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Video Transcript: Breaking Conventions with a Tawny Port Wine Showdown

Written By: ClassicWines.com Team on Thursday, September 4, 2008

Brian Freedman: Welcome to the classicwines.com Tawny Port showdown. I am your host, Brian Freedman. You are probably wondering, why are we drinking Tawny Port in the summer time? Well, easy answer, because there are few things that go better with a cigar. It's honestly cigar season right now, drink up your Port. Most people seem to think of this is a cold weather kind of beverage. Let's be honest here, I was in Portugal about a year ago, in the South, it gets warm there; dead of summer, people drink their Port year around. Let that be a lesson; don't ever let the weather preclude you from drinking what you love. So, Wine #1, the Warre's Otima, 10 year old Tawny; and Wine #2, the Noval 10 year old Tawny.

Now, while we are pouring the Warre's, let's talk a little bit about what Tawny Port means. You'll see here as soon as I pour it, it looks very butterscotch colored almost, not butterscotch, more of a caramel sort of color. Tawny Ports are those Ports which really do remind us of caramel, butterscotch, toffee. They tend to be much more – How do I want to say this, a little bit more rounded, a little bit more rich in that caramel, brown sugar department.

So, give this one a swirl and a sniff. Wow! That's just -- that's liquid caramel with golden raisins; that's absolutely beautiful but it's not overwhelmingly or cloyingly sweet like some of the Tawny's get. Really, it does seem like it is a very delicate style for this bottle.

I didn't know if you saw there, my eyes started to roll in the back of my head. That is a great, great glass of Port. It's very spicy which really counterbalances the sweetness well, there is a lot of, like, those brown aromatic spices in there; clove, cinnamon, hint of nutmeg. This is really an exceptional glass of Port.

Now, Wine #2, this is the Noval Tawny; clearly a very different clear. This one is a much more grapey in tone. Alright, give this a sniff. Now, right off the nose, it's grapier on the nose. Now, there's more purple berry fruit going on there and it's more overtly sweet. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to me like there is a little less complexity going on there, it's being subordinated to the sweetness. Raisinettes, I love raisinettes. I feel like I want to watch, like, an old Chevy Chase movie when I was in sixth grade and eating raisinettes.

It is dried fruit, it's a little bit of coffee, a little bit of chocolate, not a bad bottle. But I have got to tell you, the Warre's Otima 10 year old Tawny, hands down, the winner of today's classicwines.com Tawny Port showdown.

Remember, both of these are available on classicwines.com and also remember don't not drink Port just because it's warm out. It's great stuff. From all of us here at classicwines.com, I am your host, Brian Freedman. Cheers!

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Wines Featured In Video Transcript: Breaking Conventions with a Tawny Port Wine Showdown

Quinta Do Noval NV
Region: Tawny

  

Warres 1910 Port (otima 10 yr old)
Region: Tawny

  

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