So exciting to attend a fabulous Masterclass on the Tawny style of Port wine in New York, at the famous Yale Club on Vanderbilt Avenue.

This was a special Port Wine promotion taking place in the USA aimed at specialists, journalists and opinion leaders.

The event began with a Masterclass with the theme Wood-Aged Portos called:: A Concert in Wine and Time.

The Producers

The title of the event seemed poetic, but didn’t make much sense to me until an impressed member of the audience asked how Port producers had the patience to wait over 40 years to bottle and sell their wine.

In this lies the magic of Port.

The opening remarks included a brief history of wood-aged port wine in Portugal, given by Louisa Fry.

The Port Wine Masterclass Tasting

In the Port Wine masterclass, Fry stressed that the Douro is the oldest demarcated and regulated wine region in the world, declared in 1756 and made a World Heritage by UNESCO She briefly went over the different styles of Port wine and the main areas of its production.

In her presentation, Fry spoke about the Port as a blended wine on many different levels, reminding the audience they will never find a single variety Port.

They are blends of:

– Different areas, altitudes, and expires

– a blend of different grape varieties

– most commonly a blend of different vingages

– commonly a blend of wines of different ages

– commonly a blend of different vineyards

Producers Speak

Later in the Port Wine Masterclass, Louisa Fry turned the spotlight to the producers.

Each producer spoke while participants tasted examples of his or her wine.

The Port Wine Masterclass producers included:

 Niepoort Colheita 2007

José Nogueira introduced this wine. He is the fourth generation of his family to pursue his art in Niepoort, having worked at the company for over 50 years.

It was a well made tawny single vintage port. Flavors include caramel, viscous texture, tinge of chocolate and caramel and serve with Crème brûlée  and ice cream.

Later in the evening guests (myself included) enjoyed his wines during dinner at the Niepoort table.

 Ramos Pinto

This 20-year-old Tawny, which the family calls P20 Ramos Pinto, is described as including as many as fifty different vintages. The blend includes aged wine as well as young wine for freshness.

Churchill

This 20-year-old Tawny port is made in drier style to conform with the classic family tradition. The well-spoken producer added that the Churchill brand is characterized by freshness, elegance and balance. He also added the interesting fact that they favor the native yeast as the fermentation is slower, so the wine extracts more color.

Sandeman

This delicious 20-year-old Tawny port was lighter in color and characterized by a sharper, more concentrated nose. The wine also carried intriguing aromas of spice, honey, and dried fruit.

Porto Reccua

This entry was a 30-year-old Tawny Port from a quality-oriented cooperative with 200 shareholders (grape growers). Their (female) winemaker spoke about her approach to blending. She added that the most important thing about a Port wine is to enjoy it with friends and family, as “life is fleeting.”

Older Wines in the Port Wine Masterclass

Rozes 

This producer offered participants their 40-year-old Tawny port. Compared to the younger Tawny wines it was richer and more concentrated in flavor and aroma.

Kopke

Kopke brought a 50-year-old Tawny (a new category). This delicious wine offered aromas and flavors of dried figs, bitter orange, and Christmas spice.

Dalva

Dalva brought its 1963 vintage “Golden White” port made from (mostly) the white Malvasia grape. Nearly sixty years old, the wine tasted exceptionally fresh, characterized by marked acidity and rich flavors.

Port Wine Masterclass Dinner Pairings

The tasting was followed by a question/answer period.

Following this was the Enthronement Ceremony of new confreres (journalists and others in the wine trade) by the Confraria do Vinho do Porto and a delicious multi-course wine dinner.

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Vinho Verde Wine Region

Vinho Verde

When you think of a crisp white wine to match the foods of summer, what do you think of first? Chardonnay? Sauvignon Blanc?

Consider Vinho Verde, the traditional white wine of Portugal produced from the white grapes of the region.

Wines of Portugal is eager to get the word out about Vinho Verde, a mostly unoaked wine suitable for a variety of occasions year round.  But especially suited to the lighter style foods of summer.

Style of Vinho Verde Wines

Recently, Alexander LaPratt, Master Sommelier and owner of the trendy restaurant Atrium in Brooklyn, spoke about Vinho Verde at a media lunch on behalf of Wines of Portugal.

Vino Verde is produced in several regions of Portugal from over 16,000 producers and exported to over a hundred markets.

Most producers limit production of Vinho Verde to six white grapes in the (mostly) blended wine. Each grape gives the blend its own unique characteristic flavors.

Among them you will find Alvarinho, which gives a complex, fruit character (quince, peach), Avesso (almonds,), Azal (citrus), Arinto ) ripe apple, Loureiro (floral jasmine), and Trajadura (tree fruits such as pear and peach).

You may think that all Vinho Verde tastes the same, but the quality and flavor result from the exact blend of the grapes, and the region where the grapes grow.

The two most important things to understand from the presentation include the versatility of Vinho Verde to match cuisine, as well as its affordable, under $20 price point.

Matching Vinho Verde with Cuisine

During our five-course lunch, Master Sommelier LaPratt paired different Vinho Verde wines with each course. Yes, even dessert.

Aledga Ponte de Barca Premium 2002   

This wine, made from the Loueiro amd Alvarinho grapes, paired  with the first course of seasonal spring green and strawberry salad with pistachio. The wine had a very subtle flavor of white peach, which paired well with the greens and summer strawberries.

Campelo Arinto

As the name implies, they made this wine from 100% Arinto. It had a subtle flavor of mint and ripe orange. Mr. LaPratt paired it with “Lioni’s Brooklyn Burrata” served with heirloom tomatoes and shaved fennel.

Quinta da Raza Alvarinho/Trajadura 2020

This blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura had more of a saline, “ocean spray” characteristics that the other wines. This is because of the vineyards’ proximity to the ocean. Mr. LaPratt served it with a choice of delicious Long Island fluke carpaccio or a goat cheese and vegetable tart.

Aveleda Loureiro & Alvarinho 2018

This wine had more texture and weight than the other wines, making it an appropriate pairing for both choices of roasted Nova Scotia wild halibut or Palmetto farm whole roasted spring chicken.

Soalheiro Granit 2019

While one rarely considers pairing wine with dessert, this wine paired very well with both the Provencal Mille-Feuille and the strawberry tart.

Alex LaPratt MS and his excellent pairing of Vinho Verde wine shows the versatility of this delicious white wine. 

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Discover lunching and shopping activities in Madeira

Fabulous first day in Madeira – the sun was shining, the air was warm, and of course there was the excellent Madeira to enjoy!

We began the afternoon with a visit to the famous Rua Santa Maria street, with nearby famous vegetable and fish markets.

Restaurants line this famous street, and the outdoor seating is fabulous when the sun is shining.

We had lunch at the fantastic Gaviao Novo, where we had the best possible traditional cuisine matched with Madeira wine.

Among the traditional dishes were Scabbard roe, traditional fish soup, and Scabbard with sweet potatoes.

Dessert was impossible to resist traditional Mousse de Poncha and Cheese Cake de Maracuja, paired with Boal 69.

And of course we started the lunch with slightly chilled 5 year old Sercial, with dry rose and white wines to match the courses.

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