Champion Ports. – Episode #102

October 6, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today Gary tastes four ports and matches them with one of his favorite cheeses with port. Sit back and enjoy this episode on one of the great dessert wines. More viewer questions answered. Have a great weekend everyone!

113 Responses

October 6, 2006

Brandon M
Gary

Maaaaaaan…FINALLY

What’s your take on Grignolino? I had a Heitz Grignolino Rose about 8 years ago and liked it a lot.
Any Italian ones you can recommend?

Tonight I’ll be drinking the San Felipe Cab…gotta make room for more stock coming!

B
October 6, 2006

Ed R
Stalker Brandon #1
October 6, 2006

Big Billy from Big D
For those who have not voted for the Tshirt Name

http://www.vaynervote.com/

Terroirists want winedrinkers to remember wine’s place

Chin chin
October 6, 2006

Ed R
Gary I go to work in 1/2 hour you are killing me with these late episodes
October 6, 2006

Paul
Finally!!! Can’t wait for my WLTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 6, 2006

CJM
Imovie go boom. Sorry it’s up so late!
October 6, 2006

Paul
BrandonM,
Opened the San Felipe Cab tonight. Good on its own, great with grilled chicken with a hearty sauce. Let me know what you think of it.
October 6, 2006

Brandon M
Absolutely Paul…Kinda of wierd but I’m drinking it with Salmon tonight. I couldn’t pass up the fresh wild they had at the store.

Gary…great episode. Thanks for the info on all of the ports, and thanks for the shout to D, she will be pleased. You really are the perfect marketing guy! If you make her smile, I get to buy more wine. SNEAKY SNEAKY!

B
October 6, 2006

Brandon M
My goal when I first fell in love with wine at about 19 was to have an obscene cellar with a thousand bottles that everyone wanted to have!…that was then….

B
October 6, 2006

Godfather
Port through the portal! Wow!
October 6, 2006

PeteB
Love Port!!!!!! Awesome episode!!!!

QOD: Just to have fun and to find perfect food/wine pairings.

Q 4 GV: Why do you sometimes see those white paint like dots on Port bottles? I’ve noticed it and always wondered.

Thanks & have a great weekend all!!!!
October 6, 2006

Matthew L
Somewhere…a Crip, Blood or sign language-dependent person is fuming with that ending

Thanks for doing an episode on Port. I have always enjoyed Port, but can’t say that I’ve really appreciated it, if you know what I’m saying.

I am glad that you are trying to take the snot out of the noses of those who would have wine only be something you can drink with a blue blazer and an ascot. That’s is complete B.S. I tell you!

Gary…I asked this many episodes ago, but I’ll try again. What do you do with all the wine that you open for WLTV? Is there a mad run on the juice like in the WineLibrary employee lounge after each show?

Everyone have a good, long Columbus Day weekend. (That is if you get Monday off.)

Cheers! or Chtob vse byli zdorovy!
October 6, 2006

Matthew L
Ooops…as for the QOD. My goal when I started drinking wine was to learn how to pair wine with my food. I cook, a lot, and I wanted to really provide my friends and family with a complete dining experience. Along the way, my goals have expanded to include truly appreciating the differences in varietals and expanding my palette.
October 6, 2006

Justin
Hi Gary,
Super late episode today. I was waiting for the last 2 hours for it… So in the meantime I revisited some of my favorites from the past, and a few that I had missed. Anyway, I have been into wine for a couple of years now, thanks to my girlfriends mom. She worked for Mondavi for many many years. She taught me a lot of what I know. When I got my job at a winery in the tasting room, I knew it was just going to be the begining. It is my foot in the door to the industry. While I didn’t go to school to study wine, I am taking all that I have learned from the tasting room and spending time with the winemaker at the vineyard, and eventually hope to be making wines myself. In a few months time I will be headed for the land down under to work harvest there and get even more experience. So hopefully i will reach that goal of becoming a winemaker, and maybe someday you will sell my wines at WL, or have me on the show as a guest.

Justin
October 6, 2006

Rob M.
OK, Gary. So the “W-L-T-V” needs a bit of help at the end, but very educational and informative episode, nonetheless.

