Swing Oiler Port and Cigar Night

I belong to a group of golfers affectionately known as the Swing Oilers.  On roughly a semi-annual basis we get together to enjoy a night of Port and cigars.  Last week was the latest incarnation of our event.  Our evening together featured a flight of three vintage ports, and one Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port.

I always try to make our Port and cigar night interesting and informative.  My tactic for this event was to do a blind tasting – a test to see how well we would fare at distinguishing a couple of older vintages from a younger vintage and an LBV.  The bottles ranged in price from roughly $40 for the LBV to $80 for the 1985 vintages.

Here are the crowd sourced comments from our 7 tasters:

Bottle A:  1997 Smith Woodhouse

Viscous, deep ruby color, sweet, prunes, very smooth, bold flavor, sweet by comparison to the flight

Bottle B:  1985 Porto Kopke

Light color, mature with a bit of pleasant must, bold flavor, smoky and similar to a Tawny, not as smooth as A, strong tawny nose, bright fruit flavor

Bottle C:  2005 Ramos Pinto LBV

Nice ruby color, enjoyable dry finish, rich and full bodied, smooth and subtle flavors, nice finish, subdued nose, super smooth, dark subdued fruit flavors

Bottle D:  1985 Ferreira

Rich and best body, light but intense flavor, fruity, smooth, medium dark color, intense brandy nose, layered fruit flavors

In addition to the comments, each taster was asked to judge whether the port was one of two “elder” ports, a younger vintage, or an LBV.  Here the number of correct guesses for each of the bottles:

• Bottle A: 1997 Smith Woodhouse - 2
• Bottle B: 1985 Porto Kopke - 2
• Bottle C: 2005 Ramos Pinto LBV - 2
• Bottle D: 1985 Ferreira – 5

It looks like we will need to practice our skills of correctly identifying Port.  Additional practice is clearly in order.  I doubt I will hear any dissenting voices.  The evening was a great success, and all the Ports were quite enjoyable.  The Saint Louis Rey Series G was also a big hit.

I will be back with more food pairing soon.

in vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Food is not the Only Thing that Pairs Well with Wine

Tomorrow evening is another episode in what has become a somewhat regular event over the last few years – cigar and Port night.  On roughly a six month schedule, a number of us that golf together regularly get together for a cigar and Port night.  Although this blog is principally about pairing food and wine, I am taking the liberty of stretching a bit.  Cigars and Port are a natural combination.

The photo is the lineup for tomorrow’s event and includes:

• 2007 M. Chapoutier Banyuls
• 2004 Late Bottled Vintage Quinta Da Gaivosa
• 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Fonseca
• 2003 Quinta De Ventozelo
• 1997 Rozés

Vintage Port is at the top of the pile as far as price, aging potential, and prestige are concerned. It’s made only from the best grapes of a single vintage, and only in years that have been “declared” vintage-worthy, which usually happens just a few times a decade. However, the decision on whether to declare a vintage is made in the spring of the second year following the harvest by each individual Port House (referred to as a 'shipper').  Because of the reputations at stake, these decisions are not taken lightly.

Vintage Ports are made similarly to other Ports, fortified with spirits to arrest fermentation and preserve residual sugar.  Because the Vintage Ports are so young upon release (after two years of aging in the Port House), they are usually tucked away in cellars for many years until they mellow and mature into their potential - generally another ten to thirty years of aging in the bottle before reaching what is considered a proper drinking age.  The helpful staff at my favorite wine and liquor store (Schneider’s of Capitol Hill) assisted in selecting vintages that are drinking well now, although a bit young.

While it is by far the most renowned type of port, from a volume and revenue standpoint, Vintage Port actually makes up only a small percentage of the production of most shippers. Since they are aged in barrels for only a short time, they retain their dark ruby color and fresh fruit flavors.

“Late-Bottled Vintage” or “LBV” Ports aren’t bottled until up to four to six years from the vintage date. This means they spend about twice as long in wood as Vintage Ports, and so they’re usually more accessible at an early age. LBVs were originally intended to offer an experience comparable to Vintage Port but at a much lower cost and without the extensive cellaring.

Tomorrow we will enjoy these Ports paired with our favorite cigars.  I will admit it is true that a cigar deadens some of your capacity to taste, but the combination of a bold, fruity Port with a fine cigar is a true pleasure.  The flavors of the Port and the cigar blend in a way that makes you want neither the cigar nor the Port to end.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig