   *   *   *   *  

 

~ July's Tasting note: DOW 1977 Vintage Port

Decanted 10 hours. At 6 hours, it was overpowering and still showing some spirit on the nose and finish. The '77 Dow's needs little introduction and is a very big wine, as is its older brother from 1970. Still showing dark ruby-purple with a suggestion of age showing on the edge, but its core is opaque. Lovely fragrances that depict just picked plums (I did so yesterday), a malt character which I don't often sense and an herbal note as well. The concentrated and fleshy juice is packed with powerful, dense dark berry fruit, highlighted by a touch of spicy licorice and cedar. I really like this wine yet it is young and broodish if not reticent still, kind of like driving a Ferrari in traffic. The richness and wonderfully smooth mouthfeel is met with omnipresent yet round tannins that meld into a sublime, lenghty and juicy finish that is somewhat drying. A decade from now, the Dow 1977 is going to be one heck of a mature Port that won't even have reached its peak! 93+ pts.

 

 

In U$D, the Dow 1977 currently can be found in the $90 - $100 price range.

 

~ A hobbyist in Sweden gets creative

Anders Källberg from Sweden, recently sent me an email related to Port.  I learned that he was about to write a piece about his production of Port tongs.  I own a couple of pair and love to use them on rare occasions, like when friends from overseas come and pick a bottle from my cellar to enjoy.  It is an experience made even more unique when my guest has the opportunity to open the bottle they've selected by using a Port tongs.  Although I am fairly adept at using the tongs, I could not even begin to think in terms of forging a pair, but that is where Anders comes in to the picture.  Here is his story, as told on the THE BEST WINE WEBSITE on the net.  Period. (permission granted in writing by the author):  http://wineloverspage.com/port/tongs.phtml

 

A Port Tongs, known in Portuguese as Tenazes

 

_____________________________________________________

 

 

FOR THE LOVE OF PORT©

The Colheita, Garrafeira and Vintage Ports of Niepoort

A unique tasting of some rare and impossible to find wines from one of the Port industry's brightest young stars.

 

Should you be interested in some of my other recent articles on Port, please visit the
Article Archive 

 

_____________________________________________________

 

Roy's Monthly Port Website Recommendation :

 

This month's web recommendation is: QUINTA DO PORTAL http://www.quintadoportal.com 

In a wine region that exemplifies the word traditional, there are very few "new" Port companies to arrive on the scene. One of the rare exceptions is Quinta do Portal. Although the wine produced by this Portuguese producer is fairly new to the market place, the vineyards owned by Pedro Mansilha Branco and family have been producing grapes and supplying other Shippers for many generations.

I first discovered Quinta do Portal in February of 2002 at a tasting here in Seattle sponsored by the Port Wine Institute. Portal's innaugural Vintage Port was 1995 (although they released a 1994 LBV) and each new vintage has shown exponential improvement. In addition to their full range of Ports, they also make table wines. The 1997 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port really caught my attention and the 1999 rivals the best of this unheralded vintage. When Portal launched their 2000 VP, it really helped to solidify their reputation and garnered critical acclaim.

When I ventured back to Portugal in June/July of 2003, Quinta do Portal was on my list of "must visit" properties in the Douro. Pedro M. Branco, the owner of Portal, is a young and successful man, with vision and a quest for excellence. I will be following the progress of Quinta do Portal and within a decade, I believe they will be known worldwide for their great Ports. Keep your eyes out for a bottle of their inspiring 1999 VP, while you cellar a case of their 2000 VP!

QUINTA DO PORTAL is available in some regions here in the USA (mostly on the East coast), but can easily be found throughout Europe and in Canada, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Uruguay, South Africa, China, Angola, Thailand, Mozambique, Japan and South Korea.

~ Letters and e-feedback:

 

Roy

Even with the greatest appreciation for European wines, for my own reasons many years ago, I decided to cellar only domestic. As such I have seriously reduced my exposure to Ports. Is there any kind of American Port Society or group or association? Is there anything that might point me in the right direction for acquiring domestic Ports? Since I am new to your news letter, probably thanks to Robin Garr, have you ever discussed domestic Ports? And if so do you have some favorites you might share?