I have always been a bit intimidated by port. I understand most vintage port you can buy now is way too young, but I do not find a lot of older (at least not much 20+ year old) port. Of all you have in stock at WL right now, what would you recommend? Sorry, can’t go for the ‘94 Quinta Do Noval Nacionale at 775 bones, but under $100 that you would recommend to us (’94 Dow’s? ‘91 Dow’s?). How about under $50?

Perhaps best way to do this is with a smaller bottle, which leads to my next question. Assuming I do not enjoy a bottle at a dinner with several friends, I will not be drinking the entire bottle in one night. Not even in several nights. How long can you store Vintage Port after opening? Days? Weeks? More? How do you store it (VacuVin? Refrigerator?)?

Finally, what is the correct serving temp for Port?

QOD- I initially thought it was “high class” to appreciate and enjoy wine. I am at a point where I can afford nice wine, but since I do not care anymore about impressing people, it is just about learing and enjoying wine. My goal is to find the most enjoyable wine for the least amount of dough. Many people can spend $50 or $75 on a wine and have a decent chance of the wine being tasty. Finding it for $15 is more fun, informative, and enjoyable to me.

Thanks for your continued education. Would love opinions from any of the other WLTV viewers as well- if you want to discuss off-line, jhu_gas@hotmail.com.

Rob M.
October 6, 2006

Mike F.
I looooooove port. Now that the cooler weather is coming, it’s definitely moving up on my shopping list. (I have about 500 items in this list, 400 of which I either wonâ€™t find, can’t afford, or will get bumped down indefinitely). And yes it is a great finale to an awesome meal at a restaurant. Not to mention the perfect partner for a nice cigar. At an outdoor wine tasting I went to once they had a cigar roller. I also noticed that there was a port back at one of the tasting tables. Needless to say I put two and two together. They also had a cheese tasting there as well. I fell in love with the Bleu d’Auvergne.

From PeteB:
“Why do you sometimes see those white paint like dots on Port bottles? Iâ€™ve noticed it and always wondered”

From WS online:
“This white mark is also called a splash mark, and it tells you which way the bottles were cellared (splash mark up). This way, all the sediment collects on the same side. Smart, huh?”
October 6, 2006

the professor and....
Gary, hilarious! Thanks for answering my question with such enthusiam. My wife and I were cracking up! Yeah we hit the garage sales too, but I am an addict with ebay crap. I have to admit that I purchased a “blueberry muffin ” doll for my sister on ebay. But I know exactly what you talking about.
I had no real plan when I first started drinking wine, It was just something different, more refined to drink when I wasn’t pounding beers with my buddies. But now, I in the process of renovating our old home, and I plan on putting in a wine cellar so that I can “impress my guests”. Really I’m a collector of things too. So for now I’m trying to drink a variety of wines to find out what I like and what I should collect. I’m sure I’ll buy some wines eventually for their name and reputation, but for now it’s strictly for taste and personal preference.
October 6, 2006

Dede Stan
Hi Gary,

This is Dede Stan…that’s right, the better half of Chris Stanisci..Chris Stan..SS Chris..or whatever you VaynIACS call him. I have sat quietly as my husband has been on the computer at all hours at the night, talked to our sons about the merits of “VaynIACS” vs “VaynerNation” and filled our extra fridge with fine white wines. However, I cant’t complain too much because I am also reaping the benefits of my husband’s new obsession. Every Friday is “tasting night”. We’ve tried some great wines, but I’m with Denyce M (another “wine widow”), I am not yet able to taste and smell the licorice and kiwi. I’m hoping that will come with practice.
October 6, 2006

TimF
GaryV — Do you know the Bishop of Norwhich?
October 6, 2006

damon
Gary, I’m really curious about how you treat your bottles of port. Do you decant? Do these wines throw off alot of sediment after 30 years? I’d really like to hear your process for bringing any old wine out of the cellar.
October 6, 2006

Matty Van, Rochester,NY
I still have yet to try a port, its on the list..along with many other things.

“Love Your Family”….I agree are the most important people in ones life and the foundation that all other relationships are built off of.

