Words About Port

Port Wine Institute's Road Show, © March 2003, Roy Hersh

In early February, the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (I.V.P. or Porto Wine Institute, http://www.ivp.pt/uk/) again made a swing through the Pacific Northwest to kick off its second annual gala: "A Very Special Port Tasting." From here, this traveling Port tasting heads to Atlanta, Boston, Montreal and Toronto this year. The inaugural I.V.P. tasting in 2002 also began in Oregon and Washington, and was such a huge success, with so many attendees that even the organizers were surprised by the impressive turnout. Consequently, the Pacific NW was again chosen as the starting place for this year's tasting extravaganza.

Worth mentioning:

Quinta do Tedo 1997 Vintage Porto - another new kid on the block and one of the very few Port Shippers with French ownership (Noval is owned by French insurance conglomerate AXA). Vincent Bouchard from the famed Burgundy family has taken on the lead role in this new "single quinta" endeavor. 100% foot trodden in lagar, the vines average over 30 years old on this historic property that dates back ca. 200 years. Tedo has been making VP since 1995 and also has a lineup of LBVs dating back to 1994. The 1997 VP was my favorite of their wines, although the 2000 are very good too. The 1997 possessed a medium dark ruby color and had smooth and rich blackberry flavors with a touch of lively tannins. I look forward to hearing more about this producer in the future. http://www.quintadotedo.com

A couple of observations: there was a large percentage of late twenty and thirty-something's which is important for the ongoing health of the Port wine trade. Attracting young wine lovers and familiarizing them with Porto is one of the key elements to a tasting such as this one. I also noticed many more women this year at the tasting, which was refreshing. I say that because of the stigma Port used to conjure up as a man's drink, consumed in the private cigar rooms of well-heeled restaurants and clubs, etc. This must change if the Port marketeers are to succeed in reaching non-traditional consumers.

Although Seattle is a pretty sophisticated wine market for its modest size and population base, it is considered a prominent Port market. Most if not all of the usual suspects are represented on retail shelves and in restaurants around town. Many of the hard to find lesser-known Port Shippers are available as well. I have heard from both Port importers and local distributors that the sales data from "off-premise" sources, suggests that Seattle is creeping up the list of the "Top Ten Port Markets in the USA."

Before I make note of some of the most interesting Ports that I encountered during the tasting, I did want to share some other observations. Although I have long been a fan of Riedel's Vinum Port Glass, I have now found the ultimate glass for consuming Port. It was introduced in Portland and Seattle at these Port events. In fact, each attendee was allowed to test drive this glass during the course of the tasting. I immediately perceived various improvements over well-known Port glassware. The "Official I.V.P. Port Wine Glass" is exclusively distributed by Ohm Design (http://www.ohmdesign.com).

One of its unique points of difference is that it has a quadrilateral stem that makes the glass much easier to hold onto compared to a round stem. Additionally, there is a notch or "dimple" in the stem, which is tailor-made for a thumb or forefinger. It fits very comfortably, adding stability, which is especially important at a tasting where you are likely to be jostled. There are other unique features of this glass (like the flat profile of the base) that separate it from its competitors. Congratulations to architect Alvaro Siza Vieira for his great design that was created at the request of the Port Wine Institute.

Port-related photos were placed around the tasting room. I thoroughly enjoyed this year's photo exhibition of the Douro Valley. Not only were there some excellent large scale photos of the Douro River Valley where Port grapes are grown, but also pictures of the harvest and the great terraces and many other facets of this rustic, remote part of the wine world. A short slide presentation with a guest speaker might be an interesting educational experience and something new for next year's tasting. This could take place an hour prior to the actual tasting and could serve to whet the attendee's appetites with Porto passion and information.

All in all, this was a great afternoon into evening, with fine Ports, good food and a fantastic location for this year's event. I can't wait until 2004 and the challenge of making my way through another hundred Ports. If you would like to discuss or ask Port related questions, please feel free to contact me at Portolover@aol.com

Roy Hersh

© March 29, 2003, (reprinted with his permission)