Well, here I am in rainy, cold San Francisco. Of course, “cold” is relative, since my wife said it’s barely above zero with wind chills hovering around -20F back home. Had to give a talk at the American Society for Cell Biology meeting, which I find a drag at this time of year. But it does give me a chance to review some new restaurants and wines. Sooo, here goes.
I got in late to the San Francisco Marriott last Saturday night. Thankfully, Annabelle’s was still serving at 10:30 PM. I’ve reviewed this restaurant before, but since the menu and wines change, I’ll give it another go. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast in Nebraska, which means this was 12:30 AM for me and I was HUNGRY! Started with a cup of very unremarkable seafood bisque. It had a tomato base and the waiter said it had shrimp and mussels in it, but they were nowhere to be found. It was simply a fishy tasting tomato soup. Disappointing. However, next was an appetizer of white cheddar cheese, lightly breaded and fried, then covered with an apple liqueur and diced apples—very nice. For my main course, I had lamb medallions, medium rare, accompanied by a hash of diced rutabaga, carrots, and onions. The lamb was lightly covered in a brown sauce tasting slightly sweet, probably from a touch of brown sugar. Both were excellent. Dessert was toasted bread pudding topped with a Jameson whiskey sauce and accompanied by a chocolate expresso pot de crème. The latter is a dense, creamy, concoction resembling a pudding more than a mousse. Suffice to say, both were outstanding. Wine for the night was a Storybook Mountain Napa Estate, Mayacamas Range Zinfandel. It’s about $24.00 in the stores. Nice deep red color. Fruity bouquet. Berries, strawberry, and spice on the palate. Storybrook Mountain is known for its fine zinfandels and this was definitely one of them.
Sunday, I and three colleagues tried Daffodil’s, just north of Union Square halfway up Nob Hill. It’s a little known place that I can usually get in without a reservation. For an appetizer, I had breaded deep fried calamari with similarly breaded pieces of dill pickle and sauce of jalapenos and cilantro crème fraiche. It was unusual…and very good. The sauce was outstanding with just enough bite to make it interesting.
Two entrees to review here. First was a fettuccine lamb ragout in a brown sauce, similar to what I experienced at Annabelle’s. It was laced with morel mushrooms and diced shallots. Very tasty. Second was a grilled pork chop with an apple liqueur based sauce over wild rice. The pork chop was good, meaty with no fat, and cooked perfectly. Very succulent. For the wine, I chose a Fleur Carneros Pinot Noir, which goes with just about everything. It’s a lighter red with brilliant color and a bouquet of ripe cherries and cranberries. On the palate, the berries persist with a touch of spice and nutmeg. While it’s fruity, this wine is soft and supple with a lingering finish of berries and spice. It generally runs around $15.00 in the stores.
Well, that should keep you drooling for now. I’ll write more as I finish out my trip tomorrow. Until then, enjoy some wine.
Ciao!
The Death Whisperer Series
The Death Whisperer Series available at https://www.amazon.com/author/dmichaelolive
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kendall Jackson Zin
Got a new wine for you tonight. Actually, my wife picked it and she’s rather proud because it’s a good one.
2006 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Zinfandel. $10.99 (they were having a sale). This is a medium bodied wine with a rich, ruby color. The aroma of raspberry, blueberry, spice, and lots of berry fruit hits you right away. In the mouth, I tasted strawberry, cherry, and blackberry with a touch of spice accent that lingered on a long, pleasant finish. For the money, this is an excellent wine. It’s not too heavy and will go nicely with all kinds of foods. I think it’s normally around $13.00, but my wife’s sharp eyes caught the sale. Enjoy!
Ciao!
2006 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Zinfandel. $10.99 (they were having a sale). This is a medium bodied wine with a rich, ruby color. The aroma of raspberry, blueberry, spice, and lots of berry fruit hits you right away. In the mouth, I tasted strawberry, cherry, and blackberry with a touch of spice accent that lingered on a long, pleasant finish. For the money, this is an excellent wine. It’s not too heavy and will go nicely with all kinds of foods. I think it’s normally around $13.00, but my wife’s sharp eyes caught the sale. Enjoy!
