Kelly J. wrote:I'd like to get him some port tongs, as well. I'm not sure if they are necessary for an '83, but he's a tool man and I think he'd enjoy them
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Strictly speaking they're not necessary for any Port, but it's a lot of fun to watch them being used! Using tongs definitely adds an air of mystique to the opening and decanting of a bottle of Port.
I've been thinking about your first post, and it occurs to me that if most of what you've tried is from California and/or made from the Zinfandel grape (neither of which are really Port, but rather fortified wines or sometimes port-style wines), then you might not like a Graham or Gould Campbell. Graham and Gould Campbell both tend toward the sweeter and fruitier end of the Port spectrum. My experience with California fortified wines is that while typically sweet, they're typically closer to what I'd call "jammy" than "fruity" and I think that comes from using Zinfandel grapes. I suggest that you try an LBV Port first to make sure you actually like real Port before you invest in a more expensive bottle like a 1983 Vintage Port. LBV stands for Late-Bottled Vintage, and it's a less expensive Port that is pretty close in quality to a Vintage Port.
I'm also curious about your experience with tawny Port. Have you tried actual Tawny Port that comes from Portugal, or have the ones you've tried also been from California (or more likely, Australia)? Because again, Californian and Australian tawnies (which the Australians sometimes call "stickies") taste very different than actual Tawny Port from Portugal. I love Yalumba's tawnies... but they're not at all the same as a real Tawny Port.
As you may be realizing, there's considerable confusion in the industry because for decades the name Port has been used improperly by wines that aren't actually Port. To find a real Port, look for the little semi-decorative white paper tag that sticks out from beneath the capsule on the bottle. That's called the Selo de Guarantia, or "selo" for short, and it ensures that the wine you're buying is proper Port made in Portugal.
Anyway... I digress.
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Didn't mean to break out the soapbox.
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