For The Love Of Port

Tesco's are selling Dow's Master Blend Late Bottled Vintage 2000 75cl for £6.99.
I searched on this, but couldn't find it in any forum. I'll try it in a bit, but a well known Shipper selling LBV for under £7! Fingers crossed.
I suppose one of you will tell me its dire now.

Alan

Alan,

This will not be great but probably will not be crap either. I'm sure I have had this in the past but can't honestly remember anything about it.

A general tip that you might find useful is that if you buy a cheap port that you find is a bit hot or weak I find the best thing to do is drink it chilled - this certainly takes the edge of the excess alcholol and sometimes gives the impression of the wine having a bit more substance to it. All trickery of the mind but it helps you get to the end of the bottle without your face looking like you're sucking a lemon

Derek

Derek,

Cheers for that I'll give it a go. I dont know whether I'm kidding myself, but I think white port tastes lovely chilled. Even with ice.
Luckily I've had half a bottle of Wolf Blass Presidents Shiraz with my late lunch, so I'll be surprised if the 'hotness' will be as noticable as it would have been if I hadn't.
Its a tough life being a Lush!!!

Alan

Alan,

A good white Port for not a lot of money is Krohn's Lagrima White Port. The Lagrima style is a sweet white, not dry like Fonseca's Siroco. Not a blockbuster wine, but chilled it is a good drink on a warm day, and a good QPR (Quality Price Ratio...means you get a good bottle for cheap).

Alan,

I hate to spoil you illusion that you may have stumbled on a new formula for white port but EVERYBODY drinks it chilled - a great drink in the summer is a long tall glass with half white port, half tonic and loads of ice cubes - known as a portonic 8)

Now, stop drinking that cheap Auzzie plonk and get back on the real stuff - be sure to come back later toning to tell us how well the bottle of Dow's went down


I've just popped a Morgan's 91 VP so will probably be here blabbing on into the night

Derek

a great drink in the summer is a long tall glass with half white port, half tonic and loads of ice cubes - known as a portonic

Derek, gives a solid rec on the white port and tonic. Also add some fresh mint leaves to the glass before you add the liquid ingrediants. Makes a wonderful appertif or a refreshing drink on a warm summer day. FWIW, not too long ago I had a dinner at my home, I was able to convert two friends that said they hated Port into Port drinkers after that white port appertif.

Well there you go, I thought I was ruining white port, like putting lemonade in with 10 yr old single malts, when your actually all doing it!
The Dows 2001 LBV is ok. A pleasant enough drink. Its not that firey, and has a neutral body, but doesn't really excite. On the down side it has an earthiness, almost a hint of soil taste about it. As a Barbarian, I'm happy enough, but not yet found that cheap LBV I can recommend. I suppose Tesco's aren't that daft, and its not a loss leader, its just something they weren't shifting!
They had a Dows Crusted next to this for double the price. I dont think I've had a Crusted Port of any description before, so I might try that next week.
Even at this bargain basement end of life, it would be nice to have a dozen similar glasses, to compare, and grade, and return to...to give you confidence in what conclusions you come to.
So go on Derek...I suppose the Morgans is a riot of fruits and charisma!

Alan.

Alan,

Was the Dow's LBV a 2000 or a 2001 vintage? Perhaps soon we should do an LBV virtual tasting? We can suggest that to Fred later in the month (but I would still like to do a 1987 VP tasting in April so that we can then reply to Roy's question about the "best" off-vintage.

The Crusted Wines tend to be a bit of a bargain. They can be as good as a single quinta or vintage wine but tend to be priced below both. The only disadvantage of them is that they tend to be sold long before I think that they reach their drinking peak. The bottling date is always put on a Crusted Port so you can figure out how long they have been maturing for. I've had Crusted Ports 6 years after bottling (Dow) which was tasty and enjoyable right up to Crusted Ports bottled 45 years before drinking (Noval) which was absolutely sensational.

So when you go back to Tesco and if you buy the Crusted Port, try to hide one somewhere in the house where it can stay cool, dark and undisturbed for the next 40 years.

Just one word of caution. I recently tried three bottles of Tesco own label Vintage Port 1995 (by Quarles Harris). While one of these was great and very enjoyable, the other two were spoiled and horrid. Tesco were very good and took back both the horrid bottles and gave me a refund, but I would be reluctant to risk my taste buds for a fourth time.