Ciao!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
RISE OF THE FALLEN Released!!!
RISE OF THE FALLEN Released!!!
I know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath for the release of my new novel, Rise of the Fallen. Well…IT’S HERE!
Right now, it’s available at Buy Books on the Web (http://www.bbotw.com/). The direct url is: http://www.bbotw.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5055-0
ISBN: 0-7414-5055-0
It will be available through Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, Walmart, etc, in about a month. Just to give you a glimpse of the story, see below for the trailer and first chapter.
Synopsis:
A leading U.S. bioweapons scientist dies of an unexplainable neurological disease. A Swiss chocolate factory is guarded by highly trained combat troops. Chechnya is destroyed with thermobaric bombs after an outbreak of a bioterrorist virus. And the beautiful, but enigmatic CEO of a biotechnology company fights off a take-over attempt by a sinister Boston investment group. Unrelated as these events may seem, Liam Michaels, an artist, photographer—and the immortal Angel of Death—recognizes an insidious plot by fallen angels and must act quickly to stop the rise of the Fallen.
Sunday, May 4th; Framingham, Massachusetts
Jeffery Blazek was dying. He lay on the kitchen floor of his cozy, three-bedroom house that backed up to the Boy Scouts forest preserve in Framingham, Massachusetts, unable to move or call for help. His muscle control was gone, and the room smelled of urine and feces. Saliva drooled slowly down his cheek and pooled under his face. His mouth snapped open and shut like a fish out of water, and his breath came in strained gasps accompanied by whistling rales. His body shook with constant tremors; his left hand beat gently against the floor. He was dying.
Two bizarre-looking figures sat at the kitchen table covered head to toe in pale green hazmat suits made of a lyotropic, liquid crystal-butyl rubber composite. The suits operated on a principle similar to Gore-Tex, but with pores one hundred times smaller, blocking the entry of bacteria, viruses, and most chemical warfare agents. Blue, latex gloves covered their hands and they wore clear plastic facemasks attached to respirators on their backs. Both calmly took notes on the Tablet PC’s of two Panasonic Toughbook computers.
A man’s baritone voice spoke. “Let’s go over the progression of the disease.”
“Fire away, my young genius.” The voice of the second figure was female with a slight Irish accent.
The man frowned through his mask. “The pneumonia first appeared three weeks ago, correct?”
“Yep, inoculated him twenty-eight days ago on Sunday, April 6th, as he took a leak in the company washroom,” the second figure answered. “There’s a lesson here, sweetums.” She stared at the man, her eyes glittering behind her mask. “Working weekends will kill you. I put the inoculum in the automatic air freshener dispenser.”
“When did his symptoms first appear?” asked the man.
“Let’s see.” The woman consulted her computer. “Five days after the initial exposure, he showed signs of pneumonia. Doctor put him on azithromycin. Looks like his pneumonia was better five days after beginning treatment.”
“Excellent. When did the neurological symptoms appear?”
The woman again checked her computer notes. “Twenty-one days after infection he began to complain of tremors and a general weak¬ness in his legs. According to his medical records, he stated he felt unsteady and found himself leaning against the walls of his home in order to walk without falling.” She looked up from her computer and smirked. “Sounds like you after a couple of beers.”
“Cut the crap,” the male snarled.
“No sense of humor, little one?” the female purred. “Twenty-five days after infection, his doctor wrote that his speech was slurred, his coordination deteriorating. Boy, this really could be you after tossing back a few.”
The man ignored the comment. “And the doctor’s opinion?”
“Doc suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
Guillain-Barré syndrome resulted from an attack on the peripheral nerves by the body's immune system. It usually followed a few days or weeks after a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. The symptoms varied and included weakness or tingling sensations in the legs and, in many instances, spread to the arms and upper body. The symptoms could increase in intensity until the muscles were useless, and the victim was almost paralyzed. In most cases the affected patient recovered completely, but in rare instances, the paralysis remained. Even rarer, death occurred.
