October Port & Chocolate Event
Last month we attended Liberty Wine Merchants Port & Chocolate event at the Vancouver Rowing Club. We learned a bunch about Port and fortified wines that we did not know and found some new favorite chocolates too.
The History of Port
The finest Port is produced from grapes grown on the steep and rocky slopes of the Upper Douro River in Northern Portugal. In the 17th century Portuguese wine traders needed to find a way to fortify their wines for traveling the Atlantic. They first added Brandy to the already produced wine but before long a pure grape spirit began being added during fermentation and Port was born. One of the earliest traders of Port was Job Bearsley who in 1692 founded the firm that today is known as Taylor Fladgate (we enjoy their 10 year old port).
Our Port Choices…
There were 20+ Port varieties available for tasting and we did not try them all but we did find a few that we have noted to search out for our Christmas cabinet…
Warre’s Otima 20 Tawny Port – High quality batches aged for an average of 20 years in wooden casks. A soft Port, with scents of coffee and caramel and a smooth finish with a hint of orange. Available at Everything Wine $48.99
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny – Old tawny blend, aged for 10 years in oak casks. Medium bodied, slightly sweet, rich fruit. Available at Marquis Wine Cellars for $42.99.
Fonseca Ruby Port – Aged for three years in large wooden vats and bottled for immediate drinking. Deep ruby colour, intense cherry aromas and rich fruity finish. This one was Tara’s favorite as it was fairly light but we do not know where we can buy one. If you see it let us know.
Aged Tawny Port
We had to find out what Tawny meant and were told that it refers to the amber color that occurs when a wine sits in oak casks for a period of time. The longer the wine ages the more it loses it ruby color and becomes Tawny. It also becomes more complex and less intense. That is why Aged Tawnies are more versatile and can even be served chilled in summer. Now you know.
We, Jeff & Tara Ciecko of CK Golf write two blogs, one is our 19th Hole Blog where we share personal experiences and the other a Biz Blog where we comment on general business and internet marketing best practices, golf course marketing and give golf industry related opinions. We have owned CK Golf for 8 years and provide marketing, social media and business services to the golf and other industries. Our 19th Hole Blog is about the places we visit and the things we do. When we say that we like or dislike something or have a good or bad experience this is our opinion and the truth as we see it, not something we have been paid for. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact us anytime.
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