Port (alcohol thread)

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
The best port you can get for under $20 is not really port (cause it ain't from Portugal), but who cares. It's made the same way and tastes the same. The best values are actually from Australia, and within this category the best you can find for this price range, IMO, is Hardy's Whiskers Blake tawny. It's between $10-$15, and is amazing. There's another one called Clocktower, but the Hardy's is much better (and pretty easy to find around here in the DC area).

[/ QUOTE ]

So... out of curiosity... they can still call it Port even if it's not from Portugal? I'm sitting next to a bottle of "California Tawny Port" which obviously wasn't made in Portugal.

Thank you guys for the suggestions though I will check some of them out.

[bholdr]

cheap port is worse than cheap reds or whites, imo, but there are a couple for less than $20 that i find very drinkable and worthwhile.

>Warres 'warrior' port- very rich without being smarmy-sweet. a good starting point.
>Sandeman Founders Reserve- should be about $16, very sweet, good for deserts, etc. esp good with chocolate. dark chocolate. mmmmmm....
>Deltaforce port- not as sweet. almost purple color. tasty, but not really the kind of flavor for drinking more than one glass. kinda alcohol taste (not enough sweetness to cover up the 20%ness of it)

those are the sub-$20 ports that i drink.

[ozyman]

I know nothing about Port but this sounds interesting. Do you only drink it with dessert, what types of dessert do you drink it with?

[Rhone]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The best port you can get for under $20 is not really port (cause it ain't from Portugal), but who cares. It's made the same way and tastes the same. The best values are actually from Australia, and within this category the best you can find for this price range, IMO, is Hardy's Whiskers Blake tawny. It's between $10-$15, and is amazing. There's another one called Clocktower, but the Hardy's is much better (and pretty easy to find around here in the DC area).

[/ QUOTE ]

So... out of curiosity... they can still call it Port even if it's not from Portugal? I'm sitting next to a bottle of "California Tawny Port" which obviously wasn't made in Portugal.

Thank you guys for the suggestions though I will check some of them out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure American laws let you call anything whatever you want. Hence those big bottles of California "Burgundy" that have nothing to do with Burgundy, for example. So I guess it's a matter of who you ask, but many would say that just like real Champagne has to be from France, real port has to be from Portugal.

[Drew16]

Recently at a wedding i had a glass of 27yr old Port. A gift given to the groom when he was born to be opened on his wedding day. It was good but REALLY strong. Other than that I dont know [censored] about port.

[jakethebake]

This is what passes for a college course these days? Where the hell do you go to school?

[codewarrior]

Sandeman Founder's Reserve, about $14.

[ChipWrecked]

I used to like Cockburn's Reserve back in my 20's. It couldn't be too expensive, if I was buying it.

[ethan]

[ QUOTE ]
The best port you can get for under $20 is not really port (cause it ain't from Portugal), but who cares. It's made the same way and tastes the same. The best values are actually from Australia, and within this category the best you can find for this price range, IMO, is Hardy's Whiskers Blake tawny. It's between $10-$15, and is amazing. There's another one called Clocktower, but the Hardy's is much better (and pretty easy to find around here in the DC area).

[/ QUOTE ]

Rhone's advice is (unsurprisingly) good here.

My favorite of the $20 ports would probably be the Ferreira 10-year.

[xadrez]

I just got back from Portugal a couple weeks ago and my cousin gave me a bottle of Sandeman Vau Vintage 2000.

Is this any good? Im not a big wine drinker (pass the scotch please)