|
Listing to Portby Peter Grogan Picture the scene - a crackling log fire in the holly-decked hearth, the shining faces of turkey-filled loved ones about the table weighing up the option of just one wafer-thin slice of fine Stilton, and perhaps a couple of plump Brazils to finish. Just one thing is needed to complete this scene of Yuletide bliss - a glinting crystal decanter of venerable vintage port. Should the reality be more of a two-bar electric and Kentucky Fried turkeyburgers with a couple of hung-over mates, it would still be a shame not to crack open the Cockburn’s and neck some. Made principally from touriga nacional, port comes from the upper Douro valley, and the demarcation of the region in 1756 formed the world’s first ‘appelation’. Fortification with 25 per cent brandy to truncate fermentation and keep the wine sufficiently sweet for English palates also worked wonders in preserving the wine on the long voyage to Blighty. There are two basic types of port - those aged in wood and those in bottle, which are generally superior. Of the former, ruby is the bog-standard, matured in wood for two or three years, then blended, filtered and bottled - surprisingly, most is consumed in France. The ubiquitous Cockburn’s Special Reserve is £8.75 at Safeway and is reliably rich and fruity, if a little cloying after half a pint or so. Clissold Wines have Ambassador Ruby (£6.50) from Krohn, which is altogether more characterful and has flavours of dates and demerara sugar. Their dry white port (£7.95), made from white grapes, makes a refreshing aperitif served chilled, although it has a nice toffeeish nose and zesty marmaladey flavours which have a great affinity with mature cheddar. Basic tawnies may be blended with white port to lighten the colour and are usually disappointing while the best stuff emerges after up to 40 years in wood as the pale, sophisticated aristocrat of the family. It’s said to be the preferred tipple of the shippers themselves. A good introduction to the style is Sandeman Imperial Aged Reserve from Oddbins (£9.99 or £7.49 if you buy two) which has a nice garnet colour and a leathery nose which goes well with the flavours of nuts and Turkish delight. Moving up the quality scale, we come to late bottled vintage (LBV) and vintage character ports. The former are generally made in average quality years and kept in wood for 4 to 6 years before bottling. They don’t improve once bottled and usually have no sediment so they don’t require decanting. Safeway have Taylor’s and Graham’s 1994 (at £10.49/ £10.99 respectively), both of which are well-made. Clissold Wines have Fonseca Guimaraens LBV 1992 (£9.95) which is a dark, austere example with flavours of figs and brown sugar. Better is the vintage character Fonseca 10 year old, a blend of good wines from various harvests, bottled after 10 years (five is more usual). A bargain at £7.95 for a 50ml bottle, it looks like a venerable tawny and has mature spice arid caramel flavours. A notch further up the scale are single quinta ports, made from grapes from a single vineyard, usually in ‘undeclared’ years. Made in the same way as vintage port, they’re bottled, unfiltered, after two years in wood, and must be decanted. (It’s the residual solids in the wine which allow it to continue to develop in the bottle - they are also largely responsible for the uniquely vicious hangovers that your correspondent has been suffering of late.) Oddbins have several, including Taylor’s 1987 Quinta de Vargellas (£19.99 this month) which is classy, with good body, fruit-cake flavours and plenty of ‘fire’. Vintage port accounts for 1% of total production and ‘declarations’ occur every three or four years on average. There are three main problems with it - it’s expensive, messy and very moreish. It’s risen steeply in price over the last few years, and some shippers are developing a less tannic, fruitier, early-drinking style. Putting nearly all thoughts of infanticide aside, I tried Oddbin’s Osborne 1995 (£16.99) which is somewhat raw and alcoholic, but with nice flavours of licorice and cloves, and Sandeman Vau 1997 (£24.99 or £19.99 for two or more) which is like a massively fruity, super-alcoholic New World red - a nice drop, but is it port? To find out what it’s really about, stump up £40 for Clissold’s Taylor’s 1983, if there’s any left. Stand it upright for a day to settle, then pour it slowly into a clean jug, leaving the last inch in the bottle. Rinse the bottle, then pour it back in. It’ll keep for weeks and at two quid for a dinky little glass - get some from a junk shop - it doesn’t seem extortionate, does it? Just one thing, please don’t pass it to the left - especially if you’re necking it.
|
