Posts Tagged ‘Port Wine Review’
Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 25, 2013
Croft Pink advertises itself as the first Pink Port. This new Port style is produced in a manner which handles the Douro Valley red Port grapes in a similar manner to that which is used when producing a non-wooded white wine. According to the Cort Pink website:
” This vinification method extracts a light amount of colour from the skins without extracting astringent tannins which would make the palate of this light style of Port aggressive. The cold settling prior to fermentation and the cool fermentation are fundamental to enhance the freshness of fruit and its elegance.”
Although the production method is similar to that used when making white wine, the product is undeniably Port wine. It is made from red grapes in the Douro Valley, fortified with distilled grape spirit, and bottled at 19.5 % alcohol by volume.
You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:
“… I noticed that this Port expression is not nearly as assertive in aroma other styles of Port which I have sampled in the past. Light, sweet fruity aromas of strawberries, raspberries, green grapes and effervescent grapefruit zest greet my nose …”
I found this wine very much at home in long tall drinks with lots of ice; and, as you will see in the review, I also found a nice cocktail recipe which mixes Croft Pink with Scotch and Apricot Brandy which is very tasty.
Enjoy the Review!
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Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dessert Wine Review, Pink Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Croft Pink, Dessert Wine, Fladgate Partnership, Pink Port, Port Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Croft Pink (Port Wine)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 18, 2013
Quinta de la Rosa was established in 1906 when the Port house was given to Claire Feueheerd as a Christening gift. Although the family rum Port shipping company was shut down in the 1930s, Claire maintained the vineyards and ran la Rosa. In 1988, Claire’s Grandaughter, Sophia and her father, Tim Bergqvist decided to relaunch Quinta de la Rosa as a small family run winery producing a variety of wines including Port.
Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottled Vintage Port wines are produced from grapes grown in a single year at Quinta de la Rosa. They are matured for between four and six years; but they are not filtered prior to bottling. In the case of the 2007 LBV, this wine was produced from grapes harvested in mid September 2007, and it was bottled almost four years later in July 2011.
Normally, I would leave a bottle like the Quinta de la Rosa LBV 2007 in my cellar (actually it is a cold room) for several years before I would open it to receive the benefit of bottle aging. However, the particular bottle I have pictured below was given to my by the folks at Thristy Cellars for the purpose of a review. I would expect that whatever scores I assign during this review would actually increase if I were to allow the wine to mature in my cold room.
You may click on the following excerpt for my full review:
“… Over time some faint raisin and cherry notes arose, alongside some some sort of mealy vegetal aroma. It was obvious to me that this wine was going to require a lot of time to bring forward the rush of berry and fruit sensations which I relish in a good Port. So I waited …”
Please enjoy my latest Port Wine Review from the small house of Quinta de la Rosa.
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Late Bottle Vintage Port, Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Quinta de la Rosa, Unfiltered Port, Wine, Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottle Vintage Port (2007 )
Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 27, 2013
Porto Cálem was founded in 1859 by Antonio Alves Cálem and remained a family business for 4 generations. Since 1998 however, (although the Cálem family remain with the company as minority shareholders) Cálem has been part of the Portuguese Wine company, Sogevinus SGPS, S.A..
Porto Cálem Late Bottled Vintages are produced from red grapes grown in the Douro Valley of Portugal. The wine is aged between 4 to 6 years in oak casks and in wine vats. Because Cálem filters their LBV’s before bottling, their style of Late Bottled Vintage Port wine does not benefit from further aging in the bottle. It is ready to be served and does not require decanting.
(Note: I received my sample bottle from Woodman Wines and Spirits who advised me that 196 cases Calem LBV Port were to be released through Vintages (in the Province of Ontario) on June 22nd.)
You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:
“… The aroma is soft and full of sweet purple fruit as the breezes above the glass bring forward smells of plump fresh dark-red cherries, black raspberry jam, and sticky plum sauce. I seem to smell a vague earthiness under the ripe fruit as impressions of rich damp humus fill soil seem to be hinted at. There is also a light spiciness which for me is reminiscent of wood chips drying in the sun …”
Please enjoy the review of this surprisingly good LBV Port Wine!
(Please note that the problem I had earlier with the above link has been fixed!)
