Barão do Vilar Tawny

Barão do Vilar Tawny

Reddish brown colour with a light nutty nose. This was a rich and full bodied port harmoniously combining dried fruit, nut and oak flavour elements.

De Ouro Tawny

De Ouro Tawny

Deep reddish brown colour with sweet, nutty and fruity nose. This was sweet and rich, giving the sensation of drinking a liquid fruit cake. Delicious digestive.

De Ouro White

De Ouro White

Golden yellow colour with a lightly floral nose. This was very much a port for the home market being almost overwhelmingly sweet and mawkish. The sugar overwhelmed the slight grape flavours.

Euroshopper Tawny

Euroshopper Tawny

I guess I should have noted the price of this cheap supermarket offering. It had a deep reddish brown colour with a light nose of fruit and wood. Tasting revealed a quite acceptable young tawny which was slightly fruity having hints of dried fruits and an oakey nuttiness.

Barão do Vilar Ruby

Barão do Vilar Ruby

Rich ruby colour with some old fruits on the nose. This was fruity and smooth with the tannic freshness of its youth.

Offley Rose

Offley Rose

Bright pink in colour, nosing revealed the sweetness of summer fruits. The flavour was deep and sweet with grape flavours to the fore but some hints of cherries coming through too.

Quevedo Tawny

Quevedo Tawny

Well oxidised reddish brown colour with a rich toffee nose. This was rich and full bodied. The combination of sweet dried fruits and nuts was reminiscent of fruit cake, added to which there was a dash of oakey wood.

Quevedo Rose

Quevedo Rose

Light red colour with a slight floral nose. Fresh grapey flavours were combined with a hint of minerality.

Quevedo Tawny 20 Year Old

Quevedo Tawny 20 Year Old

Clear brown colour with just a reddish tinge. The nose contained elements of both caramel and wood. This port was sweet and full bodied combining dried fruits and nuts with a substantial contribution from the oak barrel.

Quevedo Colheita 1992

Quevedo Colheita 1992

Dark brown in colour with a reddish amber tinge, this had marked oak scents on the nose. This was a complex port having typical flavours of sweet dried fruits and a dry oakiness. However there was also a noticeable sense of freshly sawn wood, which I hadn't come across before.

Quevedo Colheita 1995

Quevedo Colheita 1995

Reddish amber brown colour with a rich nose of dried fruits. This had good body with a long finish combining dried fruit, treacle and oak flavours.

Quevedo Colheita 1996

Quevedo Colheita 1996

Reddish amber brown colour with a light nose of dried fruits. This was a smooth port combining hints of dried fruit, treacle and oak.

Quevedo Ruby Reserve

Quevedo Ruby Reserve

Deep ruby purplish colour with a full plummy nose. The predominant features of this port are fresh and fruity grapey flavours combined with noticeable tannins.

Kopke Vintage 1997

Kopke Vintage 1997

This had a deep inky purple and red colour. The nose combined liquorice with dried fruits. The body was huge and plummy. Good grapey flavours were supplemented by a touch of tannin and a hint of liquorice.

Family Port

Family Port

Having gathered from our trip how much we appreciate port wine, Douro Wonderful Events (www.douroevents.pt) included this one with our tea time snack. Actually it was a lot more than a snack as it was a veritable feast of local goodies. We enjoyed this repast at the São Leonardo de Galafura viewpoint near Peso da Régua.

It had been explained to us that these ports were made in a single large barrel belonging to the family. Each year the barrel is topped up with fresh wine, which means that if the barrel has been going for several decades some of the molecules must be quite ancient.

The port had a reddish brown colour with a nose of fruit and nuts. The character was predominantly tawny plus noticeable hints of fresh ruby fruits. It was smooth combining oak nutiness with the grapey fruits and turned out to be perfect for the occasion.

Niepoort Vintage 2005

Niepoort Vintage 2005

Deep red colour with a strong fruity nose. This was full bodied, rich and repleat with plummy fruits. There was a significant amount of tannins present so perhaps this will have developed into something more refined in ten or so years.

Niepoort Colheita 1988 (Bottled 2000)

Niepoort Colheita 1988 (Bottled 2000)

Deep brown colour with a nutty nose. This was rich and sweet with good dried fruit flavours tempered by a subtle contribution from the wood.

Niepoort White 10 Year Old

Niepoort White 10 Year Old

Yellow colour with a honey nose. This tasted like a typical white port being sweet and grapey. However it was disappointing in that it lacked any of the tawny characterstics usually found it an wine of this age.