Thanks,

Randy S Mitchell
Arizona, USA


Dear Randy,

The closest you will find to an association like that is the AAPA which is the American Association of Port Authorities. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with wine. This should provide you with the rest of your answer though:

These are my 3 favorite producers of port-style wine in the USA:

Hermannhof Winery (Hermann, Missouri) - The best domestic port I have tasted came from this historic winery that dates back to ca. 1850. By the end of the 19th century this small wine producing area was 2nd only to California. Hermannhof's port comes from a vintage blend of estate-grown Chambourcin and Norton grapes, It has been since the early 1990s that I have tried their wines and will admit I have never been to Missouri to see the vineyards and especially this very special place. It is one of the most historic wineries in America and the cellars are legendary.

Ficklin Vineyards (Madera, California) Without question, the best 10 year Tawny port made in the USA ... this has won "Best of New World port" at a judging I took part in during 2000. It is made using native Portuguese grape varietals and I would drink it anyday! They've made vintage dated port since 1948 and their 1991 is the current release if my info is correct. Peter Ficklin took over the winemaking duties after his father passed away some six years ago. CA lost one of its truly legendary winemakers. On a brighter note, the Ficklin name can be found on restaurant wine lists around the USA and their Ficklin NV "Tinta" port @ $10 is one of the best bargains in dessert wine anywhere, and it is easily found in supermarkets and retail shops across the nation.

Mount Pleasant Winery (Augusta, Missouri) 1986 and 1990 vintage ports were the first two I was lucky enough to try. Both were excellent versions of domestic port. Their current vintage port is 1998 and for a sub-$10 dessert wine, it is not only delicious but one heck of a bargain. Something about the limestone in the hills. NOTE: Due to the current owners of this 125 year old winery, in 1980, Augusta, Missouri became the first recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA). This remains my favorite wine trivia question and one of my favorite ports made outside of Portugal.

Others U.S.A. port producers that I have visited and/or tasted and enjoyed:

* Horton (Orange County, Virginia) - Denis Horton makes a variety of ports and is a Virginia Rhone Ranger too. They sometimes do a nice job with their ports, but avoid the Pear port!

* St. Amant (Lodi, CA) - Set up against the Sierra Foothills, one would expect Zin port from here, but that is not the case. They use true Portuguese varietals and I had a vintage port from 1990 that was pretty darn nice. The 1995 gets awards and good press but I have not tasted it yet. A great family owned place to visit.

* Stone Hill (Hermann, Missouri) before I get to the port, I must say that a bottle of 1985 Norton that I tasted in 1999 was one of the biggest surprises in my wine tasting career. The experience struck me for weeks as the wine was fantastic and was a gift to show how little I knew about wine. It proved it's point and I know even less today. In 1910 this was the 2nd largest winery in the USA, having produced 1.25 million gallons of wine per year. Their port is vintage in style and aged amazingly well. I would love to try another bottle as this was really delicious.

* Sonora Winery and port Works (Plymouth, CA) - their specialty is Zinfandel but they make 3 types of Port and I have only had one bottle of their vintage port that I purchased from the late Jerry Mead's cellar and shared with friends at his wine judging down in So. CA.

* Thurston Wolfe (Columbia Valley, WA) Certainly the best port made in Washington State and I have had a number of others. Wade Wolfe consults at Hogue Winery too, but makes his own wine too. This is a well made Zin-based port and the best of which I have tasted was the 1997 from the Burgess Vineyard. Nice wine and priced right too!

Hinzerling makes a bunch of dessert wines you can try at the winery and Yakima River Winery is another producer of port in WA and the latter makes John's Port (named after the owner/winemaker himself).

* Praeger's Winery & port Works (Napa, CA) hidden behind Sutter Home sits this unique if not bizarre garage which is Praegar. Worth the visit when in Napa although their port is merely good and in my opinion, overpriced ($45 for a 10 year old tawny ca. 1999. They also etch cool looking large format bottles for gifts.

* Goose Watch Winery (Finger Lakes, NY) - Possibly the only white port I can remember drinking from the USA... was the Goose Watch Finale White port -made from a blend of grapes: Vingnoles, Riesling, Vidal, Muscat and Vognier.

* Pindar Vineyards - (Long Island, NY) - this is a Cabernet based port, from one of the few LI wineries to date back into the '70s. It is LI's largest producing winery. Decent port at best.

