Buying guide: Port

Port

About the category:
Port has its origins in the Douro region of Portugal. Essentially, it is wine that has been fortified with flavourless, grape-distilled spirit. On account of the spirit being added prior to the completion of fermentation, unfermented sugars remain, giving Port a natural sweetness. The best Ports are made from blends and include varieties like Touriga Naçional, Tinta Barocca and Souzâo.

Key findings:

1) Ruby Port, fruity and possessing soft tannins, is typically easy drinking and the consumer should not expect very great complexity; 2) South Africa makes excellent Tawny Port (smooth and nutty thanks to extended maturation time) but this is a declining resource as it is expensive to make and yet does not demand a premium; 3) Late Bottled Vintage (dark and full bodied but intended for earlier drinking) seems to be a category that is misunderstood by both producer and consumer alike - the quality is disappointing; 4) When it comes to Vintage Port, producers are "chasing the holy grail" in the sense of trying to emulate the best of Portugal, and the likes of Boplaas and De Krans come close.

Soundbite: "Wake up, South Africa!" - Christine Rudman, CWM, beseeches the public to take advantage of the high quality that the Tawny Port category offers.

White Port
★ ★ ✩ two and a half stars
Peter Bayly R75
Dry White Port 2007 (375ml)

★ ★ two stars
Axe Hill Dry White Port (500ml) R130

★ one star
De Krans Cape White R35

Ruby Port
★ ★ ★ ✩ three and a half stars
Boplaas Cape Ruby Port NV R36

★ ★ ★ three stars
Swartland Port NV R29
De Krans Cape Ruby Port NV R34

★ ★ ✩ two and a half stars
Van Loveren Ruby Port NV R47

★ ★ two stars
Aan de Doorns Cape Ruby 2006 R24
Bergsig Cape Ruby NV R42.50
Douglas Green R59.99
Cape Ruby Port NV ARP

★ one stars
Koelenhof Ruby Pino Porto 2003 R40

also tasted
Upland Guinevere Cape Ruby NV R70
corked
Du Toitskloof Cape Ruby 2006 R35

Tawny
★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ four and a half stars
Boplaas Cape Tawny
Show Reserve Port
CELLAR PRICE R100
Alc 18.5% RS 105g/l pH 3.47 TA 5g/l
Pale amber in colour. Nuts, spice and
candied orange peel on the nose and palate.
Creamy texture with good spirit integration
and bright acidity. Very elegant.
CE 16.5 MW 16.5 CR 16.5 CF 17 DC 18

★ ★ ★ ★ four stars
Boplaas Cape Tawny
Vintner's Reserve Port (375ml)
CELLAR PRICE R38
Alc 18.6% RS 100g/l pH 3.71 TA 5.3g/l

Brown with a touch of red. The nose shows a
nutty character as well as prunes. The palate
is full with plenty of sweet fruit.
CE 15 MW 16 CR 17 CF 16 DC 15.5

De Krans Cape Tawny Port
CELLAR PRICE R60
Alc 19.5% RS 104g/l pH 3.6 TA 5.5g/l
Amber turning towards tawny. Nose shows
dried fruit, some tea leaf-like fragrance and
spice. Juicy, concentrated fruit given lift by
fresh acidity on the palate.
CE 16 MW 17 CR 16.5 CF 15 DC 15

WHAT TO EAT WITH TAWNY PORT

Carel Nel of Boplaas in Calitzdorp relates that he prefers to drink Tawny Port on its own at the end of a meal. "It also goes well with chocolate desserts and well-matured
cheeses like Stilton," he advises. To prevent the wine from appearing too spirituous, he suggests serving it from the fridge at around 8º C to 10º C.