Casa de Santa Eufémia Colheita 1998 (Bottled 2008)

Casa de Santa Eufémia Colheita 1998 (Bottled 2008)

Rich brown colour with a warming nose. This was rich, smooth, and full bodied combining the sweetness of dried fruits with a moderate nuttiness from the oak contribution.

Casa de Santa Eufémia Tawny 30 Year Old

Casa de Santa Eufémia Tawny 30 Year Old

Clear amber colour with an oily nose. This was rich and fruity, warming and full bodied combining nutty flavours with the sweetness of dried fruits.

Casa de Santa Eufémia Tawny 10 Year Old

Casa de Santa Eufémia Tawny 10 Year Old

Deep brown colour with a full and rich fruity nose. This was a rich, smooth and full bodied port which combined sweet dried fruit, oak, and molasses flavours in a satisfying harmony.

Casa de Santa Eufémia Ruby

Casa de Santa Eufémia Ruby

Deep ruby colour with a fruity nose. This was rich and fruity showing good body and balance

Casa de Santa Eufémia White

Casa de Santa Eufémia White

A rich amber colour and a honey nose preceded a very sweet, rich and fruity experience.

Quinta de Marrocos Colheita 2000 (Bottled 2008)

Quinta de Marrocos Colheita 2000 (Bottled 2008)

Deep rich brown colour with a complex nose of fruit and nuts. This very smooth port was quite fruity with hints of oak and dried fruits. Its relatively light character reflects the fact that it was in the wood for only eight years.

Quinta de Marrocos Tawny 10 Year Old

Quinta de Marrocos Tawny 10 Year Old

Deep brown colour with a light nutty nose. This was rich and warming having a good body carrying the tastes of dried fruits and nuts.

Quinta de Marrocos Lagrima

Quinta de Marrocos Lagrima

Medium brown colour with a markedly honey scented nose. This was very sweet and grapey, however the body given to the wine through wood ageing counteracted the powerful sugars to give something that was a pleasure to drink.

Quinta de Marrocos White

Quinta de Marrocos White

Moderate clear brown colour with a sweet honey nose. Described as being medium-dry this was much sweeter than I was expecting. As well as the sweetness there were good fruit flavours and a hint of demarara in a full body.

Casa dos Varais Vintage 2005

Casa dos Varais Vintage 2005

Deep ruby colour with a slight purple tinge. The nose was clear and fruity. This had great body and a rich fruity flavour. It gave a deeply satisfying experience as it was well crafted ensuring that its components acted in harmony.

Quinta do Portal 27 Grapes

Quinta do Portal 27 Grapes

Deep ruby colour with a plummy nose. This port was rich, fruity and full bodied with a touch of tawny style wood flavour in the background.

Restaurante Cais da Foz Tawny

Restaurante Cais da Foz Tawny

Murky brownish red colour with a fruity nose. This really was a lovely port despite its appearance. The were young fruit flavours mingled with old dried fruits and oak in a smooth harmony.

Restaurante Cais da Foz White

Restaurante Cais da Foz White

Deep amberish yellow with a fruity nose. This was quite a sweet white port with ample grape flavours coming through.

Quinta do Portal Tawny 40 Year Old

Quinta do Portal Tawny 40 Year Old

This had a rich amber colour with a fruity burnt wood nose. The predominant impression was of sweet butterscotch with a very long oakey and complex after taste.

Quinta do Portal Tawny 20 Year Old

Quinta do Portal Tawny 20 Year Old

Well oxidised deep amber colour with an interesting musty back of the wardrobe sort of smell. This port was deliciously rich and sweet combining barley with dried fruits, nutty oak and butterscotch.

Quinta do Portal Fine White

Quinta do Portal Fine White

Slightly amber pale yellow colour with a fresh fruity nose. This was fresh and grapey with a little wood flavour. There was not too much sweetness making for a drink that was quite acceptable.

Quinta do Portal Pink

Quinta do Portal Pink

Bright pink in colour with a fresh and grapey nose. This had a fresh grapey taste with a surprising amount of tannic structure. The flavour was fuller than most pinks, even edging towards a ruby.

Quinta do Portal Six Barrels Tawny

Quinta do Portal Six Barrels Tawny

Clear oxidised reddish brown colour with a rich grapey nose having a hint of sultanas. This was rich and sweet tasting. A grapey freshness was overlaid with hints of dried figs.

Quinta do Portal Fine Ruby

Quinta do Portal Fine Ruby

Bright ruby colour with a fresh plummy nose. This was fresh and grapey being well balanced and having a bit of body too.

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 45 Year Old

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 45 Year Old

Having tried the others it seemed a good idea to try this restaurant's oldest port. This one had a deep brown colour with a nose of rich molasses. On tasting the predominant impression was of rich burnt sugars and intense sweetness. There was a lot of oaky complexity and a satisfyingly full body. All in all it was quite an experience.

