Port (wine fortified with brandy) is usually in the 18-20% alcohol range. Aussie Port is certainly better than our Canadian version (generally drunk from the bottle in back alleys in brown paper bags), South African (Paal), I consider the best value for money, but Portuguese is always the creme de la creme in my opinion, especially the 25 year old bottles (10 of them) that I purchased near Clematis Market in West Palm Beach, Florida earlier in the year, on sale for $15/bottle (from $60), listed online in the $100 - $200 range. Of course back in February attending a wedding in California, living in a.luxuary Marina del Ray condo for a week (for free), I was challenged to a taste test of my 25 year old "old world" port against a 30 year old "new world" California port accompanied by 4 blocks of beautiful Stilton cheese that I purchased at "The Boys" in Florida for just $15/lb, brought in especially for me. It was no contest, the old world (agreed by all) won hands down. All this "Port" discussion just inspired me to get up and sit by our roasting pellet stove and consume three glasses of Newman's "Celebrated" Newfoundland bottled port, plus "non-Stilton" blue cheese that is exceptionally good at $20/bottle (available only in Nova Scotia here in the Maritimes, not in New Brunswick). This is not your usual "cheap and cheerful" Canadian port. Need to rest up now as tomorrow for Remembrance Day we are heading to Minto, NB (45 mins away) to visit the WWII Internment Camp museum there, near the former camp site. German Jews or former German citizens, who had escaped Nazi persecution, many having lived in Canada since 1930, now citizens had their land, homes and property confiscated, often homes burnt and were then interred in the middle of nowhere for the war's duration, sometimes alongside German POW's. Many were musicians, artists, craftsmen and their work is displayed at the museum. Around 30 pieces are currently displayed at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery here on Fredericton, NB. Only one inmate ever escaped (in winter!) and he returned to the camp from the wilderness and asked to be let back inside the camp.
Quite partial to a bit of port myself, though when you want to get on it a couple of pints cheeky vimto gets you buzzing... Half a pint of port, half a pint of blue wkd....
That’s a lovely shaped bottle there, Hammer. Not unlike a Para Port bottle, which is a famous drop. My father had a 1932, 34 & 38, worth quite a bit.
please log in to view this image Some of the Pogues having a drink at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden (1984).