“Exactly what we hoped. So, if today is day twenty-eight post-infection, then the symptoms have progressed just as expected,” the man declared, flexing his gloved fingers.
The man on the floor gasped frantically. His body tried to inhale more deeply without exhaling, straining for the last bit of precious oxygen. Abruptly, the sounds of his wheezing ended and his chest muscles stopped working. He was dead.
“Ironic, isn’t it? The guy’s an infectious disease expert,” the mysterious man said.
“Correction. Was an infectious disease expert.”
“Whatever,” the man continued. “Here he is, dead from an infection, and there was nothing he could do to prevent or cure it.”
“At least you’re good at some things, kitten,” the female said. “I’d say the Desesperado agent is a success.” She began typing into her computer. “Let’s see, oh-three-thirty-five hours, May 4th, the subject, Jeffery Blazek, was pronounced dead. The presumed cause, Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
“That’s it. We’re out of here,” the man said.
The two figures removed aerosol cans of a disinfectant cocktail from small bags at their feet and sprayed down the computers. They left the house through the back door, closing and locking it. The moon shone brightly on the warm, New England spring night. The smell of red hemlock chips arranged neatly around a flagstone garden path filled the air with an earthy fragrance. The man removed a small disinfectant canister from the bag and attached it to a neatly coiled hose connected to a faucet at the back of the house. He turned on the hose and began to spray the woman’s suit as she held her arms out parallel to the ground. When she’d been disinfected, she did the same for him. They carefully removed their suits, placed them in black, self-sealing, plastic bags, and stepped into the forest behind the house.
“So, kitten, since the bug doesn’t affect you and me, why the suits?” the woman asked. Her long black, hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore a black, nomex jumpsuit with military combat boots.
“I just wanted to make sure the agent wasn’t transmissible person-to-person. Otherwise, with all the person-to-person contact you have each night, you might have started an epidemic.”
The woman grinned. “You do have a sense of humor, kitten!” She moved closer to him. “But I don’t think you’re ready for person-to person contact with me. You might get hurt. So be respectful of a lady, sweetums.”
The man snorted and dragged a large rubberized duffle bag out from under a magenta-blooming rhododendron bush. The man and woman carefully placed their equipment in the duffle bag and sealed it. The man threw it over his shoulder and the two disappeared down a path into the forest.
I know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath for the release of my new novel, Rise of the Fallen. Well…IT’S HERE!
Right now, it’s available at Buy Books on the Web (http://www.bbotw.com/). The direct url is: http://www.bbotw.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5055-0
ISBN: 0-7414-5055-0
It will be available through Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, Walmart, etc, in about a month. Just to give you a glimpse of the story, see below for the trailer and first chapter.
Synopsis:
A leading U.S. bioweapons scientist dies of an unexplainable neurological disease. A Swiss chocolate factory is guarded by highly trained combat troops. Chechnya is destroyed with thermobaric bombs after an outbreak of a bioterrorist virus. And the beautiful, but enigmatic CEO of a biotechnology company fights off a take-over attempt by a sinister Boston investment group. Unrelated as these events may seem, Liam Michaels, an artist, photographer—and the immortal Angel of Death—recognizes an insidious plot by fallen angels and must act quickly to stop the rise of the Fallen.
Sunday, May 4th; Framingham, Massachusetts
Jeffery Blazek was dying. He lay on the kitchen floor of his cozy, three-bedroom house that backed up to the Boy Scouts forest preserve in Framingham, Massachusetts, unable to move or call for help. His muscle control was gone, and the room smelled of urine and feces. Saliva drooled slowly down his cheek and pooled under his face. His mouth snapped open and shut like a fish out of water, and his breath came in strained gasps accompanied by whistling rales. His body shook with constant tremors; his left hand beat gently against the floor. He was dying.
Two bizarre-looking figures sat at the kitchen table covered head to toe in pale green hazmat suits made of a lyotropic, liquid crystal-butyl rubber composite. The suits operated on a principle similar to Gore-Tex, but with pores one hundred times smaller, blocking the entry of bacteria, viruses, and most chemical warfare agents. Blue, latex gloves covered their hands and they wore clear plastic facemasks attached to respirators on their backs. Both calmly took notes on the Tablet PC’s of two Panasonic Toughbook computers.