QOD – just started drinking it and enjoying it among friends and family and decided to learn a little bit about it so I would not be cluless when looking at a wine list, it has developed into a hobbie of mine. I know I will collect when I am older wiser and have more space.

brandon m and paul…I too liked the San Felipe Cab, there chard. was not bad eiather. I dont remember how it tasted but I remember liking it enough to add it to the list for my next WL order.

I also found a spanish red by the brand of “Miyone” just labled as a table wine, was only like $6, fruit bomb little spice on the finish, not great wine, but good wine for $6
October 6, 2006

TimF
Okay — I’m going to say a few controversial things here:

1. Port is the greatest drink in the entire world. By far. Nothing else is even close. Nothing.

2. If it’s a crime to drink young port, then step up Gary, get some older ports in stock. The oldest thing I see on your site is 1985. C’mon, let’s see some 60s or 70s.

3. Every Vayniack out there needs to go out and buy (or make) a flourless chocolate cake, some fresh raspberries and enjoy it with a vintage port. Seriously. Go out right now. Now! If you haven’t, you’re missing out on life.

4. Whenever I have a port, all I can think about is the next port I’m going to have. It’s kind of like when I did the Chicago Marathon back in 2003. After mile 15 all I cared about was making it from water station to water station. In life all I care about is making it from one vintage port to the next vintage port. It is the most pleasurable thing in the world.

5. That was your best episode. Your first 100 pointer…
October 6, 2006

Bill Nelson
Now I have a new favorite episode! When I first discovered I liked wine I also discovered right away that I knew nothing about it! My goal has been to learn enough to make intelligent purchases and expand my tastes to more different types of wine. You can’t drink pine nut no ear all the time! By the way Gary, from the number of responses each episode has been getting lately you don’t need more muscle; you are HUGE already!!!!!!!!!
October 6, 2006

TimF
QOD: I had no goal when I got into wine. Absolutely none. It was just something I always wanted to know more about.
October 6, 2006

Scott S.
Hi Gary, Nice informative episode although I am not a great fan of port, yet. Totally respect the fortification process and the making of Port.

QOD: My goal was interest in the historic elements of wine and locations in the world it evolved, however this was all thrown to the side as my palate started to learn faster than my brain. I grew up a country outdoors kid with exposure to lots of smell experiences that seem to have stuck with me. So when I smell the cool wet stones of a Riesling or the cedar and cigarbox of a nice cabernet I can really connect. At this point in my journey of wine learning the nose of a wine is so amazing to me that sometimes I make a fool of myself trying to get my friends to see it. Many time they think I am crazy. This is why I am adicted to WLTV as you have that same childhood smell conection and use it to communicate to us the nose in your tasting. Keep up the great work!.

BTW I am really starting to enjoy the structure and tannins in wines. My palate is understanding more and more every bottle. Looks like I am hooked
October 6, 2006

ChrisR
Gary,

Great episode. You were really “on” today which made the episode a lot of fun. It is great when you can cut loose. I sensed your appetite was kicking into overdrive as you indulged in these wines, which is another great benefit. On the first day, God created wine. On the second day he gave us cheese.

QOD: My goal remains the same which is to continue to refine my palate and to experience as many great wines as I can before my time on earth ends. So many wines, so little time.
October 6, 2006

Denise
I don’t know if I ever had a goal. My interest in wine got very intense very fast. I guess my goal was to know more about it than my big brother!

Ports were one of the first wines I started to enjoy (they reminded me of communion wine, so they were familiar and easier to drink…in spite of the high alcohol content). I loved this episode!! I have a friend that bought a case of vintage port in the birth year of each of his children. He plans to drink a bottle to mark the most special occasions of each child’s life (college graduation, weddings, births of grandkids, etc.). You’re very sentimental about family, Gary. Do you have any family/wine traditions you’re willing to share?
October 6, 2006

Rick
Gary

Having made some apple cider with bread yeast and apple juice, I turn my attention to making homemade wine from concord frozen grape juice. Talk about PUCKERY!
Synonym for Astringent. Describes a highly tannic and very dry wine.

