I see, thanks for the explanation.

My favorite Ports are the largely unknown dry or extra dry whites. Contrary to all the other types, dry whites are not dessert wines; they are to be enjoyed cold, before a meal, with an appetizer (specially seafood appetizers), or any time you would have a cocktail.
It's a pity that they are so hard to find outside Portugal.

vertical tasting from a single grower: say all dow, or all taylor, or all fonseca from as many as possible of: 70,77,80,82,83,85,87,91,92,94, and then maybe an '05 just to see what an unaged is like. if lucky, one can find half a dozen or so of the old ones.

horizontal tasting: as many houses as possible of a given declared vintage. did a lot of 70's and 77's. somewhere around '95-'00, vintage port fell into disfavor, as did the british pound, and the british economy. port got real cheap, and a lot of 70 & 77 came on the market. i bought 2 cases of '77. still have about 4 bottles left.

I agree completely. We did exactly this on Thanksgiving, with the same port and chocolate we had at the wine tasting. Relatively inexpensive and a big hit with the in-laws.

Port is quite versatile as it has strong flavours. Classic pairing is with dried fruits (apricots, dates, figs, even pears and apples), nuts such as walnut and almond -- these bring out some of the elements of the wine -- and of course the classic chocolate deserts. Also quite good with rich game meats such as duck and venison, a perhaps less expected pairing.

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Duck and venison? I wouldn't have thought of that. Would you advocate drinking port as a "normal" wine with dinner, or are you thinking of small sips with small plates, like duck- or venison-based appetizers?

Yes, port can be drunk as a dinner wine, even as the main course. Of course only some ports are good enough to be able to be drunk that way, some are too "raisiny" but that is more a flaw than a port characteristic imho. Of course the classic duck wine is Banyul (which is somewhat port-like). The richer the food, the better the wine and the meal. Of course this style of dining is to be indulged in rarely (once or twice a year) if you value your liver.

The history of Port wine is linked to Britain, so the fact that some wineries are British owned is just tradition, rather than a sell-out. (just clarifying).
But as far as I know, Calem is Portuguese owned at the moment, by a company called Sogevino or something like that. And Sandeman is back to Portuguese hands after the Sogrape Group - known for Mateus Rose - bought it from Seagram's.

Does anyone know the Bishop of Norwich?

I've always thought it would be fun to go to Portugal and visit some port wineries and try a wide variety of ports.

In your educated opinions, where would be a good starting place to plan such a trip? Where in Portugal, which wineries, etc.?

Many thanks for your help.

You are presuming that wineries exist and welcome visitors It is a lot different from US wine operations, and your best bet is something like the following (at a cost of up to EUR 1000 for the day tour): http://www.cellartours.com/portugal/...xury-port.html

Port is still secretive and not readily accessible to the public unless you are "in the club".

Until a few years ago, I would agree with you. But recently more and more wineries in the Douro Valley are open for visitors, have tasting rooms, give tours and have harvest parties/feasts. Not to mention the Instituto do Vinho do Porto in the town of Peso da Regua.

I've been to Quinta Nova once during harvest time in 2006, and I went to "work" in the field for a couple of hours, accompanied by the managers of the winery. After that, we ate lunch at the Manor House (also a hotel) and visited the wine-making facilities and the cellars. Great stuff.

I was at the Douro Valley again last year and the hotel concierge (Aqua Pura) told me that it was a growing business for the region and suggested a tour at Sandeman and at Ramos Pinto, but we chose to go to a couple of wineries close by.

Actually, yes. In fact, I believe that he is an awfully nice fellow, but....

I love a glass of port when the temperatures drop and the sky starts to spit sleet and snow. Hopefully that takes place on a Saturday night and I can curl up with a good book in front of the fireplace. I don't have any favorite brands, so I guess you could say I favor any port in a storm.

Back in the 70's, Frank Zappa had a non-hit with a song titled "WPLJ" for White Port and Lemon Juice. I tried it, but Frank, it was not a good mix.

I like Cockburns and Taylors but prefer ruby over tawny. I did try a port in Australia that was like a toffee colour and tasted amazing!