Port can be very nice. I’m not a big fan of bog standard off the shelf ports as I find them mostly too one dimensional and sweet. I have had some aged ones which have the depth and complexity one would expect and hence very enjoyable. Lucky daughters! Altogether very different to sherry, in my experience.
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Yes, 100% agree. I try to stick to vintage ports as well that I can age nicely in bring out all the nuances. As part of a wedding gift, I bought my daughter a Taylor Fladgate 30 year or 40 year I can’t quite remember. In the review for it, they mentioned that there were portos in the mix from the 1800s. I love that kind of history that porto has. I don’t know if it’s possible to over age a vintage porto. I have a 2003 I picked up about 7 years back that’ll be at its 20-year Mark next year. Looking forward to it.
I find I usually end up having Sherry at Christmas as It tends to get offered around then.
And yes I’m sure my daughters will enjoy the port after I’m gone. It’s a 2011 which was an excellent year for ports in general, and the three of them are all wine enthusiasts.
Cheers.
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Just finished teaching WSET Diploma Sparkling and Fortified.
Four days of fun (for me, anyway!) in Champagne and Paris.
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Both are delicious. My Wine Society reserves include a case of 2003 vintage and also 2011 vintage (in halves) so I have plenty to enjoy.
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And of course a tasting, with oenologue Florence, from our hosts in Reims. Quelle dommage…
Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2010 was, the following day, voted currently the greatest sparkling wine in the world in the London competition.
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Nice selection. Reminds me what I am missing by choosing not to do diploma😂
The Colmant Brut MCC is now under the watchful eye of Paul Gerber who was previously cellar master at Le Lude and one of the best winemakers for sparkling wine in the Cape. Have had some great bottles from him.
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Just opened the Sherry and it is a beaut. Great with salted almonds.
Now enjoying this Montille Beaune that the Wine Society selected for me a few years back. Should be pretty good with some roast pork
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Funny, we chose the same vintages, although the 2011 was well-recommended. Glad to hear they’re really good. I read somewhere, earlier on, that a usual British custom was to keep a vintage Porto for 20 years before imbibing. That’s why I decided to wait until 2023 for the '03.
IIRC, the same article said that the CEO? of Taylor Fladgate developed LBV Porto to get some more activity(?) in the Porto market because so many people were putting them away for 20 years.
Please correct me if I’m not remembering it right.
Another thing … I have friends or acquaintances that will open a porto and take 4-5 months to consume it. I try to let them know, politely, that 3-4, or maybe 5 weeks is the shelf limit on porto, but only one of them has capitulated. Pity …
Cheers.
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Wow Qb, those both look excellent. I haven’t had a Beaune for a while now. It’s time …
And in 2005, Cotes de Beaune was rated 96, an ‘Extraordinary’ vintage, so it’ll be wonderful.
Salut!
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A rather unbalanced sherry selection? No fino, two creams.
My thinking with 2011 was that halves should be ready quicker. 2003 was meant to be a stunning vintage so 20 years of aging would be a minimum.
Regarding how long one can keep bottles once opened, I agree with you, it will not stay vibrant too long. If you want a bottle that can stay open for months/ years it needs to have had exposure to oxygen in the maturing process. If you have ever tried a rancio sec from Roussillon which is oxidatively aged outside in the baking sun hen these are pretty much bomb proof and are akin to some of the dry olorosos from Jerez. Great with a piece of mature cheddar or Comte! Sadly port will oxidise much too quickly to keep for more than a few days.
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The 375’s should certainly age quicker. I’ll read up on the 2003, maybe I should give it a few extra years, there’s no rush.
I’ll keep an eye out the rancio sec, but we only get what they’ll bring in … and if it’s good it sells out fast. Thanks for the info.
One challenge with assessing drinking windows is that most of the reviews are conducted on release, so in the case of 2003 probably in 2005/06. If you are storing wines with the Wine Society in Stevenage they regularly taste and update their drinking windows - often fairly conservatively.
With the advent of apps such as Vivino and CellarTracker, there are often recent tasting notes on the wines in your cellar, so there is the potential to get a more nuanced and informed view on drinking window.
So in my case, I can see that my 2003s could certainly be opened but will go on for a decade or two. Research yours and maybe open one!
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Yes, I have used cellar tracker and they have been helpful in most cases. The posters there have usually purchased 3, 6 or 12 bottles and give a sequence of reviews and predict the peak. But I haven’t used them yet for the 2003 porto. I’ll give it a try tonight. Thanks for the reminder.
CT was incorrect on a 2008 Patrizi Barolo, but I had some good research notes on it from when I first cellared it, so I sort of knew that it needed longer than they were suggesting.
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This evening’s offering. Very nice and much more open and approachable than when I had the first bottle about 2 years ago. Lovely red cherries all the way through. Went very well with nduja tortellini, ragu and garlic bread.
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Not really. Manzanilla, dry Amontillado and Oloroso, PX, Pale Cream (yuck, but it can be in the exam), Cream, plus a (sublime) Palo Cortado in their mock exam (final picture).
We don’t really have time or need to show both Fino and Manzanilla - one of either is on the sample list, and either would be accepted as an answer in the (tasting) exam, were one to appear.
Sherry is really quite difficult to source in France, although it isn’t actually me choosing the wines. I’d still have to include a Pale Cream if I did though.
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This was a very pleasant surprise. I had forgotten how tasty a Minervois can be. It’s a la liviniere, which I am not familiar with until now. It’s quite fruity on the palette but not on the nose. Tannins not noticeable nor are there spicey notes I associate with Syrah. Perhaps it’s the influence of Grenache? Most enjoyable, even with the last of the vindaloo.
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Anyone buy wine at Sainsburys?
My daughter shops there and would like some student budget recs., white or rose.
Never go there myself so contributions would be welcome!
Don’t know Sainsbury’s either but this article from today’s Guardian gives some advice on buying supermarket wine
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Never had a problem with the concept of" Supermarket Own Brands" , I always feel if the supermarket wants to put their name on it, then it is a reflection of them . I especially like some of the Co-op own brands , especially for their ethical stance