A man’s baritone voice spoke. “Let’s go over the progression of the disease.”
“Fire away, my young genius.” The voice of the second figure was female with a slight Irish accent.
The man frowned through his mask. “The pneumonia first appeared three weeks ago, correct?”
“Yep, inoculated him twenty-eight days ago on Sunday, April 6th, as he took a leak in the company washroom,” the second figure answered. “There’s a lesson here, sweetums.” She stared at the man, her eyes glittering behind her mask. “Working weekends will kill you. I put the inoculum in the automatic air freshener dispenser.”
“When did his symptoms first appear?” asked the man.
“Let’s see.” The woman consulted her computer. “Five days after the initial exposure, he showed signs of pneumonia. Doctor put him on azithromycin. Looks like his pneumonia was better five days after beginning treatment.”
“Excellent. When did the neurological symptoms appear?”
The woman again checked her computer notes. “Twenty-one days after infection he began to complain of tremors and a general weak¬ness in his legs. According to his medical records, he stated he felt unsteady and found himself leaning against the walls of his home in order to walk without falling.” She looked up from her computer and smirked. “Sounds like you after a couple of beers.”
“Cut the crap,” the male snarled.
“No sense of humor, little one?” the female purred. “Twenty-five days after infection, his doctor wrote that his speech was slurred, his coordination deteriorating. Boy, this really could be you after tossing back a few.”
The man ignored the comment. “And the doctor’s opinion?”
“Doc suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
Guillain-Barré syndrome resulted from an attack on the peripheral nerves by the body's immune system. It usually followed a few days or weeks after a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. The symptoms varied and included weakness or tingling sensations in the legs and, in many instances, spread to the arms and upper body. The symptoms could increase in intensity until the muscles were useless, and the victim was almost paralyzed. In most cases the affected patient recovered completely, but in rare instances, the paralysis remained. Even rarer, death occurred.
“Exactly what we hoped. So, if today is day twenty-eight post-infection, then the symptoms have progressed just as expected,” the man declared, flexing his gloved fingers.
The man on the floor gasped frantically. His body tried to inhale more deeply without exhaling, straining for the last bit of precious oxygen. Abruptly, the sounds of his wheezing ended and his chest muscles stopped working. He was dead.
“Ironic, isn’t it? The guy’s an infectious disease expert,” the mysterious man said.
“Correction. Was an infectious disease expert.”
“Whatever,” the man continued. “Here he is, dead from an infection, and there was nothing he could do to prevent or cure it.”
“At least you’re good at some things, kitten,” the female said. “I’d say the Desesperado agent is a success.” She began typing into her computer. “Let’s see, oh-three-thirty-five hours, May 4th, the subject, Jeffery Blazek, was pronounced dead. The presumed cause, Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
“That’s it. We’re out of here,” the man said.
The two figures removed aerosol cans of a disinfectant cocktail from small bags at their feet and sprayed down the computers. They left the house through the back door, closing and locking it. The moon shone brightly on the warm, New England spring night. The smell of red hemlock chips arranged neatly around a flagstone garden path filled the air with an earthy fragrance. The man removed a small disinfectant canister from the bag and attached it to a neatly coiled hose connected to a faucet at the back of the house. He turned on the hose and began to spray the woman’s suit as she held her arms out parallel to the ground. When she’d been disinfected, she did the same for him. They carefully removed their suits, placed them in black, self-sealing, plastic bags, and stepped into the forest behind the house.
“So, kitten, since the bug doesn’t affect you and me, why the suits?” the woman asked. Her long black, hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore a black, nomex jumpsuit with military combat boots.
“I just wanted to make sure the agent wasn’t transmissible person-to-person. Otherwise, with all the person-to-person contact you have each night, you might have started an epidemic.”
The woman grinned. “You do have a sense of humor, kitten!” She moved closer to him. “But I don’t think you’re ready for person-to person contact with me. You might get hurt. So be respectful of a lady, sweetums.”