Alex

Alex,

Definately a 2000 bottled in 2006.
40 years! :hoppingmad:
We were born in 1963 for Gods sake. I'll be lucky to be drinking soup through a straw in 40years! Both my parents died at 53, his Dad at 51, I'm overweight and on tablets for Blood Pressure aqnd Cholestral...
Sorry Alex, the 40year old hidey hole is as much use as a chocolate fireguard!
I'll give the Crusted a go though.
I avoid 'Own Brands' like the plague, dont really know why. Apart from Marks & Spencer's, but I'm sure you'll agree, their food and drink is of a consistantly high quality . Their tawneys and LBV's are a great standard by which to compare others, IMHO,

Alan

Alan,

There isn't an emoticon for "tongue in cheek". If there was then I would have been using it when making my forty-year comment. Mind you, if you have kids and they like port then 40 years may not be such a waste.

More seriously, the crusted is great and something that I thoroughly enjoy. While I like an occasional fruit blast, I have decided over the past few years that I prefer my port with some age. If you buy crusted today that was bottled in 2000 it will be very drinkable. It will also age and change - perhaps improve - over a period of years. An interesting experiment to try would be if you buy two bottles today and drink one this year and one for Christmas 2008, and then decide which you prefer!

I also vaguely recall a thread where we were all speculating the age we wanted to survive until in order to enjoy all the port we were planning to buy. The general view seemed to be that we would need to live to an average of around 237 years. Hmmm....might be struggling a bit with that one.

Alex

Alan,

There is no reason to avoid "own brands" (refer to as BOB's..buyers own brands) as some come from really good producers, such as Quinta do Crasto. The important thing is to find out what producer made it. If your not sure, I'm sure the UK guys can help out there.

These BOB's can be a good source for lower price Ports, than if they were labeled with the actual producers logo.

Alan,

You need to try all of these BOB's before condeming the entire range. None of them are expensive, except M&S, which are generally good but all over-priced.

Two that I have found that are good value are Tesco 10 yr old tawny (Smith Woodhouse) and Asda 10 yr old tawny (Graham's) - both very respectable tawnys at around £10. Niether of these are the regular 10 yr old bottling but both are good and at this price are difficult to criticise

But the outstanding value BOB is Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 1996 VP - this is Quinta do Crasto 1996 - not a second string wine - the real thing. Crasto is one of the oldest properties in the Douro but only recently have they gone into VP production in a big way. This is a very good wine, especially at the £15 price tag it had at Christmas. Unfortunately, it is now back at full price of £20 but at that is less than the SQVP's from Taylor and Dow's that you will find on the same shelf.

Try every BOB you see at least once just in case you find one you like. Most are very cheap and at the end of the day you have nothing to lose.

Derek

Gentlemen,

Although true that I had disregarded BOB's (Theres a new word!), I did say I had no particular reason to back it up.
Having listened to your views...consider me back in the fold. I'll give them a go, and try to find a Sainsburys near me!

Alan

bridgema wrote:I also vaguely recall a thread where we were all speculating the age we wanted to survive until in order to enjoy all the port we were planning to buy. The general view seemed to be that we would need to live to an average of around 237 years. Hmmm....might be struggling a bit with that one.

Alan, I have already explained that drinking a birth year VP on your birthday each year means you live forever. Alex is just showing frustration here that Quinta do Vesuvio did not produce a 1963.

If you want proof as to whether or not my theory is true, just look at the facts. Everyone in history who has not followed the theory, and is not still alive, is already dead. What more proof do you need :?

I have a bottle of Taylor's Quinta do Vargellas 1965 waiting for me on 28 March, so will be certain to survive until at least 28 March 2008 8)

Derek

Being a '73 vintage myself, looks like I will be seeing you all in a few hundred years when you run out of birth year Ports. I'll keep the furnance on full, and a cooler stocked with Cruz Port waiting for your arrival :twisted:

On my demise, you are all to come to the real side of the pond and enjoy my cellar, there is plenty for all (just give the corked ones to Derek, he'll drink it anyways )

Andy,

Being a 1965 baby I sympathise with your plight. I also have a son from 1993 (worst VP year in history) and, after many nights searching the cosmos, have managed to secure 24 1/2 bottles of 1993 VP for him to use to prolong his life at some future point.

If we look hard enough I am absolutley certain we will track down some 1973 VP from an obscure shipper - we are all with you in your hour of need and you can be sure the collective will search all corners of the earth to find you your life giving VP

Derek,

I gather Roy's celler is well stocked with 65's? Thats why your asking in another Post to hide out there for 300years!

Andy,

Its been nice knowing you....

Alan

Alan,

I don't know about 1965's but I do know that I could die happy locked in Roy's cellar 8)

Derek

So he's well stocked up with Dow's Master Blend LBV 2000???

Jammy Sod.

Andy V. wrote:Alan,

There is no reason to avoid "own brands" (refer to as BOB's..buyers own brands) as some come from really good producers, such as Quinta do Crasto. The important thing is to find out what producer made it.

I agree. Costco had Fonseca make their 10 year tawny and it was much nicer than the standard Fonseca 10 for $6.00 USD less a bottle.