Here is another sparkling wine for you to taste:

Bevmo says,”Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel, California
87 POINTS WILFRED WONG. (Tasted: August 12, 2004, Concord, CA USA) Bright pink color, large beads (could be the size of basketballs, well, maybe not), very fruity; fresh, pleasant, fun, soda pop-like, a hint of raspberries, light to medium bodied; sweet, pretty good acidity, good balance; pleasing candied raspberry flavors, medium depth; medium finish, a tad cloying in the aftertaste, nonetheless this is pretty good stuff. (Best Served: Very Soon)”
October 7, 2006

Chris from NY
Gary whats up with that Mork from Ork ending? nanu nanu to you brother. 11 years ago my friends/co workers and I had a wine tasting, which ment taste the first wine then drink as much as you can. 11 years later we have a extremely respectable wine tasting as we all have evolved. This year we had 200 people(mayors,assembly men,state senators etc.)We taste and compare our thoughts. Now we all have cellars and pretty good collections. My wife asks what happened to the beer drinking flannel shirt guy i first met? Answer-he is at the super tasting on Tues. evening. Dont hate the playa hate the game. Just kidding….I just felt like saying that after all the gang signs Gary threw up.
October 7, 2006

PattyO
Gary – I loved how you grabbed that cheese and took a big old bit out of it! That’s what you SHOULD do!
I can’t afford OLD port, I wasn’t putting up bottles in my cellar when I was 11 so I don’t HAVE any old port, and I don’t want to wait till I’m 75 to DRINK old port….
Thus, I will drink young port with the criminals. That’s just the way it has to be. And it’s pretty good anyway (ignorance is bliss…).
As for the QOD – I started buying wine LONG before I started drinking it. My husband was a wine lover and I loved seeking out great labels (I liked shopping for the unique and eye-catching labels)! I bought them and he drank them – for many years. Finally, about 8 years ago, I started drinking with him. It’s DEFINITELY increased the fun! And (Mrs. Brandon M.) – I think Gary’s right, for sure. You’ll be passing Mr. M up in no time (girls rule).
October 7, 2006

Arnold
QOD – I’ll be honest here, my goal was to get a buzz at parties. My stomach couldn’t handle too much beer. I had no appreciation for wine until a friend of mine sent me on a wild goose chase to find 1994 California Chardonnays. He had a list from the Wine Spectator and we found 7 89+ pointers that were under $20. Drinking those wines changed my view of wine from just a buzz to an experience of different flavors and textures… with a buzz. And now you’re teaching me what those favors and textures mean.
Thanks again Gary.
October 7, 2006

SeanM
Terroirists? Sounds like a Wino Extremist.

Goals, I had a goal when I started drinking wine, (sip), goals were fun to think about (sip) goals, spelled with a G right? (sip) what were we talking about?
October 7, 2006

Tony
Nice way to chomp into the cheese, Gary! Great way to teach manners and etiquette to kids!

Tahnks for the port episode! I know I begged for that about 80 episodes ago. Stunning to see you rate them all so high. Good to see!

Years ago (we’re talking 1985 vintage), I really got interested in wine. Being from California, I was primarily interested in California cabs and merlots. Unfortunately, I was a college student with a college student’s budget. But there was a wine shop near where I worked and I used to go in and salivate over the great Napa cabs they had. Anyway, a few years ago, I rekindled my love for wine after not drinking any for nearly two decades. My goal was to learn as much as I could and taste as much as I could.

You’ve done a lot to help both of those, Gary. To the point, where now I’m writing a local wine column!

I’ve always tried to “keep it real” and not be a wine snob. But last night my wife (Jhan) and I went out to dinner. I ALWAYS take a bottle with me when we go out, but not last night. I was appalled to see the prices the restaurant was charging for a “me too” wine list including Larksmead, Tapestry, George de Latour, Opus One, Insignia, Silver Oak, etc., etc. Everything was at least 100% markup. I was pretty pissed, and let the wine buyer know it. I felt really bad, like an insufferable wine snob. But come on, $120 for 2002 Georges de Latour? $225 for 2003 Opus One? That’s unexcusable. For one thing, the wine list was uninspired – a whos’ who list of every cult Napa cab, and the prices were twice what you’d pay retail. When I asked the buyer how many bottles of Opus One they sell a year, she said “about one”!

