Tonight I’m trying port. Well, my wife and I were both trying port, but she gave up halfway through the first kitten. So now it’s left to me to kill this beast, one kitten at a time.
What’s a kitten, you ask? Well, it’s apparently the appropriate (or an appropriate, anyway) vessel from which to enjoy port. Here are mine, a gift from my sister-in-law. I’m sure there’s a more technical name for them.
The same as with sherry, I find the beverage aggressively sweet. There’s a ton of bright, fresh fruit flavor, and a noticeable alcohol tingle, but the sweetness is hard to get past. (Though, halfway through the bottle, I’m getting to appreciate the deeper flavors a bit more, but it’s still like a cocktail of grappa and grape jelly.)
I think I may just not be one for fortified wines. (I’ll try the other great European fortified wine, Marsala, just to be sure.) I’m just going to finish this bottle tonight so as not to be wasteful.
Any port fans out there? In particular, anyone who can point me to a good dry specimen under thirty bucks?
I quite like a glass of port but it tends to give great headache when overdone.
Very sweet and only to be had as a finisher after a meal, very nice.
I once had a decent session on a few different ports and cigars. Woke up next morning wondering how the gorilla got in the house. What gorilla you ask? The gorilla that broke in while I was asleep, slapped me in the head multiple times and shat in my mouth. At least that’s how I felt.
I misread ‘port’ as ‘porter’ and was wondering what the hell young cats had to do with a six-pack of dark beer. You did follow the rule and give us a picture of the kitten, so I guess I don’t have cause to complain.
Huge port fan (although we’re not allowed to call it that here anymore - it’s called Cape Vintage, but it’s port all the same) - the KWV Cape Tawny is quite good, and you might be able to find a good 80s vintage in that price range
I haven’t had it for awhile, but I was huge fan of Charles Krug’s Port, which I think is a Zin Port. I used to buy it by the case. Let me see what’s on their website… Here you go. I used to be a member, so I’d get a 20% discount.
The true Portuguese Ports are awesome, but I didn’t pay too much attention when I was drinking them, and don’t recall the brands.
OK, you two, you aren’t getting off that easy. You have to tell those of us who may not have seen those interesting glasses how do you drink from them. Please don’t say you blow air in the stem like a bubble pipe, that would really kill the mystique.
What’s there to tell? You hold the glass in your hand like a pipe, cupping the bowl and warming the spirits within. You sip through the stem, drawing the warm, un-oxidized spirit from the bottom of the glass. Uber-pretentious and really cool at the same time!
I keep Warre’s Ruby Port in the house mainly for cooking, but it’s also very good paired with dark chocolate. I have a dark chocolate cookie recipe which uses it right in the mix.
As other folks have said, you can make some fantastic sauces with it that go well with beef or pork entrees, and I’ve also made a sauce that’s a treat over poached pears.
I always wondered why my mother had a decorative hash pipe out on display when I was a kid/teenager. Now I know, as my mom is more the port and sherry type vice hash or crack, AFAIK. Parents do have their mysteries.
Experience has taught me alcohol through a straw almost always ends badly, and that includes Camelbaks full of rum and coke; especially Camelbaks full of rum and coke.
Pipe from Black Sage is one of my favourites, or Taylor Fladgate 20 yo.
