For The Love Of Port

A few weeks ago, I was sitting poolside with a bottle of 1912 d'Oliv Verdelho. It was 85 degrees or so. Sitting in the glass in the sun the wine became tropical. Notes of coconut, banana, molasses and brown sugar emerged from the glass. Was a real treat and showed so many more nuances. I always thought of Madeira as something to be enjoyed in the winter or at best in evenings. My new favorite place is poolside on a hot summer day. Am I weird, or just an addict?

That would be a great Facebook read...hanging out at the pool, sipping some wine from 1912. Y'know, the usual...

Justin,

What kind of glass is that? It seems rather big. I've found that larger glasses accentuate the 19-20% alc. in Madeira.

What bottling date is the 1912?

Barry,
The glass in the pic is Riedel Somm Vintage Port. My go to glass is usually Riedel Somm White wine but this glass seemed appropriate outside for the exact reason you describe. I wish I remember the bottling date. Sorry. Was a fantastic bottle though.

Justin A. wrote:The glass in the pic is Riedel Somm Vintage Port.

Pricey! Aren't those $150/stem or thereabouts? I'm too afraid to use mine outdoors on a concrete patio... I have one VP and one Tawny Port from that line, and they only get used for very special occasions. Riedel Vinums are my everyday glass of choice at 1/10 the cost of the Sommeliers!

Hi Glen! No, I dont think theyre that much. The VP glass is around $25 or so, and the white wine glass is around 40 I think.

J

Justin A. wrote:Hi Glen! No, I dont think theyre that much. The VP glass is around $25 or so, and the white wine glass is around 40 I think.

That must be a Vinum then, not a Sommelier. They're the same shape, but the Vinums are machine made while the Sommeliers are hand blown. Side-by-side you can easily tell the difference because the Sommeliers are notably thinner glass, but the other telling difference is that the Sommeliers are one continuous piece including the stem while the Vinums have an attached stem.

Glen,
Theyre Somm. Not Vinum. I get a good price on them.

J

Justin A. wrote:Glen,
Theyre Somm. Not Vinum. I get a good price on them.

Wow, you certainly do! Is your source one you can share? PM me if you don't want to make it public. I'd love to get a few more because they really are nicer than the vinums, but at $100+/stem it just doesn't make sense. I might get a couple at $25/stem though.

Hi Glen,
Im looking at the pricing list and it looks like they 86'd the VP glasses. Dont see them anywhere. Has been a few years since I ordered them. I get them from the distributor and they usually give me a good price on the entire line but I have to spend $5k at a time.

That's too bad... they really were superb glasses.

One of the reasons Madeira was so popular in the States, and especially in the South was the acidity kept it refreshing even in the heat. I'm in Las Vegas where the current temps are 102+ on a daily basis. I drink more Madeira in the summer than winter (drink more Port in the winter than summer). Nothing like a nice Verdelho in the afternoon!

I see nothing wrong with chilling down Madeira and drinking it cool about 52-58 degrees in the summertime. I just brought several bottles on board a cruise ship and enjoyed them on the deck of the ship with my brother at night with Cuban cigars. But poolside would be great too.

Justin, the real question is... when is the next pool party? Hook your madeira brothers up!

Daniel! (And others) All Madeira lovers are always welcome to join!