The man snorted and dragged a large rubberized duffle bag out from under a magenta-blooming rhododendron bush. The man and woman carefully placed their equipment in the duffle bag and sealed it. The man threw it over his shoulder and the two disappeared down a path into the forest.
Australian Reds
Hectic week following the Holiday, but it’s time for two new wines. I was intrigued by the Rosemont Cabernet from Australia that we had at my daughter’s wedding recently. As I said in my review, it was quite good and only 8.50 a bottle. Soooo, I bought a bottle of their Merlot and Pinot Noir to “taste” them out. One was good, the other just okay. First the good:
Rosemont Merlot, 2006; $8.50: Dark red color with a deep, ripe berry bouquet. Dark cherry, and plum predominate in the mouth with just a touch of oak. Smooth with a long finish. It seems to be almost chewy in the mouth and coats the glass as it’s swirled. For $8.50, this is a nice one. Goes good with spicy foods or red meat.
Rosemont Pinot Noir, 2006; $8.50: Lighter in color than the Merlot. Berries on the nose and in the mouth. A bit thin for my taste and initially had a slight alcohol taste. It was okay but if you’re exploring Australian reds, I’d recommend the Cabernet or the Merlot.
Coming soon, a little something that is usually out of the price range that I review, but since the characters in my book drink it a lot, I thought I’d do a bit on Cognac’s. There’s one in particular for beginners that I’ll recommend. Stay tuned!
Ciao!
Rosemont Merlot, 2006; $8.50: Dark red color with a deep, ripe berry bouquet. Dark cherry, and plum predominate in the mouth with just a touch of oak. Smooth with a long finish. It seems to be almost chewy in the mouth and coats the glass as it’s swirled. For $8.50, this is a nice one. Goes good with spicy foods or red meat.
Rosemont Pinot Noir, 2006; $8.50: Lighter in color than the Merlot. Berries on the nose and in the mouth. A bit thin for my taste and initially had a slight alcohol taste. It was okay but if you’re exploring Australian reds, I’d recommend the Cabernet or the Merlot.
Coming soon, a little something that is usually out of the price range that I review, but since the characters in my book drink it a lot, I thought I’d do a bit on Cognac’s. There’s one in particular for beginners that I’ll recommend. Stay tuned!
Ciao!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett
Tonight's wine is a German riesling. It's a real find as my local wine shop just got in a peck of different wine offerings from Dr. Loosen vineyards and these are premier German wines.
Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2006; $23.00: This is a “Qualitätswein mit Prädikat” wine, which, if you read my blog entry on German wines, you’ll recall come in six types: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese. These are the finest of German wines. No chaptalization (addition of extra sugar) is allowed. This one is bottled under a screw cap, which for me, means I don’t have to carry around a cork screw when I’m traveling.
The wines of Ernst Loosen, whether it’s this affordable Kabinett or an expensive Auslese, in my opinion, are some of the best examples of wines from the Mosel. As I just said, the Kabinett is quite affordable considering his stature in the German wine industry.
This is a wonderful wine, with a fabulous nose of pears, apples, and a touch of spice. The wonderful bouquet adds to the honeyed, yet not overly sweet palate. The taste has a hint of melon in the finish. It’s a well balanced wine with a creamy richness that continues until the very clean, crisp finish. This is a very good wine indeed. If you find it, buy it! You’ll enjoy it. In fact, I have a second bottle so I think I’ll do just that.
Ciao!
Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2006; $23.00: This is a “Qualitätswein mit Prädikat” wine, which, if you read my blog entry on German wines, you’ll recall come in six types: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese. These are the finest of German wines. No chaptalization (addition of extra sugar) is allowed. This one is bottled under a screw cap, which for me, means I don’t have to carry around a cork screw when I’m traveling.
The wines of Ernst Loosen, whether it’s this affordable Kabinett or an expensive Auslese, in my opinion, are some of the best examples of wines from the Mosel. As I just said, the Kabinett is quite affordable considering his stature in the German wine industry.
