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Show The wine scene Port wine: A gift from abroad by Carole von Schmidt SHERRY, PORT, Late Harvest Riesling, Muscat and Sauteme all these sweet wines remain relatively undiscovered by the American wine drinking public. Furthermore, these wines, mostly consumed as aperitif or dessert drinks, -- I mm J wines suffer from mistaken identity, stereotype and misunderstanding as to their function within the gamut of wine choices. For example, Port, American white Port particularly, ends up as the culprit beside a boozy, snoozy transient in a local park. Sherry, often bought in a grocery store at an exorbitant price for its volume, conjures images of a food flavoring for fancy dishes. Tokay promotes the picture of little old ladies sipping artificially enhanced sticky, pink syrup along with the sweet wines gossip. Yet, can taste mellow, semi-dr- y and elegant. These wines have a distinct place in the presentation of a meal; some are superior when served alone. Port, whose origin and shipping point is Oporto, Portugal, obviously owes its name to this location where it was invented. However, two California vintners make this underexposed dessert style wine. They are Ficklin, which markets a nonvintage variety, and Quady, which declares a vintage Port. Both are now available at the Trolley wine store, Ficklin for (7.30 a fifth, and 1978 Quady for $8.40 a fifth or $5.90 a tenth. The latter vintage is not as 1975. good as was the sold-ou- t THIS ORIGINAL Portugese wine shows best when it comes from its home ground, the Douoro Valley, about 60 miles up river from the thriving port city of Oporto. Here the pristine hillsides produce 10 to 12 varieties of red grapes which end up in a blend to make a superior Port wine. Here the climate proves itself again and again. Here no irrigation is allowed, lest the grapes take on water rather than flavors from sun and soil. In this untouched area of the world the vines grow free from pollution or other complications of civilization. In comparison to the Rhine, Napa, Danube or Lorie wine growing regions, this river valley of the Douoro offers quiet, unsettling beauty of the same calibre as its undiscovered product, Port wine. Port grapes varieties are grown on a quinta, a farm where one owner grows grapes plus contracts with other growers. A Port vintner, like the House of Sandeman, one of Portugal's largest Port makers, buys grapes for its wine. They own their own quinitas as well as buy crossword puzzle from the local farmers. House of Sandeman has employees in the Douoro Valley who conduct business for the company; thus the company which was recently purchased by Seagrams maintains its home ties. Business is conducted in the Old World manner between the House of Sandeman and the grape grower. A handshake is an honored contract. In Regua, the grape growing village in the Douoro Valley, Alvaro Roberto Pinto de Gouvea, whose family conducted business associated with buying grapes for the past five generations, advises the farmers about planting, too. He knows why a year will produce a good wine and how to establish confidence in the growers. In conversation de Gouvea points out the significance of specific areas of the Douoro Valley; the upper Douoro produces better grapes, i.e. better Port wine, than the lower hills. FROM OUR VANTAGE point on a country road high above the river it is easy to see the feeder river which is this important dividing line. Speaking with pride of his family traditions in the Port business, de Gouvea assures us of the significance of wine to Portugal and his valley, for it is the third largest export. To make certain that we understand the differences in Port, this man of much knowledge, explains its many forms, from Ruby and Tawny to Vintage Port. Obviously, each requires the care which a man like de Gouvea and a company like House of Sandeman provide. Answers on Page H-2- To be declared a Vintage Port, the climactic conditions need to produce the perfect balance of hot and wet for the maturing grapes. The chemical balance of the blended red grapes must, likewise, develop perfectly. Bouquet, complexity of body and dry sweetness must meld into an exceptional wine during the aging process. With luck and skill plus some admitted mystery unclear to even the vintner, this miracle happens every third or fourth year. However, one companys vintage declaration need not be consistent with anothers, for conditions in microclimates from area to area within the Douoro Valley plus differences in the actual development of a great wine also vary from vintner to vintner. While touring the House of Sandeman facilities on the Vila Nova de Gaia, the small island about a 10 minute walk across the bridge from downtown Oporto, we visited their warehouses and tasting rooms. Vintage Ports from 1947 up through the newly declared 1980 vintage (which is still aging in the barrels) greeted our arrival. THE WINES, LINING the countLy the head taster, represented the best of Sandeman products over 35 years. Each taste brought piques and peaks of pleasure. Although exceedingly young, the 1980 vintage allowed a glimpse of its potential as it blossomed on the palate. With practice it is possible to taste the future of a wine from its earlier phases. For a personal taste of a Vintage Port try er and offered Sandeman, $21.80 or the Sandeman, also $21.80. Both are in stock at the Trolley wine store. If you are patient, buy the 1977 vintage at $19. 19 and store it for about 10 years until it reaches peak drinkability. the 1962 1966 In the tasting room the differences between Port wines dawned. The Ruby Port drinks sweet, full and cushiony whereas a Tawny with its golden color has nutty overtones plus a complex finish. Tfie older blended Ports years), for example, are rich and robust yet with delicate and elusive flavors. Although the Trolley store offers no blended Ports of this calibre, try Partners at $9.50 a fifth, for a glimpse of the potential which Port of this type offers. Partners comprises a best seller for the House of Sandeman in the United States and England. dry-swe- (20-3- 0 e, There is much to learn about Port wine. Unlocking some of the complexities by traveling to Portugal to visit the vineyards, the quintas, the aging rooms and the tasting laboratory proves educational and exciting. If impractical, however, it is very possible to stage a tasting with Ports available locally. The tender loving care with which the wine is made drifts from the bottle in its aroma and bouquet; the pristine nature of the grapes life cycle reveals itself in the myriad of flavors. Discover the undiscovered by drinking Ruby, Tawny and Vintage or blended Port, the perfect 2 GOTHAM 75 Workbench tool 76 77 Weds secretly 85 Actor Delon French lorry 86 Rio 83 Display edacity 87 European 84 Is forced 2 wds capital 79 81 Schemed Inlets 88 Timber wolf 89 Bone up 90 Arabian Sea gulf 91 OSS successor 92 Petrol 93 Feast The Salt Lake Tribune Home Magazine, Sunday, October famine 17, 1982 ;t |