# How Do you Drink Port?



## wonderings

Well, I received a 10 year old bottle of port. Never had it before. How would I drink this? on the rocks? cooled in the fridge? mixed? More of a whisky fan myself (crown royal, straight up on the rocks mmmm). 

thanks


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## Ants

Port is fortified wine, drink it at room temperature in suitable glassware (looks like a smaller wine glass), no ice. It's great as an after dinner treat (or pre dinner), try serving it with fresh cut apples, stilton or blue cheese, grapes walnuts or just with really fine chocolate!

Check out this site: http://www.intowine.com/port.html

A ten year old port is the minimum age required before opening the bottle. If you like the experience, then move on to 20 year old and if you have a $100 to spend, go for the 40 year old, found at most Vintages section of the LCBO


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## HowEver

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## SINC

Depending on the port, it may need to be decanted to rid it of any sediment. Not too likely in a 10 year old, but worth checking before consuming. All other advice is great in this thread.


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## Max

I'm on a bit of a port and sherry kick lately myself. These are drinks my dad eventually turned me on to. Couldn't stand this kind of stuff in my twenties and thirties... thought it too effete and just strange. I suppose it's something of an acquired taste still. Working my way through a bottle of port these last few weeks. As a late night drink before crashing, I fill up a wee glass - a short, narrow sucker suitable for a liqueur, say - and sip it slowly back. Roughly equivalent to a shot glass or less... lovely on fall and winter nights.


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## bronzejolene

wonderings said:


> Well, I received a 10 year old bottle of port. Never had it before. How would I drink this? on the rocks? cooled in the fridge? mixed? More of a whisky fan myself (crown royal, straight up on the rocks mmmm).
> 
> thanks


I used to drink port with a large amount of whisky and beer beforehand. Funny, I don't remember if it was chilled or warm. 

If you like whisky though, you should look for the Tyrconnell. Great Stuff! http://www.tyrconnellwhiskey.com/


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## gastonbuffet

save an apettite, get some nice french bread and quality tasty cheese, and bottoms up at room temperature. Once you open the bottle, you can't save it, it goes bad.


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## wonderings

Wow thanks for the replies. I am still in my 20's (26), and l have just started getting interested in new drinks. I have been drinking the same stuff for a while, Beefeater Gin, Crown Royal, Guinness, Tetleys or Cafrees. Loving the selection the LCBO has, plenty of drinks to explore. Geeze I sound like an alcholic now!


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## iMatt

Port can mean a lot of different things.

In your case, because the bottle is labelled as ten years old (no specific year, unless you meant it's a 1996), it's a tawny. That means what's in the bottle is a blend of barrel-aged ports from different vintages, with an average age of 10 years. It won't age any more in the bottle and it won't throw a sediment. And it won't go bad right away; you can sip it over the course of a week or two as long as you replace the stopper every time and keep it in a reasonably cool place. (Don't leave it by the stove or on top of the fridge.)

Other major categories of port:

- Vintage port is top-of-the-line stuff, and only produced in the best years. This is barrel-aged for a year or two, then bottled. It does most of its aging in the bottle. Properly stored, it will last for decades, but in most cases people drink it about 10-20 years after the date on the bottle. The better the vintage, the longer you can wait before drinking it. These go from about $40 up to the hundreds of dollars. Should be decanted and has to be drunk in one sitting. (You can't just bring it home from the store and open it, either; it needs to be rested for a few days to let the sediment settle.)

- Late-bottled vintage (LBV) is next down the ladder. It's barrel-aged slightly longer than true vintage and generally ready to drink when bottled and sold. Some of these are suitable for cellaring, and those marked "unfiltered" will throw a sediment. Many of the more popular brands are very sweet. (You'll wonder how the *outside* of your glass got sticky.) About $20-30 a bottle. Most can keep for a few days once opened, but not recommended.

- Ruby is the next level down, generally not very good and usually sickly sweet, but there are a few good ones. About $15-20 a bottle. Drink over a few days.

- There are various other low-end ports that don't carry these designations. You'll see things like Graham's Six Grape, Warre's Warrior, and so on. These are essentially in the ruby/LBV class.

- You might also see something called colheita. This is a tawny port from a single vinyard and vintage, instead of a blend.

- Then there's white port. This comes in levels of sweetness ranging from bone dry to Aunt Jemima. Most people dismiss white port as not being worthy of being called port, but there are a few serious wines in this category too. It's also the base of a summer cocktail called portonic: 1 part white port, 2 parts tonic water, 1 strip lemon zest, served on the rocks. A good white port makes a nice aperitif on its own.


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## rgray

wonderings said:


> Geeze I sound like an alcholic now!


So to complete the image, wrap the bottle in a brown paper bag, and suck on it while sitting on a curb in the rain....


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## K_OS

Other than drinking Port at room temperature there are 2 other ways that I enjoy Port, the 1st is to slice some fresh pineapple before dinner and drop a teaspoon of port on each slice and let it sit in the fridge untill you're ready to serve it, the 2nd way is to drop 3 teaspoons of Port into a homemade chocolate moose. 

PS: now to go open another bottle.

Laterz


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## MACSPECTRUM

port is one of the best drinks to accompany a fine cigar
the flavours mix incredibly well
mixing cigars and scotch should be criminal


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## 9mmCensor

if any one has been to a naval mess dinner you will know that port is best enjoyed in copious quantities toasting to great things with friends.


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## gastonbuffet

MACSPECTRUM said:


> port is one of the best drinks to accompany a fine cigar
> the flavours mix incredibly well
> mixing cigars and scotch should be criminal



ohhhhh YESSSSSSSSS!!!!

I can also give you a recipe of an apple - port - cinnamon cake that is awesome!!!


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## mazirion

Just do not buy the $7 bottles of Port. The Tweed LCBO has two varieties - awful crap that is! I used it for making a Portuguese Rice Pudding with sauteed slices of pineapple. It was OK, but a later attempt with better Port was much better.

I was turned off of Port at Mess Dinners in the military. You toast the Queen with Port at each. I think they had the $7 Brights for the lower rankers!

My brothers' father-in-law gave them a 100 yo bottle of Port for their wedding. Her family (from Portugal) has been in that business for a while. He opened it up and it was so smooth. Too bad it was only one bottle!


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## SkyHook

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