Late Bottled Vintage
★ ★ ★ ✩ three and a half stars
Bredell's Cape R30
Late Bottled Vintage 2004 (375ml)

★ ★ ✩ two and a half stars
Bergsig Cape LBV 2000 R52.50
Somerbosch LBV 2004 R65
Villiera Fired Earth 2004 (500ml) ARP R65

Vintage
★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ four and a half stars
De Krans Cape
Vintage Reserve Port 2006
CELLAR PRICE R120
Alc 19% RS 92g/l pH 3.8 TA 5.5g/l
Complex nose showing black fruit, chocolate,
spice and some dried herbs. The palate is full
bodied but well structured and balanced.
Keep for at least 7 years.
CE 18 MW 16 CR 18 CF 17.5 DC 17

Boplaas Cape
Vintage Reserve Port 2006
CELLAR PRICE R150
Alc 18.69% RS 90.1g/l pH 3.71 TA 5.3g/l
Dark fruit as well as notes of fynbos and
spice on the nose.  e palate is sweet, rich
and full with great fruit intensity and grippy
tannins. Keep for at least 7 years.
CE 16 MW 18 CR 16.5 CF 18 DC 18.5

Alto Port 2006 (500ml)
BERGKELDER ARP R180
Alc 17.96% RS 105g/l pH 3.33 TA 5.34g/l
100% Shiraz. Black berries, chocolate and
spice on the nose. There's juicy fruit on entry
matched by fi rm tannins and lively acidity
on the palate. Relatively accessible - should
provide good drinking from 2011 onwards.
CE 16.5 MW 17.5 CR 18 CF 16.5 DC 16

★ ★ ★ ★ FOUR STARS
Peter Bayly Cape Vintage Port
2006 (500ml)
CELLAR PRICE R100
Alc 19% RS 81.61g/l pH 3.57 TA 5.5g/l
Brooding nose. The palate is extremely
youthful with lots of dark fruit, firm tannins
and bright acidity. Flavours of plums,
chocolate and spice. Has great weight and
intensity. Keep for at least 7 years.
CE 15 MW 16.5 CR 16 CF 18 DC 14

De Krans Cape Vintage
Reserve Port 2007
CELLAR PRICE R120
Alc 19.5% RS 92g/l pH 3.8 TA 5.4g/l
Shy nose. The palate is very rich and concentrated
- has great palate weight and texture.
Far too young to drink - keep for at least 8
years.
CE 16 MW 15.5 CR 16 CF 16 DC 16.5

★ ★ ★ ✩ THREE AND A HALF STARS
De Krans Cape Vintage Port 2007 R58
Bredell's Cape Vintage 2003 R95
Boplaas Cape Vintage R170
Reserve Port 2005

★ ★ ★ THREE STARS
Landskroon Port 2004 R47
Boplaas Cape Vintage Port 2006 R68
Allesverloren R73.60
Vintage Port 2006 (Bergkelder) ARP
Axe Hill R130
Cape Vintage Port 2006 (500ml)
Muratie Cape Vintage 2006 R130
Bredell's Cape Vintage Reserve R225
Limited Release 2001
Allesverloren Vintage Port 1989 R143
(Bergkelder) ARP

WORTHY OF INVESTIGATION

Allesverloren
Vintage Port 1989
ARP R143

The panel acknowledged that this wine showed real class but the consensus was that stylistically it most resembled a Tawny and therefore should not have been submitted in the Vintage class. Had it been correctly designated, the feeling was that it would have rated even better than the 3 Stars it received.

★ ★ ✩ TWO AND A HALF STARS
Swartland Vintage Port 2003 R41
Bonnievale Cape Vintage 2005 R42
Bon Courage Vintage Port 2006 R47.13
Morgenhof Cape Vintage 2003 R85
Annandale CVP 2003 R150

★ ★ TWO STARS
Rooiberg Cape Vintage 2005 R35
Badsberg R45
Vintage Port Bin WH106 2005
Overgaauw R134
Cape Vintage Liqueur Wine 1992
McGregor Cape Vintage Port 2007 R250
Warwick Cabernet Franc Port 2005 R300

ALSO TASTED
Ashton Port 2004 R40
CORKED
Bergsig Cape Vintage 2000 TCA R60
TTT Cape Vintage 2007 TCA R80

PRICES: wines in each quality grouping
are listed in order of ascending price -
all ex-cellar unless otherwise stipulated.
ARP Approximate retail price
NV Non vintage

WINE TASTERS: editor of WINE magazine
Christian Eedes (chair) (CE), Cape Wine
Masters Meryl Weaver (MW) and Christine
Rudman (CR), honorary member of the
Institute of Cape Wine Masters Colin
Frith (CF) and Monis winemaker Dirkie
Christowitz (DC).