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 15 Year Old

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 15 Year Old

Another aged tawny from this restaurant. This one had a deep red colour with a brown tinge of oxidation, which was more like a 7 year old tawny reserve than the amber colours of an aged tawny. The nose was plummy whilst the flavour was rich and fruity with moderate tawny characteristics of dried fruits and oak. Again this was resembling more a tawny reserve.

Quinta do Infantado Colheita 2001

Quinta do Infantado Colheita 2001

I am never failed to be impressed by the generosity of the Portuguese people. Before we tried this port we were invited to stay for lunch with the workers. It is a tradition in the quintas for the workers to be provided with their midday meal and we were honoured to be asked to eat with them.

This port had a deep brown colour with a just a touch of redness. The nose consisted of both plummy fruits and burnt sugars. It was full bodied and fruity with a combination of fresh grape and dried fruit flavours. The smooth plumminess of the fruit mingled with dried fruit and nutty oak elements. It was explained that this combination of vintage and tawny characterstics had been obtained by deliberately bottling the wine young and allowing further development to take place in the cellar. In this case the judgement had been a good one as the two elements worked harmoniously together.

Quinta do Infantado Tawny 10 Year Old

Quinta do Infantado Tawny 10 Year Old

Clear mid brown colour with a strong nose of burnt sugars. This had a full favour with old sugar and dried fruits predominant.

Quinta do Infantado Reserva Dona Margareta

Quinta do Infantado Reserva Dona Margareta

This tawny was  a well oxidised orangey brown colour. The nose was lovely consisting largely of dried fruits. It was relatively dry and with good body. The complex flavour combined dried fruits, nuts and burnt sugars.

Quinta do Infantado Vintage 2004

Quinta do Infantado Vintage 2004

Deep ruby and purple colour matched with a good full plummy nose. The drinking experience was rich, smooth, full  and grapey. Noticeable tannins were present.

Quinta do Infantado LBV 2007

Quinta do Infantado LBV 2007

This had a deep ruby colour with a plummy and fruity nose. It was fully flavoured with grape tastes being smooth and fresh.Thus it was a good example of this time or port.

Quinta do Infantado Ruby Reserve

Quinta do Infantado Ruby Reserve

This organic wine had a bright ruby colour with a fruity plummy nose. The overall impression was of a rich smooth grapiness in a well crafted and balanced product.

Quinta do Infantado Dry White

Quinta do Infantado Dry White

Bright pale yellow with a crispy fresh nose. This was quite dry, as suggested by the name, but grapey nevertheless.

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 30 Year Old

Restaurante Segredos do Douro Tawny 30 Year Old

This was a house port and probably shouldn't really be called port as I doubt that the Instituto dos Vinhos do Porto e Porto had any control over its production. It's appearance was a deep murky brown with a hint of ruby. It had a complex nose like the smell of a Christmas pudding being cooked. There was a rich, warming, complex, and full bodied taste dried fruit flavours predominating over any oak.

Fonseca White

Fonseca White

Rich yellow in colour with a nose of fruit and honey. There  was a full moderately sweet grapey taste with a rich depth.

Quinta de la Rosa LBV 1999 (Bottled 2004)

Quinta de la Rosa LBV 1999 (Bottled 2004)

This was interesting to try as it is not often I have come across an unfiltered LBV that has had so long under cork after the bottling. It had a ruby colour with some fruit on the nose. It was rich, smooth and fruity and therefore quite approachable. I think my judgement was clouded by the rather good colheita I tasted just before this one. However I did get the impression that the prolonged bottle ageing had removed any remaining harsh elements from the taste therefore leaving a drink that was without faults if not having the depth of a good vintage. This suggests that a really full unfiltered LBV could become close to vintage in character with a modicum of cellaring.

Rozés Terras do Grifo Special Reserve

Rozés Terras do Grifo Special Reserve

Deep rich ruby colour and full fruity nose. This had good depth being sweet, rich and plum full of fruit flavours. A noticeable to degree of tannins contributed to the experience. This was very enjoyable after a very sweet sobremesa.

Kopke Colheita 1964

Kopke Colheita 1964

Deep brown colour with a rich nose of burnt molasses. This had sweetness derived from the fruits, which was counteracted by the astringency of considerable contribution from the oak. This resulted in a port that had both depth and considerable complexity.

The Yeatman Vintage 1992

The Yeatman Vintage 1992

Deep cloudy ruby colour with a rich fruity nose. This port was rich with fruit flavours and just hints of tannins. It had great depth and a long finish.

