Do you know anything about Port? Neither did I. Then a few years ago I wandered into a wine shop in Sintra, Portugal.
Sintra is a beautiful ancient city on a hill, with winding streets that beg to be wandered. After visiting a few historical sights, D’Aun wanted to explore the cities famous ceramic shops. One ceramic store looks like all the others to me, so when I passed a well stocked wine shop it was time for me to create my own excursion.
D'Aun (on the left) in the ceramic shop.
Staring blankly at a wall of Portuguese wine is a sure way to attract a salesperson. Lucky for me, he was fluent in English. His first question was, “What are you looking for?” I told him that I had no idea because I knew nothing about Portuguese wine.
He smiled and in a blink of an eye he had a half dozen wine glasses on the counter and began pouring. As I sipped, he talked. Each sip came with a mini-lecture.
Unfortunately I didn’t taste anything extraordinary. Sensing that I was losing interest, he asked, “Do you like Port?”
Now, the honest answer would have been, “Not especially.” But one does not say that in Portugal when a man is pouring you samples of nearly anything you glance at. So I said something evasive like, “I haven’t tasted enough to know good Port from bad Port.”
Sintra, Portugal
Another smile, and another half dozen glasses end up on the counter (there were 14 glasses by the time I left the shop…I counted). He begins pouring, I begin sampling, and again he goes into lecture mode with each sip.
On the last glass, with the last sip, I finally smiled. “That is a terrific Port.” And it was. A hint of orange, cinnamon, clove, honey, almonds, and silky smooth. An amazing taste.
He responded with a big smile and an eager nod. “Yes it is!” he said. He showed me the unlabeled bottle and explained, “It is a very rare 1961 vintage that was never before available to the public. You have very good taste.”
I doubted that, but he seemed genuinely enthusiastic that I loved the Port. “How much is it?” I asked.
His answer floored me. It was €250! Ouch, no, I couldn’t splurge like that.
He said, “I do have another bottle that experts often confuse with this private release. I think you’ll be very happy with it.”
He brought out an open bottle of 1961 Warre Colheita. He poured, I tasted, and I honestly could not tell the difference between the two. I said something highly insightful like “Wow.”
“Yes, it’s basically the same. The difference is that the Warre was bottled earlier than the other Port. Do you like it?”
“Absolutely! How much?” He told me and it was WAY less than the private release bottle! So naturally I bought a bottle. It got all the way home but didn’t last long after that.
I’m still searching for a Port as good as that one. There’s a bottle of 1958 in our cellar that I’m saving for a special birthday, and a friend gave me a bottle of 1977 Smith Woodhouse that I have high hopes for.
But even if I do find a bottle that tastes as good, I’m unlikely to find a Port tasting experience to match the first one!