* Duckwalk Vineyards - (Long Island, NY) - I don't understand why they bring in the blueberries from the state of Maine to make their blueberry port, but they do to make this wine ... which may work as a pancake syrup too.

* Quady (Madera, CA) best known for their play on words brand named "Starboard" but it tastes good. The've been making vintage port since 1975. I had a bottle of their 1990 vintage Starboard and it was a winner and was already at a decade of bottle age at the time. It was a blend of Zinfandel, and 3 Portuguese cultivars as well.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Roy,

Great job on the newsletter. I'm especially glad to see the answers to people's questions. You have always been more than generous with your help to me in the past, and it's great to pick up on the info you share with others.

While I'm at it, I do have a question. I'm waiting on my stash of 2000 VP until perhaps my 55th birthday (also my planned retirement, but a long way away), so until then I don't have much to satisfy my craving for the VP experience. I do try to buy older vintages once in a while (I found some '70 Graham's that was stellar), but shipping to my state is an issue. I see the Single Quinta wines around, and I was wondering what kind of time I would need to give something like the 1995 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas. Will it need 20 years, or will 10-12 bring it to maturity? Are there any Single Quintas that you seek out on a regular basis? Do you have any general aging rules for Single Quinta Port?

Thanks,
David Bueker
Connecticut, USA



Dear David,

This is an excellent question, or group of questions involving the Single Quinta Vintage Ports (SQVPs). First of all you mentioned that shipping to your state is an issue, so let me first explain what that means as many folks are from outside the USA. We here in the US have 50 States each of which can enact their own laws in regards to the inter and intra-state transport and sales of alcoholic beverages. This makes doing business in the USA quite cumbersome and almost like dealing with 50 different countries. There are reciprocal states which allow wines to be shipped between them, with limitations that go beyond the scope of this discussion. So David is having trouble in Connecticut having wine shipped as is the case in most of America and that is why the Supreme Court of the USA is finally looking over this entire issue.

Now to the SQVP questions. Buying mature Port makes sense for a lot of people so they don't have to wait to drink good wine now. Obviously the setback initially is the cost and another issue is the provenance of the wine, which refers to the history of ownership of the wine (and the storage conditions of the particular bottle or lot). Cost and provenance should be carefully evaluated prior to the purchase and always ask specific questions of the seller to find out more about the bottle or lot that you seek.

Single Quinta Vintage Ports are not necessarily lower quality or second label wines. Quinta do Noval and Quinta do Vesuvio are two simple examples of SQVPs that are fantastic wines and are on an equal basis with the likes of Graham, Sandeman, Ferreira and Fonseca to pick out some names.. On the other hand, you did mention a SQVP that happens to be a 2nd label of Taylor Fladgate, which is Quinta de Vargellas.

I recently attended a tasting of Vargellas' VPs going back to 1912 and this was not my first tasting of multiple vintages from that producer. these vintage Ports are exciting and age as well as any Vintage Port. Vargellas has long been the backbone for the Taylor vintage Ports, but in years like 2001 which are not "generally declared" (the majority of the larger Port Shippers "declare" the quality and quantity is great enough to release VP after receiving the blessing of the Port Wine Institute) Taylor will release a vintage Port under the Quinta de Vargellas label.

The regular bottle of the 1995 Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port is an excellent wine that I have had on four or five occasions. It is a fine VP and will more likely take 20+ years to reach maturity but that does not stop one from enjoying it at 10 or 15 years ... or if it is more to an individual's taste, in thirty years. They also made a Vieilles Vignes (old vines) version of the 1995 and this fall will be releasing a gift pack with their two newer versions of the VV bottling (from 1997 and 2000) but more on this once my article has been published, which will include tasting notes.

Lastly, I do enjoy SQVPs and try many of them and can't say that I have a particular favorite. The Noval and Vesuvio which make "classic" Vintage Port are usually easier to come by then some of the 2nd label SQVPs like Fonseca-Guimaraens, Niepoort Secundum (which is not actually a 2nd label but made an a more approachable style) which is similar in market positioning to that of Sandeman's Vau Vintage Port, Quinta do Bomfim (Dow), Eira Velha (Martinez) etc. Many of these can age as long as "classic" VP but you must experiment with the various wines and vintages to learn the maturation curve for each.


