The theme this month is "snow day". Fortunately for us, while it has been pretty cool down in south Florida we have not had any snow. However, I remember what it was like last winter when we were in Cincinnati. And whether there is snow on the ground or not, when it is cold my selection is one that we frequently turn to.
There are obviously a lot of really good wines, and even some non-wine spirits, that work really well on cold, snowy days to warm up the old tootsie's (and the rest of the body as well) but for some reason port has always seemed to hit just the right notes.
This month I'm going with one of our favorite fortified wines - Sandeman's Twenty Year Old Tawny Port.
Port is a fortified wine, meaning that spirits (brandy in this case) are added to wine which arrests the fermentation and gives it a richer, sweeter flavor profile while seriously boosting the alcohol content - usually between about 18 - 20% AbV. Port is also made in a variety of styles (10 in all) - from simple, everyday style to vintage port that literally needs decades to develop and will keep seemingly forever.
Aged tawny port is the 4th level of port, and generally denotes ten, twenty, thirty or forty years old. They are blends of several years' worth of port and are denoted by what a port of that age should taste like and not necessarily the actual ages of the ports in the blend. So a twenty year old Tawny should taste like a 20 year old port, even though the actual ages will vary.
The ports that go into aged tawny ports are of the highest quality and are generally ones used for vintage ports.
Because of extended barrel aging, tawny ports take on a nutty flavor that is pretty unique. While they are sweet, they tend to be well balanced and very easy to drink.
Sandeman is one of our favorite producers of aged tawny ports. These are very rich, with the nuttiness I mentioned above along with hints of oranges, honey and apricot. It is generally the color of medium brick red with a shift towards light brown along the edge of the glass. The sweetness is distinct, but not cloying at all, and reminds me of orange marmalade.
Because of the richness of tawny ports, this seems to sink into you with a rich warmth that I have not found in any other wine. Even served chilled, it quickly warms you from head to toe.
These generally run about $50 a bottle. Once opened, they will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator. Some people will keep them longer, but I think that they show best shortly after being opened and generally a bottle does not last even a week in our house. So, if you are need of a serious wine to warm you up on a cold, wintery snow day I would highly recommend checking out an aged tawny port.
Cheers!
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