With it's warming qualities and syrup-like texture, Port is a great wintertime wine. Warre's Otima 10 Year Tawny Port ($19.99) is my new favorite. It's delightful slightly chilled after dinner. I paired it with dark chocolate, but in the future want to try it with cheese. Otima's goal is to eliminate the usual myth of port being a drink only sipped by dusty old grandmothers. The light wine has a delicate yet full-bodied, well-balanced palate and rich, amber color with reddish undertones. It tastes caramely with hints of dried fruit and nuts. With its long, lush finish and smooth, heady aroma, this award-winning wine proves that port can be contemporary, hip, and perfect for 2009.
Do you enjoy port? What's your favorite bottle?
I've always liked Dow's Late-Bottled Vintage. I know that an LBV is cheating in terms of getting to drink port earlier and that the filtration supposedly destroys the character of fine port, but I'm pretty impatient and find it perfectly delicious.
That said, my favorite port is a proprietary bottling from The Queen's College, Oxford, which I used to buy through my fellow choristers when I sang there. It's really amazing for a college port, and very reasonably priced to boot!
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