Hello again!
In the last article I spoke about an Argentinean Malbec. I do hope you managed to try it and if any of you do go to any of the tasting nights at Red Zebra in Derby, do come and say hello.
During February Mark and I had a trip to Oporto. All in the name of research for the article you understand ;-) We stayed in a fabulous recently renovated boutique hotel, where on arrival we were greeted with a glass of Port and taken to our room in a very old lift that had a seat in it. The Hotel was called the Hotel Enfante Sangres and they had the best breakfast possible. It was all self service, including the Portuguese sparkling wine and as it was our wedding anniversary, we thought it would be rude not to have a glass or two with our bacon & eggs.
Oporto is a very old town, with some beautiful buildings, on the south bank of the River Duoro. A short walk or Metro ride over to Gaia on the other side of the river where all the Port lodges are found; Fonseca, Croft, Sandemans, Kopke, Krohn, Calem to name but a few. Port lodges are where the Port is stored and matured in barrels ranging from 550 to 250000 litres. The Port is actually produced 60km further inland, where the grapes are grown.
Each lodge holds tours and tastings, so it was a very educational weekend, as we managed to visit a few. Following this trip I thought it would be good to give you some details about a new style of Port we tried and both enjoyed. Not a red or a white, but a pink port. Like white Port it can be served slightly chilled, so is definitely one for drinking on those long summer evenings with friends.
The Pink Port I have chosen is produced by Croft and we brought a bottle back with us. The details of the Port are:
Winery: Croft
Range: Pink
Region: Porto
Grape: Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional
Alcohol Strength: 20%
Colour: Light ruby
Bouquet: Floral notes with pungent aromatic raspberry fruit
Flavour: Ripe cherry, raspberries with lovely nuances of honey and grapefruit which is lighter in style than other ports.
Food Match: Almonds and olives or lighter deserts and fruit
Price: £9.99
Available: Asda
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