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Calem Port, Dessert Wine, Late Bottled Vintage, Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Wine Review, Woodman Wines and Spirits | Comments Off on Review: Cálem LBV Port Wine (2006)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 16, 2013
The House of Sandeman traces its history all the way back to 1790 when George Sandeman, an Scotsman from Perth, started a wine business in London. He borrowed £300 (which was quite a sum of money back then), purchased a wine cellar, and began to sell Porto and Sherry from Tom’s Coffee House in London. He expanded his company by establishing an agency in Cadiz, Spain in 1795, and by 1811, he had purchased a wine cellar in V.N. Gaia, Portugal. Although the House went public in 1952, and is no longer a family owned Wine Bodega (House), in 1990 George Sandeman (the seventh generation George Sandeman) reunited the company with the Sandeman family by becoming the managing director. In June 2002, Sandeman became part of the Sogrape Group who also own the Port companies Ferreira and Offley.
Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Ports are produced from the grapes of a single year. The resulting wine is aged for about four years, and then bottled following a slight tuning when it is deemed mature. According to the Sandeman website, their LBV wine is ready to be consumed directly from the bottle, although it may contain some sediment if left unopened for a longer spell.
(Note: I was provided a sample bottle of Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Port Wine (2007) by Charton Hobbes, who are responsible for its importation here in Alberta.)
You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:
“… I nosed and sipped very sparingly on my glass and discovered that it took about 20 minutes for the glass to begin to bring forward a fruit filled bouquet of Bing cherries and ripe red raspberries, although that mineral quality I noticed earlier clung resolutely to the breezes as well. Very faintly, I notice some nice plums and raisin meandering within the scents of the bursting red fruit …”
Please enjoy the review and for those Dads reading my blog, Happy Father’s Day!
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Late Bottled Vintage, LBV, Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Sandeman, Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Port Wine (2007)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 31, 2013
The Fladgate Partnership owns three important Port houses, Taylor’s Port (Taylor Fladgate), Fonsecu, and Croft’s. Of the three, Taylor’s is the oldest and most influential, founded in 1692 in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal by Job Bearsley. Although ownership of the company has moved through a variety of families, Taylor’s is (and has been since inception) independently owned and managed.
The wines used in the Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage 2007 Porto blend are drawn from a reserve of full-bodied red ports which were produced from the 2007 harvest, from grapes grown on Taylor’s own vineyards and on other top properties in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior areas. This wine remained in wood about five years and was bottled in 2012.
(Note: I was provided a sample bottle of Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage 2007 Port by Pacific Wine & Spirits Inc, who are responsible for its importation here in Alberta.)
You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:
“… The initial scents in the breezes reflect a restrained nose. I sense more tannin within this LBV Port than others I have sampled recently. Smells of raisins, figs and dry black fruit are prevalent. Some dark fudgey scents crawl out of the glass, as well as impressions akin to black Chinese tea …”
Please enjoy my review (and have a great weekend)!
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Late Bottle Vintage Port, Pacific Wines and Spirits, Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Taylor Fladgate, Taylor's | Comments Off on Review: Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage 2007 Port Wine
Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 24, 2013
Dow’s is one of the Port Houses belonging to the Symington Family whose ancestry in the Port trade spans a period of over three and a half centuries. This family’s association with Dow’s began in the early 1900’s when Andrew James Symington, became a partner in Warre & Co, the first and oldest British Port company established in Portugal. The Warre Family at the time owned Dow’s; but apparently had little interest in managing the company and invited Symington to manage the vineyards and lodges of Dow’s as well those of Warre & Co.. In 1912, Andrew Symington, acquired 30 % ownership of Dow’s, and later, in 1961 the Symington Family gained full control and sole ownership of the entire company.
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port wines are produced from grapes grown in a single year from Dow’s best vineyards. The wine has been matured for between four and six years and is filtered prior to bottling. Because it has been matured and then filtered, this style of Port wine is ready for immediate consumption and will not require decanting or filtering of sediment before serving.
(Note: I was provided a sample bottle of Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2006 by The Bacchus Group, who are responsible for its importation here in Alberta.)
You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:
“… As you let the wine breathe the fruity smells begin to grow slowly seeping into the air with smells of blackberries, plums and dark red cherries. There are hints of dry fruit, as well as grape skins and stems adding to that earthy quality underneath …”
I hope you enjoy this review of what I consider to be an outstanding Late Bottled Vintage port.
