Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
Perhaps, but it's probably illegal for Delta to market it as "port" on flights in the European Union (and perhaps elsewhere, if those countries have adopted EU naming protection laws in trade agreements). Even if it's illegal, Delta's sommelier Andrea Robinson knows better.
The actual bottle doesn't contain the word "port" and is labeled as a "Tawny". Nothing wrong with the product itself for the European market.
As for the menu, which is the only contentious bit: the beauty of international air travel is that, as a foreign-flagged carrier, Delta's not subject to EU regulations while aloft. The laws that apply are American, because DL is a US registered carrier. And in the US, "port" is an acceptable term to refer to any fortified wine - in our market, "Porto" is the specific term that refers to fortified wine specifically from Portugal by convention.
As I'm confident you're aware, the Mionetto is the only thing that gets opened before the doors close and the flight departs.
As such, this is a non-issue for Delta, because the "port" is never being served on European soil.
I do agree that using language like "port-style" or "10-year Tawny fortified dessert wine" would be a bit more precise, but I can understand why they didn't - it's arguably more confusing than simply listing the wine by its commonly recognized style name.