Bob P.,
I agree that there are a bunch of wines, even expensive Douro wine from some pretty high end producers that can definitely show an "international" style. Usually for me in Douro wines, that means too much oak, especially when they use American oak vs. French, but also when the wines lack the distinction of the terroir of the Douro ... the latter dynamic bothers me even more than the former.
Andrew,
Thanks for sharing! Aidil is a fantastic purveyor of Portuguese Port and DOC wines! I've never met the guy who owns Grape Moments, but have read his story and it is compelling. If I am thinking of the right company (and my memory may be ? at times) they only have Portuguese wines. Then again, I may be thinking of another importer based in MA who does that, but the name is familiar.
Joe M.,
Not to be critical, but Dona Ermelinda is from "Palmela" (typo?) DOC which is right next to Setubal, an hour or so outside of Lisbon. If you ever get to Palmela, please do yourself a favor and stay at the amazing Pousada there. I spent a few days at that property in 1994 and was blown away by the experience. BTW, Bob repeated the error on the first post on page 2. : )
Dan G.,
If I added up all the hours I've spent at Vinologia and all the Ports I have had there over many years ... ouch, I think I need a new liver, just thinking about it. This is on the other side of the river though, in Porto and not on the Gaia side, where all the Port Lodges are located.
Jean Phillipe Duhard is the owner and if you ever go in there, please tell him you are a friend and he might either kick you out or not charge you anything. Either way, it is worth mentioning. LOL
Seriously though, if you are seriously into dry white Port, try the Dow Extra Dry and let me know what you think.
As to Madeira, I visit the island and lead tours there every May. It is an amazing place and I hope you will get at least a day or two to venture through Funchal. If you have time to sail around to the North side of the island to Porto Moniz, there are some spectacular sites there. Also on the South side of the island, the revered, legendary vineyard beside the ocean is called Faja dos Padres. You can sail up to it and dock your boat and have a great lunch of fresh line caught tuna and some local wines, not to mention some amazing Malvasia (Malmsey).
Unfortunately, you won't be able to find ANYWHERE on the island to purchase a cask, no matter how much cash you flash. There are some stunning wines available there at prices that can't be found anywhere else. Explore a little!
JC/NC wrote:
"Being unwilling to spend the big bucks for vintage Port, and actually preferring Tawny Ports ... "
In the past two weeks on my site, I've seen plenty of Vintage Ports mentioned for sale in the USA for $29-35.00 and I just don't see that as expensive for bottles that can drink well for 50 years.
As to your penchant for Tawny, who can blame you? Here is something that you might find worthy of your time reading, best with a glass in hand. I hope you may appreciate some of the suggestions:
http://www.fortheloveofport.com/port-ba ... tawny-portBob P.,
Glad to hear you've attracted Sarah Ahmed. She has a really fine palate and an equally brilliant mind and writing style. I admire Sarah and hope to drink with her some day in the not too distant future!
Andrew,
It was a shot in the dark that you might know Moses, one of the two most active Port enthusiasts in the state of MA. Another is Robert A. (won't use his last name) but if you know him ... he's famous for Port & Poker nights.
Bob P.
Here is another story on Quinta do Noval and a tasting that blew all of my guests away. Make sure you have something to protect your keyboard from drool:
http://www.rjonwine.com/port/visit-to-quinta-do-noval/