Real Companhia Velha Colheita 1980

Real Companhia Velha Colheita 1980

Deep tawny amber colour with a light nose of old fruits. This was rich and very sweet with butterscotch and vanilla to the fore and oaky wood at the finish.

Dalva Tawny 40 Year Old

Dalva Tawny 40 Year Old

Pale brownish amber colour with a rich complex nose of sweet burnt oak. This was smooth and sweet combining butterscotch flavours with a good bite of old oak.

Dalva Tawny 30 Year Old

Dalva Tawny 30 Year Old

Rich amber colour and a good nose of old port. The big and satisfying mouthful was rich and sweet combining old fruit flavours with vanilla and other contributions from the oak.

Dalva Tawny Reserve

Dalva Tawny Reserve

Clear deep golden brown colour with a nutty sweet nose. This approachable port was sweet and nutty combining the sweetness of the fruit sugars with butterscotch flavours and light contribution from the oak.

Dalva LBV 2007

Dalva LBV 2007

Deep ruby colour with good plummy fruits on the nose. This port was smooth and rich having rich fruit flavours and a moderate amount of tannic structure.

Dalva White

Dalva White

Light bright yellow colour with a fresh grapey nose. This was gentle and fruity without being oversweet. The grape flavours were carried well in light honey elements.

Ramos Pinto Lagrima Ruby

Ramos Pinto Lagrima Ruby

This was the first time I had come across a ruby described as lagrima. It had a deep ruby colour with some sweet fruitiness on the nose. It tasted very sweet and syrupy. It was clearly young in character with a relatively small degree of grape flavours contributing to the taste.

Ramos Pinto Discovery Ruby

Ramos Pinto Discovery Ruby

Deep ruby colour with a fruity nose. On the tasting this came across as being a bit on the raw side without much fruit flavour and a lot of tannin.

Ramos Pinto Discovery White

Ramos Pinto Discovery White

Golden amber colour with a gentle honeyish nose. This was a very sweet white which combined honey and grape flavours.

Offley Tawny 20 Year Old

Offley Tawny 20 Year Old

This had a clear appearance but was quite a dark reddish brown. The nose was complex with butterscotch elements predmoninating. On tasting one experienced a big sweet mouthful combining dried fruits with butterscotch flavours and touch of oak.

Barros Ruby Reserve

Barros Ruby Reserve

Good rich ruby colour with a full and fruity nose. This port was smooth, rich and fruity.

Quinta da Pacheca LBV 2008

Quinta da Pacheca LBV 2008

Deep ruby colour with a purple tinge and a plummy nose. This port was smooth, rich and full of grape flavours, being an excellent example of this style.

Quinta do Tedo Vintage 2003

Quinta do Tedo Vintage 2003

Deep ruby colour with a big plummy nose. This was a gentle and soft port allowing the fruit flavours to come to the fore in a silky smoothness. Very little tannin present so quite drinkable at the moment but will go a few more years yet.

Quinta do Tedo LBV 2007

Quinta do Tedo LBV 2007

Deep ruby red colour with a hint of purple and a good fruity nose. This was rich with plummy fruit flavours and quite smooth having just a hint of tannin.

Quinta do Tedo Rose

Quinta do Tedo Rose

Pale pink colour with a lightly fruity nose. This was fresh and fruity conjuring up thoughts of summer fruits. It was fuller and richer that other ports of this type that I have tasted.

Quinta do Noval Vintage 2008

Quinta do Noval Vintage 2008

Rich deep purple colour with a plummy nose. The flavour reminded my of ripe desert plums being full bodied, fruity, and rich. There was quite a lot of tannin, which was to be expected at this age.

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1997 (Bottled 2011)

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1997 (Bottled 2011)

Deep clear brown colour with dried fruits on the nose. This was rich and redolent with sweet dried fuit flavours but with little complexity.

Quinta do Noval Tawny 20 Year Old

Quinta do Noval Tawny 20 Year Old

Clear oxidised brown colour with a full nose that was reminiscent of a wine cellar. This was quite delicious combining caramel and molasses with old dried fruits. It wasn't as full bodied as some of this type, which, in a way, made for a pleasant change.

Quinta do Noval LBV 2005

Quinta do Noval LBV 2005

Deep ruby colour with a big fruity nose. This was a very pleasant offering being smooth, velvety and grapey with a slightly dry edge.

Hotel Douro Colheita 1983

Hotel Douro Colheita 1983

This was a house port that claimed to be a colheita. It was a clear reddish brown with a nose reminiscent of christmas puddings. It gave a satisfyingly rich, full and complex mouthful which combined demarara and burnt molasses with a hint of smokiness.