I’ll jump in here with an excuse to bump the thread.
As stated before, I’ve really only had port around the holidays with my in-laws. They are Portuguese, and are usually pressing all manner of sweet liqueurs on me at those times (another is passion fruit liqueur), so I have always associated it with the special and occasional rather than the everyday. So I am having a bit of trouble breaking that association and thinking of this as a regular indulgence. I’m not sure that this would appeal to me on a frequent basis.
It was dark and sweet, and had a nice heavy texture. Contrary to Aceospades’ experience, I found it a bit too sweet, and tended to stay on my palate. While I like wines that are fruit forward, this went beyond that and reminded me of the way that some fruit syrups can overwhelm. Perhaps without a balancing acidity? However, thanks to the previous references to chocolate, I had some dark chocolate on hand, and the slight bitterness countered the sweetness very nicely.
On the other hand, Aceospades’ comment and psycat90’s links made me think that tawny ports might be much more to my liking. Alas, I am at the age where any vintage port I could purchase would probably not mature during my lifetime.
I’m very glad I tried it. It most assuredly won’t go to waste. I’m trying to think of the right meal where this would be the right finish. And as I mentioned above, pears are now in season, and I’ve found some recipes for pears poached in port.
We picked this up this weekend, but have not yet had a chance to try it out. Luckily thingnumberone drinks a lot of different ports, so I’ll have expertise on my side. Actually, we just had a lovely 1985 Delaforce the other day that was fantastic.
Oh bother! I can’t seem to get myself to a store this week. Haven’t looked anywhere but the grocery store and I knew I wouldn’t find it there. I am getting behind.
Luckily the vintages store here has an excellent port selection. I always fear trying new ports because I had one that tasted like pure spirits. I do like a fine port though.
The Niagara region around here has incredible ice wines, so for you port-lovers out there, I highly recommend Niagara Region ice wines. Prices may vary, you could get a $30 bottle or a $300 bottle. Personally, my palate for ice wines isn’t so great, so I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference between the two disparately priced wines. They are NOT ports, however, they have many similar qualities and if you enjoy port, you’d enjoy an ice wine.
I tried it last night after dinner. Not as full bodied nor as sweet as the ports I’m used to, but I liked it. The 2nd glass, for some reason, was better than the first!
Hey, Jodi: Aren’t we due for a Week 18 thread this weekend?
I found it two days ago. (in the grocery store, it had a safety “don’t steal this” cap on. It was midrange among the wines. A lot of more expensive wines didn’t have such a cap - but that’s beside the point).
I really liked this. Nice flavors, and sweet. Thanks!
Mais oui. I had a bit of a family thing going on and was away from the virtual world for a few days. Back now (for now) and I’ll post the new thread now. But please remember that the posting of the new thread does not mean the instant death of the old; if you’re still sampling the port, please feel free to continue the discussion.
We visited the world market yesterday and picked up the 6 Grapes Port and also last weeks selection, the Juan Gil Jumilla.
I tried the port last night after dinner. Personally I didn’t find it overly sweet. It does pair very nicely with dark chocolate. I could really taste the alcohol but didn’t find it off-putting. It has nice mouth feel and just the right amount of raisony, pruney, nutty-ness. I think this is a good find. I’ll bet at Total Wine it’s quite a bit cheaper than $19.99 a bottle. I’ll check next time I’m there.
My husband couldn’t drink it because it immediately ignited his acid-reflux (almost all alcohol does that for him so we’ve been drinking less and less) so I had his glass as well. I really didn’t want to stop at two. It’s quite delicious. I really enjoyed it.
I tried this port a few days ago and am just getting around to posting on it. I liked it a lot, it’s light and sweet - a good summer port. But it definitely lacks the complexity of a good port, so if you like this, I’d highly suggest spending a little more on a good port and trying it because the flavors are unbelievable.
If you did like the Six Grapes, I’d also suggest trying Jonesy Old Tawny Port, which is about half the price (at least here) and is a bit more full bodied than the Six Grapes. It’s my favorite port that doesn’t cost over $20.