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Dessert Wine, Dow's, Late Bottled Vintage, Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage 2006 Port Wine
Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 12, 2013
The subject of this review, is a bottle of Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port Wine. Six Grapes is one of the original Port blends (or marques) from Graham’s. It is, you could say, the flagship Reserve Port Wine produced by the company (or lodge). According to the Graham’s website, only the grapes from the finest vineyards are used to produce this marque. The distinctive depiction of grape bunches on the bottle is taken from the identification symbols long used in the Graham’s lodge to identify the wines destined to make up the Six Grapes blend. The wine is sourced from the same vineyards (essentially Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta das Lages) that contribute to Graham’s famed Vintage Ports in ‘declared’ years. This means that it will resemble Graham’s Vintage Port in that it has a similar rich and full-bodied style. However unlike the Vintage Port, Six Grapes is a blend of different Vintages which have been aged a relatively short period of time (between 3 and 4 years).
You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:
“… The Six Grapes Port Wine looks luscious in the glass. It carries deep red tones at the center of the glass, and a rich plum coloured crest at the top. The aroma has depth, full of the smells of sweetened ripe dark fruit. I am thinking dark ripe BC cherries, wild blackberries and plump purple plums. Subtle notes of raisin, dates and cocoa lurk underneath …”
Please enjoy my review of this dandy Port wine.
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, Ruby Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Port Wine, Port Wine Review, Ruby Port, W & J Graham's | Comments Off on Review: W & J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port
Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 29, 2012
I came upon the chance to review this particular Cálem Port Wine quite by accident. When Woodman Wines and Spirits learned I was looking for a suitable aged Tawny Port in my mad desire to construct a new and original “Millionaire Punch”. They suggested that they could send me a bottle of the Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny for the recipe’s construction. The Cálem Tawny had all of the characteristics I was looking for, and I agreed to receive the bottle. Since I would not need the entire bottle for my punch recipe, I decided I would review this wine here on my website as well.
In case you are wondering, my “Millionaire Punch” was an unmitigated disaster, and I regret that 4 oz of this wonderful Port Wine was subjected to my dreadful experiment.
Here is an excerpt from my review:
“… In the glass, the tawny port exhibits a rich aroma of dry fruit, (prunes, dates and raisins) and brown sugary baking spices (Vanilla, cinnamon and Demerara sugar). I also notice some nice fresh fruit scents welling up which remind me of blackberries, fresh BC cherries and red currant. A few freshly bitten dark plums, some ripe raspberry, and a touch of coffee and chocolate round out the breezes above my glass. This is very nice… “
You may read the full review here:
I had planned on revealing my “Millionaire Punch” as part of this review, but I rather think it best that I advise you to enjoy this Port Wine in the manner in which it was intended, as a wonderful after dinner treat.
Enjoy the review!
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Posted in Dessert Wine Review, Tawny Port Wine, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Calem Port, Dessert Wine, Dessert Wine Review, Port Wine Review, Tawny Port Wine, Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Cálem 10 Year Old Tawny Port Wine
Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 27, 2012
Today I am stepping out of my comfort zone, and publishing a review which, although it was very enjoyable for me to write, probably should be read (and interpreted) with a hefty grain of salt by you, the reader.
You see, I like dessert wines, and one of my favourite dessert wines is aged Port. I have a small collection of Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port Wines in my cold room, and about four weeks ago I selected one to enjoy. I am not sure why I decided to write a review, I think perhaps it was to solicit comment especially regarding my thoughts on how to properly age such a wine and how to properly serve it once it is opened. My thoughts on these matters are written as part of the review, and if you have thoughts of your own you are welcome to share them in the comments section of the review. I guess I am saying that this review was written more for my benefit than it was for the benefit of my readers.
The subject of this review, is a bottle of Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port Wine which I purchased in 2009, Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003, Bottled 2008, “Unfiltered”. I was told when I purchased this wine that it was a solid LBV Port which would age well in my cold room, and should be opened four or five years after it was bottled for maximum enjoyment. This Port wine is of course from the Douro Region of Portugal. It was bottled in 2008, after approximately five years of maturation in oak vats.
This is my first “Wine Review”, and I approached the review in the same manner as I have all of my reviews, which is to say that I wrote primarily about the enjoyment which the spirit gave me and where I found that enjoyment.
Here is an excerpt from my review:
“…As the glass breathed, the mouth feel became softer and more enjoyable although that fresh acidity seemed to linger. Along with the taste of ripe cherries, darker dry fruit appeared (dates and prunes) as well hints of oak and bittersweet chocolate…”
Here is a link to the full review:
Please Enjoy the review!
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Posted in LBV Port, Wine Reviews - Port | Tagged: Dessert Wine, Fonseca Port, Late Bottle Vintage Port, Port Wine Review, Wine Review | Comments Off on Review: Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003
