Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr11/wineinfo.zip/PORT.RG

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THE WINE TASTER
BY ROBIN GARR
The Courier-Journal, Dec. 27, 1989
     A roaring fire in the fireplace, a blustery wind outside, and frost on
the windowpanes: The scene is set for a glass of port or sherry.

     It's little wonder that these warming beverages owe much of their
reputation to their enduring popularity in England, where bleak, blustery
winter days cry out for palliative treats if not a cure.

     Although genuine port hails from Portugal and real sherry comes from
Spain, the names of the traditional "houses" that bottle and ship the wines
reads like a social register of the British commercial world: Cockburn
(pronounced "Co-burn"), Sandeman, Offley, Crofts, Duff Gordon, Taylor and
many more.

     Port and sherry-type wines also are produced in abundance in the United
States and in Australia.

     The English learned to love these wines during the 1600s, when one of
their periodic wars with France embargoed their favored red clarets from
Bordeaux.

     Unable to grow wine grapes in their northern climate, the English
turned in desperation to the products of then-friendly Portugal.

     Alas, the simple Portuguese country red wine didn't travel well --
until some anonymous vintner had an idea that changed the course of vinous
history: By adding a dash of brandy to "fortify" the coarse, sweet wine, they
not only built in a preservative but added the warming quality that makes the
wine as much a part of winter as chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

     In much the same way, Sherry -- a white wine that gains an appealing
nutlike quality from controlled oxidation with a special form of naturally
occurring yeast -- was fortified and forever altered by blending with
brandy for the long sea voyage to England.

     Some of the more expensive ports from Portugal -- generally those
bearing a specific vintage date -- are extremely expensive, bear a heavy
sediment that requires careful decanting, and really should be cellared for
10 to 20 years or more before opening. They appeal to connoisseurs and,
properly preserved and served, can make a truly memorable experience.

     Those of us who lack that kind of patience and budget, however, can do
almost as well by choosing non-vintage "ruby" red or "tawny" brown ports (the
latter aged in wood) or their Californian and Australian equivalents.

     Sherries don't require quite as much finicky attention, but it's worth
remembering that they come in a range of sweetness, from delicate, dry "fino"
(which does not "travel well" and is rarely at its best outside Spain) to
sweeter "amontillado" (the wine that Poe made famous) and "oloroso," which is
rich and often, at its sweetest, sold as "cream" sherry.

     Here are my notes on a random sampling of affordable sherries and
ports, along with a couple of other dessert wines and an exceptionally
appealing California brandy made by an ancient, French-style process.

     They're best enjoyed after dinner with cheese and nuts, or in the case
of the drier sherries, as a pre-dinner aperitif.


(4 1/2 stars) Seppelt "Trafford" Barossa Valley (Australia)
Tawny Port, non-vintage. Rich aromas of dates, figs, caramel and
sherrylike walnuts leap from this glass of brilliant, russet-colored port.
It's an extremely complex wine, with a long, lingering, mouth-filling flavor
of tropical fruit and nuts backed by crisp, lemony acid. Save for the
pleasant sherrylike quality that I find typical of Australian ports, it could
masquerade as a first-rate tawny port from Portugal. ($13.99)


(4 stars) Lustau Almacenista Oloroso Viejo de Jerez Sherry,
non-vintage. Luscious walnuts perfumed with exotic spices elevate the
delicious aroma of this light, brilliant-amber sherry. An initial sugary
impression promptly gives way to lemony acidity and ripe, juicy fruit, with
walnuts and tart acid in the lingering aftertaste. ($11.99)



(4 stars) Germain-Robin Fine Alambic Brandy, Lot No. 3.
This bright-gold California brandy breathes the deeply fruity, winelike scent
of a quality brandy. It is exceptionally smooth on the palate --
surprisingly so for a distilled spirit -- with lush fruit flavors that seem
to expand and fill your head. ($25)



(4 stars) Martinez Porto, Late Bottled Vintage 1983. A
heady, warm scent of wine grapes, figs and plums distinguishes the aroma of
this clear, dark ruby-red wine. In contrast with a true vintage port, which
takes years to reach maturity, this "late bottled vintage" gained mellowness
and easy accessibility by being aged in wood for several years before
bottling. Its mouth-filling flavor is sweet, fruity and smooth. ($9.99)



(3 1/2 stars) Preston Muscat Brulee Dry Creek Valley Sonoma
County (California) dessert wine, 1987. This clear, bright-gold wine
breathes a lovely aroma of apricots and honey with a hint of pumpkin-pie
spice. Apricots dominate its almost syrupy-sweet flavor, with crisp acidity
behind the sugar and a pleasant touch of bitterness in the aftertaste.
($10.99 for a 375-milliliter "half bottle.")



(3 1/2 stars) Seppelt "Mt. Rufus" Barossa Valley (Australia)
Tawny Port, non-vintage. This clear, dark-copper-colored wine offers a
pleasant scent of walnuts and caramel and a simple, smooth flavor that's
quite sweet but saved from "stickiness" by a cleansing shot of crisp acidity.
($10.99)



(3 stars) Brolio Vin Santo, 1980. This clear, bright
coppery-gold Italian dessert wine has a delicate aroma of pecans or
hazelnuts, and a sweet, almost syrupy flavor that's not overly acidic but
gains pleasant complexity from a touch of bitterness in the aftertaste.
($14.59)


     "The Wine Taster" appears every other Wednesday in the Louisville
Courier-Journal Food Section. Wine and Food Critic Robin Garr rates table
wines available in the Louisville area, using a one- to five-star scale
determined by quality and value. Send suggestions or questions in care of The
Courier-Journal, 525 W. Broadway, Louisville, Ky. 40202, call [phone]

or leave a message for 76702,764.