This is a wonderful wine, with a fabulous nose of pears, apples, and a touch of spice. The wonderful bouquet adds to the honeyed, yet not overly sweet palate. The taste has a hint of melon in the finish. It’s a well balanced wine with a creamy richness that continues until the very clean, crisp finish. This is a very good wine indeed. If you find it, buy it! You’ll enjoy it. In fact, I have a second bottle so I think I’ll do just that.
Ciao!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Winter red wines
Got a bit of catching up to do after all my traveling and my daughter’s wedding so I’ve got a couple of new wines for you tonight.
Rosemont Shiraz from Australia; $8.50: Dark red in color. Berries and spices on the nose. Viscous texture in the mouth. Blackberry and peppery spice notes. Fruity but no trace of cloying sweetness. Would stand up well to spicy foods, even pizza. I rarely find wines this nice for the price.
2006 Dolcetto “Remari”, Witness Tree Vineyards, Oregon; $25.00: I got this on sale which brought the price into my $25.00 range. I think you’ll normally find it for about $29-$30.00. According to the manufacturer, it’s a very limited bottling taken from a small half-acre block of vines. The Dolcetto grape is native to Northern Italy and results in a big, juicy wine. It’s great as a cocktail wine, yet its natural acidity lets it pair well with all kinds of foods. Dark red in color. Cherry and strawberry aromas on the nose. Big cherry and strawberry flavors in the mouth with a nice lingering finish. Really nice wine. We drank it to celebrate our daughter’s marriage.
Both of these are excellent “cold weather” wines. By that I mean on a cold winter night, light a fire in the fireplace, snuggle into your favorite chair with a good thriller (preferably one of mine) and enjoy a glass or two…or three, etc.
Ciao!
Rosemont Shiraz from Australia; $8.50: Dark red in color. Berries and spices on the nose. Viscous texture in the mouth. Blackberry and peppery spice notes. Fruity but no trace of cloying sweetness. Would stand up well to spicy foods, even pizza. I rarely find wines this nice for the price.
2006 Dolcetto “Remari”, Witness Tree Vineyards, Oregon; $25.00: I got this on sale which brought the price into my $25.00 range. I think you’ll normally find it for about $29-$30.00. According to the manufacturer, it’s a very limited bottling taken from a small half-acre block of vines. The Dolcetto grape is native to Northern Italy and results in a big, juicy wine. It’s great as a cocktail wine, yet its natural acidity lets it pair well with all kinds of foods. Dark red in color. Cherry and strawberry aromas on the nose. Big cherry and strawberry flavors in the mouth with a nice lingering finish. Really nice wine. We drank it to celebrate our daughter’s marriage.
Both of these are excellent “cold weather” wines. By that I mean on a cold winter night, light a fire in the fireplace, snuggle into your favorite chair with a good thriller (preferably one of mine) and enjoy a glass or two…or three, etc.
Ciao!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Port Wines
Well, I haven’t blogged in three weeks for two reasons. First, I was traveling. Second, my only daughter got married yesterday and the wedding occupied all of my time. But, as promised previously, tonight I want to talk about Ports.
Well, first off, what in the world is Port? Like champagne, officially Port is a fortified wine produced in a specific region of Douro, Portugal. True Port comes only from Portugal. However, again, similar to champagne, there are varieties of fortified wine from other countries that are called by their style such as a tawny.
Ports are fortified, that is, the fermentation process is stopped an extra alcohol added. Port-type wines have an alcohol content between 19% and 22% by volume in contrast to non-fortified wines which generally run around 14%. The traditional methods call for the addition of grape brandy. The wine is aged in wood barrels where it develops a bouquet that is described as being reminiscent of dried fruit and spices. The aging process also gives it its smoothness. The longer the aging, the smoother the wine, and the more complex the bouquet. There are several types of Port and Port-like wines (Non-Portuguese equivalents) but there are essentially two aging styles: oxidative aging and reductive aging. Ports aged by the oxidative process are matured in wooden barrels with a slight bit of exposure to oxygen. They tend to be more intense and a bit more viscous. Wines aged by a reductive process are sealed in their container and never see oxygen. They tend to be smoother with less tannic character. The following are some of the types of Port:
Ruby
Ruby Ports are younger wines and, as the name would suggest, have a deep ruby red color. They tend to be fruity in character and are usually aged for 3-5 years in sealed stainless steel containers. Thus, they are aged by the reductive process. They are usually the cheapest of the Ports.