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Dear Roy,

I am delighted to see that your site has acquired a world wide following. You made a remark in your May letter, about when to drink, which I certainly found controversial.

Although I agree that after a week or so, a vintage port can fall apart, it seems to me not to open out sufficiently until decanted for 36-48 hours. I have tested this over the years by decanting a bottle and trying it, say, 12 then 24 then 48 hours later, and have found the results broadly the same over a number of different shippers and vintages. Volunteers have assisted me in this research and come to the same conclusion.

Do you think that this is purely subjective, drinker to drinker, or a manifestation of palates differing from country to country. The English palate (that is to say mine) seems someimes the odd man out internationally.

Given that port is not the cheapest of drinks, this seems a fairly important issue, affecting as it does, the enjoyment derived from one's port.

Best wishes

John Hardman
Bolton
England



Dear John,

Wine is not an absolute. What tastes great to me, may seem horrid to you. A wine I choose to go with my swordfish at dinner may seem to someone else to be a terrible pairing. Who is right? So, even my opinion here is "subjective" although I try as best I can to be even handed and as objective as possible.

I do not think that this is a matter of "taste by country", and have good friends in the UK who would probably agree with my assertion about the decanting and "shelf life" and peak drinkability of VP. That certainly does not make me right though, it ONLY shows that it has little to do with what country one resides in, to make these types of determinations.

Your disagreement with my contention that the "best drinking of a vintage Port is within the first 48, or at most 72 hours," is your right. I can not tell you when Port will taste best for YOU or even which one to drink. I can only provide you insight from my own perspective and two decades of experience. Will it work for everyone? I hope not, as this would be a boring newsletter if we all agreed, all of the time. I am certain that I am wrong occasionally and got married to make sure that I had someone to remind me of that fact.

I appreciate and respect the testing your have done over time, to come up with your 36-48 hour window of decanting a vintage Port. I look at decanting to serve two important functions for a Vintage Port (which may not be true for other wines):

1. It allows the wine to breathe (oxidation) which enhances ~ the depth of color, complexity of the aromatics, viscosity and depth to the mouthfeel, and may elongate the finish.
2. By allowing the oxidation process to take place, the tannins and alcohol may have the necessary time to round out and integrate. This can be proven by opening a bottle and decanting to remove the sediment (which I did not mention above, as this is a given) and pouring it right away. Generalizing a bit here, VP will not show as well if decanted and poured in this manner, as any spirity character will dominate if present, and the tannins may seem a bit edgy and harsh. Time in decanter allows these components to soften and integrate with time and show properly. If the nature of the Port is very spirity, then that characteristic will not go away naturally.

What I call "naturally" you may refer to as, "needs more time decanting to make this go away on its own". So if that is the case, it is more a matter of semantics. If you truly prefer the way vintage Port performs for you after four days in a decanter (where for my palate, it has already transformed into a different wine and lost freshness), then who am I to tell you not to continue doing so. At the end of the day, I am just happy you are choosing Vintage Port to put in your decanter in the first place! Lastly, some friends of mine believe that decanting VP for more than one hour is wrong, because it artificially depicts how the wine will show years down the road, and by elongating the decanting time...you speed up this process. At least that is what they believe.

Roy

**********************************************************************

Roy -
How are you? thank you very much for the newsletter - VERY informative for a novice in Port like myself. I was hoping i could pick your brain - my sister is born in 1970 and i was hoping to get her and her husband a few killer bottles of port from that year - price no object. Any recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated.

Best of health.

Kris Green
New York City


Dear Kris,

Thanks for the kind words. There is a funny thing about "wine novices" ... that describtor fits the vast majority of us.
If price is no object there is no better 1970 VP than Quinta do Noval Nacional. It can only be described with superlatives in my opinion and although I love many wines from this vintage; the Nacional is in another dimension. A handful of other great Ports from this esteemed vintage are: Fonseca, Taylor, Graham, Niepoort, Dow and Feist. Happy hunting and remind your sister how fortunate she is to have been born in such a fantastic vintage!

Roy

*******************************************************************

Hi Roy,

My name is Steven Kino and my city is Frederiksberg in Denmark. I have a Port question for you. I bought a Graham's 1942 at auction about 15 yrs ago. How would it be? I gave it as a birth year gift for my friend and now since he's retiring wants to drink it when I visit the Bay Area. Thank you in advance and for the Port news letter.
Best regards.



