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Port & Stilton          19 December 2004

	Menu: English Stilton, Bartlett Pears, California Blue Diamond Walnuts and Carr’s Table Water Crackers.
			Sandeman’s Founders Reserve Porto "While Sandeman makes some terrific sherries, as well as vintage and tawny ports, "Founders Reserve" is one of the backbones of the business. This pleasant, consistent ruby port, named for the original George Sandeman, is made from many of the best lots of ruby port each year and is aged approximately five years." $28  Spirit World http://www.sandeman.com/ This website has a lot of very information about Port including great discussions about Wood ports and vintage ports, production, storage, opening vintage ports, etc.
			W & J Graham’s Fine Ruby Porto As with other non-dated Ports, Fine Ruby is a blend of wines from several years. The task of the tasters is to maintain the exact colour, taste and consistency of this blend which is a perfect example of the style. $25  Spirit World http://www.grahams-port.com/
			Dow’s 20 Year Old Wood Aged Tawny Porto Dow’s 20 Year Old is made from wines of the very highest quality which, following careful selection, are matured in seasoned oak casks of 534 litres until their peak of maturity is reached. These are among the most demanding and challenging styles of Port to produce requiring great skill and years of experience from the winemaker and blender. It is essential to strike the correct balance between the delicacy and elegance which results from prolonged cask ageing while retaining the fruit quality which lends this old Tawny its structure and longevity. $85 Spirit World http://www.dows-port.com/
	General Notes: Port comes from the Douro region in northern Portugal. Neutral grape brandy is added to Port during fermentation, which stops the fermentation and leaves behind up to nine to eleven percent residual sugar. There are two main types of Port, Wood Port and Vintage Port Wood port includes Ruby Port, which is dark and fruity, blended from young non-vintage wines; and Tawney Port, which is lighter and more delicate, blended from many vintages, aged in casks — sometimes up to forty years and longer. Vintage Port is aged two years in wood and will mature in the bottle over time. Not every year is a Vintage year for Port. A vintage year for port is declared through the Port Wine Institute based on Port that are especially excellent. The more recent great Vintage Port years are 1963, 1970, 1977, 1983, 1985,1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000 . Some years no vintage Port is made. Top shippers for Port include: Cockburn, Dow’s, Fonseca, Graham’s, Sandeman, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman, and Warre’s   http://www.portwine.com/  (A good resource)