Tawny
Tawny’s are aged using an oxidative process and as a result vary considerably in character. Tawny Reserve port is aged a minimum of 7 years in wooden barrels. They have a nutty flavor underlying their fruit.
Age Denotations for Ports
For true Ports, the age indicators are 10, 20, 30, and more than 40 years. These are usually Tawny’s blended from different years but with similar characteristics. A 20-year old Tawny Port has the character of a wine that has aged for 20 years.
More Port Craziness
Wines from a single year that have aged for at least seven years. These uniform types are labeled "dated port."
Late Bottled Port (LBV): These are made from a single vineyard, but typically is not good enough to make a true vintage port. The wine is aged in wood for 4 to 6 years before being filtered and bottled. LBVs can be drunk sooner than full vintages. Traditionally, it's gentler and more full-bodied than vintage port wine (of the same year). A very nice LBV is Graham's Late-Bottled Vintage, about $15 a bottle. It’s a purplish colored, full-bodied wine with a taste of dried fruit and raisins, and a sweet, lingering finish.
Vintage Port: Vintage Ports are the kings of Port. They are also the most expensive. They are made from a single harvest of exceptional quality. Vintage port is kept in wooden barrels for two to three years of oxidative aging before it is bottled. Once in the bottle, they are aged for 10 to 50 years.
Aged Tawnys: These are the Ports your most likely to encounter. The older the Port, the smoother and more luscious the wine—and the higher the cost. Here are a couple that I’ve tasted to give you an idea of the price range:
Delaforce “His Eminence’s Choice” 10 year old Tawny: Bouquet of fruit and honey, accented with berries and spices. Smooth, with walnut-like overtones with a heavier taste of alcohol. About $20 a bottle.
Taylor Fladgate 20 year old Tawny: Interesting bouquet with fruit overlayered with scents of cinnamon, anise, and coffee. Very smooth with a long, lingering aftertaste of chocolate and spices. About $50 a bottle.
Graham’s 30 year old Tawny Port: Incredible spicy fruit aroma. It has a slightly drier taste with a rich, viscous texture and a long aftertaste of raisins and caramel. It’s a truly incredible wine. About $90 a bottle.
One of the most famous non-Portugese Port-like wines is Australia’s famous House of Seppelt’s Para vintage Tawny. Each year for the past 30 years, House of Seppelt has released a 100 year old vintage Tawny. Technically it’s not a Port because it’s not from the specially demarcated region in Portugal. But is an exquisite wine with a bouquet of wood, earth, and chocolate and a taste of dark chocolate, toffee, and plum pudding—and it costs over $1,000 Euros a bottle.Now, if you want to taste some of the more expensive Ports, look for a wine bar or restaurant that serves them as flights—one ounce samples of 3 to 4 types. I recently had a flight of the Delaforce, Taylor, and Graham at Legal Seafood in Boston for $14.00. Not bad when you consider how much these run per bottle.
Now it’s time for me to kick back and relax. When it’s your only daughter getting married, you want it to be perfect (it was!) and the amount of work that goes into pulling it off left my wife and I exhausted. But both bride and groom are a happy couple so it was worth it! Time to sit back and enjoy a new wine!
Ciao!
Well, first off, what in the world is Port? Like champagne, officially Port is a fortified wine produced in a specific region of Douro, Portugal. True Port comes only from Portugal. However, again, similar to champagne, there are varieties of fortified wine from other countries that are called by their style such as a tawny.
