Tera 15/11/2011 JimGreeley

VINHODOPORTO

NEWS PRESS.COM (ONLINE)

PORTS,PERFECTTOSERVEFORHOLIDAYS,COMEINSEVERALSTYLES
Its hard to believe the official start of the holidayseasonisalreadynear.IsitThanksgiving already? Where did the year go? As we head into the calendars homestretch and the evenings grow a little longer (and cooler), Ill often find myself enjoying a glass of wine instead of coffee at the end of a meal as a digestif. And the wine Ill choose to mend the spiritandwarmthesoulisPorto. Porto,orport,isthefamousfortifiedwineof the Douro region of Portugal. This noble wine derives its name from the city of Porto on Portugals Atlantic coast. Throughout the centuries its earned the reputation as the perfectafterholidaydinnertipple.Itistheideal partnerforrichchocolatedesserts,blueveined cheeses, walnuts and even pecan or pumpkin pie. Port comes in several traditional styles: non vintage ruby and tawny, indicated age tawny, latebottled vintage and vintage. Nonvintage and LBV ports are often superb values, while vintagewinesaretherarestandmostprizedby collectors for their impressive aging potential. Indicatedagetawniesareproducedin10,20, Heresafewtoenjoyovertheholidays: Grahams Six Grape Reserve Porto ($20): Full bodied rubystyle port bottled at four years to retain its rich sweet fruit. Its made with all six traditional grapes and is a terrific example of thisstyle. Other countries also produce wines labeled as port. Australia is perhaps the best example. Aussie winemakers use Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedregrapestocreatetawniesredolentof sweet toffee and walnuts. The appellation of Banyuls in southern France is also noted for its fortifiedwines,madeinasimilarstyle. Regardlessofstyle,allportsarefortifiedwitha little brandy during the winemaking process. Thisleavesthewinessweetandrichwithmore alcohol than a standard table wine. Quality Porto can be made with up to six specific red grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Co and Tinta Amarela. The grapevines are planted on steeply terraced vineyards along the rugged terrainoftheDouroRivervalley. 30and40yearoldbottlings;theirageindicates theamountoftimespentinwoodbarrels.

Tera 15/11/2011 JimGreeley

VINHODOPORTO

NEWS PRESS.COM (ONLINE)

Grahams Vintage Porto 2003 ($100): Vintage portosareproducedinonlytheverybestyears and represent less than 2 percent of total production. From a fabulous vintage, this wine cancellarformanyyears.95pointrating,Wine Advocate. Dows Late Bottled Vintage Porto ($20): LBVs like this one are typically aged in oak before bottling. 2005 is the current vintage. 90point rating,WineEnthusiast. R.L. Buller & Son Victoria Tawny ($13): From Australia,agoodintroductiontothetawnystyle with aromas and flavors of toffee, plum, caramelandspice.90points,InternationalWine Cellar. Abbe Rous Cornet & Cie Banyuls Rimage ($13) 500ml: 100 percent Grenache Noir. Rich black raspberry and fresh figs with a hint of vanilla. Greatwithchocolate.