Port wine is a versatile style to explore in the new year

This week is about Port – but don’t turn the page. Unfortunately, too many read or hear Port and think of a sweet, expensive red wine. Port producers are actually some of of the most versatile winemakers around. Most make a wide range of Douro River Valley reds and whites, which are in the $8-$20 range, in addition to their Porto. You see, Port is not a varietal wine but a blend, and as such, it is quite dependent on the winemaker’s art and palate. Rather than attempting to enlighten in a few hundred words, please visit this website for a fairly comprehensive overview: www.liquor.com/what-is-port-wine-5075584. In addition, let’s review several wines I have sampled that are not found in the article.

Two well-known, 10-year-old Tawny Ports are Taylor Fladgate, $25, 90 McD; and Warre’s Otima, $21, 92 McD. Both can be found in Delaware. I prefer the lighter style of Warre’s. Dark tawny (orange, yellow-brown) with brick-pink accent, it opens to mixed aromas of strawberry, chocolate and caramel. On the palate, strawberry repeats with toffee and sufficient palate-cleansing acidity. Big-buck buyers search for W&J Graham’s 40-year-old Tawny, 20 percent ABV. You will pay from $180-$200. The critics couldn’t agree, rating from 91 to 96 and bronze to gold. My fav, Ms. Robinson, said 18/20. That’s an RP 100. I’ll leave it by saying definitely worth the cash. Typically served in 3 oz bumpers; each serving costs $25. Between that higher ABV and concentrated aromatics, it makes sense to employ smaller tulip stemware. I’m not much for Ruby Port, but the Graham’s Six Grapes is representative, 85 McD. The best, least-expensive for my money is Cockburn’s Fine Ruby Port, 87 McD around $12.

In the USA, look for Quady Winery Batch 88 Starboard. I initially tried this due to the story. Since restrictive labeling laws precluded using “Port” on its label, Andrew Quady decided to name his version "Starboard.” He wrote, “Starboard resembles port in almost every way, except in geography, and in the softer, rounder, more voluptuous tannins that are a result of the unique climate found in the foothills of Amador County.” It has won a bunch of golds, silvers and a double gold. McD 92 around $28. Made of Tempranillo, it goes great with flan, most dishes with caramel, and especially with dark chocolate. Concerning chocolate, the higher cocoa content and fewer ingredients on the label, the better. Chocolate with more than 75 percent cocoa contains a higher concentration of antioxidants and nutrients. Most “dietary health experts” claim dark chocolate is beneficial for both heart and brain health. Coupled with the resveratrol found in red wine, the combo is an antioxidant powerhouse. High-cocoa chocolate is normally lower in sugar as well. Quady makes a wide selection of dessert wines. Their initial success was driven by Essensia Orange Muscat and Elysium Black Muscat. Those who enjoy well-made sweet wine with balance should look into this name.

White Port, you query? Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried some. There are about 30 producers in Portugal. Available at Moore Bros. in Wilmington is one, Quinta de Santa Eufemia 30-year-old White Port, 93 McD under $70. If you are new to wine, finding something in the mid-90s, well-aged and priced under $80 is fairly rare. Roger Voss loved it at 95 points. As with the Tawnys, White Port is infused with clear alcohol to stop fermentation, taking them to between 17 and 20 percent ABV. Santa Eufemia is a dry, aromatic wine with a lovely burnt-toffee finish, bright acidity and well-crafted balance provided by long time in wood. Wonderful aperitif wine with aged Serrano ham. Put on your smoking jacket and ascot or a slinky outfit and a feather boa, cozy up in a large easy chair and watch “High Society,” or something with Archie Leach or Audrey Ruston. Avid readers may wish to review “Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology,” “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged,” or the Cliffs notes. Possibly coming to your neighborhood soon. Those addicted to TV can find the movies.

Younger White Port is usually made dry and often is served as a mixed drink with tonic and lemon over ice. Resembles dry vermouth. Those who checked out the link will know I barely scratched the surface. More next week.