Ports are fortified, that is, the fermentation process is stopped an extra alcohol added. Port-type wines have an alcohol content between 19% and 22% by volume in contrast to non-fortified wines which generally run around 14%. The traditional methods call for the addition of grape brandy. The wine is aged in wood barrels where it develops a bouquet that is described as being reminiscent of dried fruit and spices. The aging process also gives it its smoothness. The longer the aging, the smoother the wine, and the more complex the bouquet. There are several types of Port and Port-like wines (Non-Portuguese equivalents) but there are essentially two aging styles: oxidative aging and reductive aging. Ports aged by the oxidative process are matured in wooden barrels with a slight bit of exposure to oxygen. They tend to be more intense and a bit more viscous. Wines aged by a reductive process are sealed in their container and never see oxygen. They tend to be smoother with less tannic character. The following are some of the types of Port:
Ruby
Ruby Ports are younger wines and, as the name would suggest, have a deep ruby red color. They tend to be fruity in character and are usually aged for 3-5 years in sealed stainless steel containers. Thus, they are aged by the reductive process. They are usually the cheapest of the Ports.
Tawny
Tawny’s are aged using an oxidative process and as a result vary considerably in character. Tawny Reserve port is aged a minimum of 7 years in wooden barrels. They have a nutty flavor underlying their fruit.
Age Denotations for Ports
For true Ports, the age indicators are 10, 20, 30, and more than 40 years. These are usually Tawny’s blended from different years but with similar characteristics. A 20-year old Tawny Port has the character of a wine that has aged for 20 years.
More Port Craziness
Wines from a single year that have aged for at least seven years. These uniform types are labeled "dated port."
Late Bottled Port (LBV): These are made from a single vineyard, but typically is not good enough to make a true vintage port. The wine is aged in wood for 4 to 6 years before being filtered and bottled. LBVs can be drunk sooner than full vintages. Traditionally, it's gentler and more full-bodied than vintage port wine (of the same year). A very nice LBV is Graham's Late-Bottled Vintage, about $15 a bottle. It’s a purplish colored, full-bodied wine with a taste of dried fruit and raisins, and a sweet, lingering finish.
Vintage Port: Vintage Ports are the kings of Port. They are also the most expensive. They are made from a single harvest of exceptional quality. Vintage port is kept in wooden barrels for two to three years of oxidative aging before it is bottled. Once in the bottle, they are aged for 10 to 50 years.
Aged Tawnys: These are the Ports your most likely to encounter. The older the Port, the smoother and more luscious the wine—and the higher the cost. Here are a couple that I’ve tasted to give you an idea of the price range:
Delaforce “His Eminence’s Choice” 10 year old Tawny: Bouquet of fruit and honey, accented with berries and spices. Smooth, with walnut-like overtones with a heavier taste of alcohol. About $20 a bottle.
Taylor Fladgate 20 year old Tawny: Interesting bouquet with fruit overlayered with scents of cinnamon, anise, and coffee. Very smooth with a long, lingering aftertaste of chocolate and spices. About $50 a bottle.
Graham’s 30 year old Tawny Port: Incredible spicy fruit aroma. It has a slightly drier taste with a rich, viscous texture and a long aftertaste of raisins and caramel. It’s a truly incredible wine. About $90 a bottle.
One of the most famous non-Portugese Port-like wines is Australia’s famous House of Seppelt’s Para vintage Tawny. Each year for the past 30 years, House of Seppelt has released a 100 year old vintage Tawny. Technically it’s not a Port because it’s not from the specially demarcated region in Portugal. But is an exquisite wine with a bouquet of wood, earth, and chocolate and a taste of dark chocolate, toffee, and plum pudding—and it costs over $1,000 Euros a bottle.Now, if you want to taste some of the more expensive Ports, look for a wine bar or restaurant that serves them as flights—one ounce samples of 3 to 4 types. I recently had a flight of the Delaforce, Taylor, and Graham at Legal Seafood in Boston for $14.00. Not bad when you consider how much these run per bottle.
Now it’s time for me to kick back and relax. When it’s your only daughter getting married, you want it to be perfect (it was!) and the amount of work that goes into pulling it off left my wife and I exhausted. But both bride and groom are a happy couple so it was worth it! Time to sit back and enjoy a new wine!
Ciao!
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