Souza 10 Year Old

Souza 10 Year Old

Clear brown colour with a hint of amber. The nose was sweet and oaky. Whilst not having a lot of body this port was sweet and woody. We bought this in a supermarket on the basis of Sogevinus being mentioned on the label. Although enjoyable it wasn't a patch on the Kopke equivalent.

St. Bart White

St. Bart White

This was a cheap white from a local supermarket so we weren't expting much. It had a clear pale yellow colour with a clean fruity nose. Served well child it was pleasant enough being quite sweet and fruity and having a rich warming follow.

Ferreira Dona Antonia10 Year Old

Ferreira Dona Antonia10 Year Old

Rich caramel nose with a deep brown colour. This port was satisfyingly traditional having a sweet character and rich oakiness combined with complex flavours of dried fruits and orange peel.

Feuerheerd's 10 Year Old Tawny

Feuerheerd's 10 Year Old Tawny

I bought this at a local wineshop as it was a name that I had never heard of and the stencil printed labelling looked impressive. Well hats off to the marketing folk for reviving an old name of port. Consulting my invaluable Dicionário Ilustrado do Vinho do Porto I find that the company was taken over by Barros. Well I know that Barros is now part of the Sogevinus empire so what I thought was a little esoteric has come from one of the big three. Having said that, Kopke is owned by Sogevinus and they have some fine tawny ports on offer so I live in hope.

There was a clear reddish amber colour accompanied by a sweet and oaky nose. The port was markedly sweet with a good contribution from the barrel. This resulted in a satisfyingly rich combination of dry oak flavours matched with sweet dried fruits and a hint of orange. Overall the quality of the port was worthy of the marketing.

Marks and Spencer's Finest Reserve Port

Marks and Spencer's Finest Reserve Port

The missus bought this as part of a job lot from Marks and Spencer's website at an amazingly low price. Let's see how it stacks up. Well it looks red enough although there is a hint of tawny in the colour which suggests a little more oxygen exposure than would be expected. The hint of tawny carries through to the nose which is quite full and striking combining the plum characteristics of a ruby with just a hint of wood. The taste is quite acceptable at this level carrying a full body of plummy fruits and just a little wood complexity to keep things interesting. On the whole this is a rich and smooth port with a lot to commend it. Much better than I had anticipated so hats off to Marks and Spencer's and also to Sue Daniels and David Guimaraens, who, according to the label, had a hand in its crafting.

Dow's 2011 LBV

Dow's 2011 LBV

Intensely deep ruby colour with a fruity and floral nose. This port was full bodied and grapey with good astringent tannins balancing the sweetness.

Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserva Branco

Ferreira Donna Antonia Reserva Branco

Deep golden colour with a rich slightly floral nose. This port was quite rich for a white port with a sweet spiciness as its predominant character. There were noticeable elements from the oak in which it must have been aged. As a result the fruit flavours were very much in the background despite their being plenty of sugar to allow their expression.