Dear Steven,

My most recent 1942 experience came a year ago when I had the fantastic Niepoort vintage Port from that year. I have also had the Graham's and Sandeman's (once each) and those are the only three I have had from this under appreciated vintage. The 1945 vintage rightfully overshadowed this wine from the summer of '42, but there were not that many Shippers who did declare this vintage My sole experience with the Graham's 1942 was in 1997, when the VP was 55 years old. It was drinking very well, but was a fully mature wine at that time. Nonetheless, I remember enjoying the fruit which was still showing nicely and thinking it was somewhat lighter in style and a bit less sweet than the 1935, 1945 or 1948 Graham's. That is about as much as I can tell you from my scant notes, although I did very much enjoy the wine which was bottled in the UK. Hopefully, one of the reader's here will be able to comment further from a more recent experience than mine.

Roy


**********************************************************************
Hi Roy,

Just seen your post about decanting port to remove it from the sediment on the Parker forum. I find decanting port quite difficult because of the black bottles (i.e., you can't do it over a candle to observe when the sediment reaches the neck). I would be very interested in receiving your step by step guide to decanting port. I seem to be doing OK, but feel it is more through luck than a good method.

All the best

Greg Wolff
Canada


Dear Greg,

There are as many ways to decant a bottle of Port as there are to cook eggs or make pizza. This is a lengthy topic and I will try my best to be concise (not my strong point when talking about Port).

It is really a pretty simple process and for some reason, many folks try to make it complicated. It need not be of course and the first thing one should remember is to stand up the bottle you want to decant a day or two in advance to let the sediment fall to the bottom of the bottle. I prefer a week ahead, if I know which bottle I will be drinking. But the method below will work, even if you miss the opportunity to stand your bottle up. I know folks who say you only need an hour ... so do as you please.

I can not get into the timing involved with decanting vintage Port because to me it is an art which is learned from experience gained over years of trial and error. Anytime you (or anyone else reading would like my opinion on decanting recommendations for a specific Port ... you know where to email me). Suffice it to say that very old VPs require little to no time in the decanter, once the sediment is removed. On the other hand, depending on producer and vintage there are bottles that I would leave in decanter for many hours (ie. 1992 Fonseca) due to its youth and tannins.

I recommend you have a glass Port decanter (preferably non-leaded), a Port funnel, some cheesecloth (muslin), and a corkscrew with a narrow and long screw, teflon coated if possible. On very old bottles I have been using an Ah-So which is a two pronged opener that slides between the bottle neck and the cork and is slowly and gently removed with the cork in it's clutches.

Once you peel of the foil or break off the wax seal over the cork, make sure to clean the top of the bottle. I decant my Vintage Ports by first rinsing the decanter and leaving it to dry while I perform the cork removal ritual... as in old VPs, the likelihood of breaking the cork, is nearly a certainty until you become very ... lucky. My best advice is to do this when you are calm and in no hurry. Take your time and extract the cork slowly. Make sure to wipe clean the top of the bottle thoroughly around the opening (inside and out).

Take the decanter and put the Port funnel into it. Take a swath of the cheesecloth (6" x 6") and at least double it to provide an extra layer of filtration and insert it atop the screen of the Port funnel. You can pour the entire contents SLOWLY into the funnel and the vast majority of the gunk will wind up being caught by the cheesecloth. Now with water at about 100 degrees farenheit, rinse the bottle free of sediment, and then let it air dry upside down in a dish rack or shake it vigorously until no water is left.

When you are comfortable that the Vintage Port is ready, rinse out the funnel and dry it for a moment. Then just pour the wine back into the bottle and use a clean cork. I like to use the little rubber stoppers as they can be kept very clean and are easy to insert and remove from the bottle.

Again, there are many ways to do this and some get fancy with decanting cradles (which are really for show) or use a method called "candling" from the old days (nowadays most use a flashlight) or gently pour in one continuous motion until the first sign of sediment shows up. My way, you may have a drop of ultra-fine sediment in the decanter, but you also save a few precious ounces of nectar. Look above and see the Port tongs, they are fun to use and it take a bit of practice, but you don't ever worry about breaking the cork in the bottle's neck. Best of luck!

Roy

_____________________________________________