Restaurants have to do better. We have ONE restaurant in town that does it right. They have a great wine list and sell bottles for retail plus $8 corkage. That’s the way all restaurants should do it. None of this making a $50-100 profit on a single bottle of wine.

What’s your take on this? I felt really bad taking them to task on this. But the food deserved a really great – and affordable – wine list. What do you say – if anything – when you encounter such an overpriced wine list like this?

I like the wine and food pairings, and would love to see more episodes where you taste food with the wine and talk about the interaction!
October 7, 2006

Tony
Oh, BTW, Brandon and Paul. I’ve got a case of the San Felipe cab. It’s become my default “I can’t decide what I want tonight but it should be solid and not too expensive” wine. For the price, Gary’s right – it’s a real deal.
October 7, 2006

Tony
Brandon,

Yeah, Jhan is pretty cool, but the fact is that we kind of turned each other back on to wine. Me to her because she couldn’t afford it on her own, and me because I had stopped drinking completely for about ten years and just hadn’t gotten back into wine.

So she loves the wine as much as I do, though I buy a heck of a lot more than she does. We have a 100 bottle wine fridge in the kitchen that has a tempurature alarm that goes off every afternoon (she HATES that), plus about 80 bottles in the living room and another 50 our so in a back room. She doesn’t know about the wine in the garage. It’s hard to hide the stuff from her, but I know she appreciates it because we open a bottle almost every night!
October 7, 2006

Jaye
Just downloaded #102 to I-Tunes. I will watch on the plane to Seattle (boarding in 15 minutes). I am looking forward to this one — I have lots of interest in seeing Gary’s description on these ports!
October 7, 2006

Panman
Gary,

Nice episode on Port! How long can you save Port for after opening? Is it any different than a normal bottle of wine?
October 7, 2006

Denyce M
Tony…That’s why I’m thinking about buying a 300+ bottle VintoTech. Our 54 bottle fridge is full of the “aging” stuff, and the cabinet of about 50 more bottles is almost out of room.

Wine Drinking = Healthy Life
Wine Drinking + Wife = Healthy Marriage

BTW…what’s the one restaurant in town that does it right? I’m always looking for new places to enjoy!

B
October 7, 2006

Brandon M
oooops…the above was me, not Denyce.
That’s what happens when I use her computer!

B
October 7, 2006

Dede Stan
Brandon M. and Paul,

I, like Tony, went to WL and bought the ‘00 San Felipe Cab(Ep 45) after reading your comments. DedeStan and I first shared a bottle of the ‘04 Clos Mimi Petite Rousse Syrah(Ep #80), as part of our new Friday Night ritual mentioned in her comment above. It was excellent..we both enjoyed.

After Dede went to bed early (another part of her ritual on Friday’s…she’s plum tuckered from the work week) I, then opened the San Felipe Cab watching the rest of the Yankee game. (I’m an avid MET fan, but luv all playoff baseball). The San Felipe was so good, that I nearly drank the entire bottle!!! What a nice bottle for $7. I agree w/ Tony that this may become my go-to red. BTW, the ‘03 Castano Hecula(Ep 76) is another great value

So…THANKS to Brandon & Paul….and, of course, to Gary as well.
October 7, 2006

SS Chris
CORRECTION: the last comment (#40) was from me, not DedeStan (pretty obvious, I know)
October 7, 2006

Brandon M
Question For Everyone…

My Corks are piling up!!!!! Any suggestions on what to do with them?
Does everyone recycle their wine bottles? Any idea what to do with all the dead soldiers?

B
October 7, 2006

Big Billy from Big D
Port
GV, great Episode to start enlightening folks about the top end of the Port financial spectrum, but how about wines ready to drink now in an affordable price range. Hint – hint – Australian Ports.

I have found Australian â€œPortsâ€ to be quite nice with many example available under $20 for a 750ml bottle. My current favorite Australian is the Seppelt Port Barossa Bin 109 it gets 94 WS. Hardyâ€™s Whiskers Blake (WL item 60210) at $16.99) WS 94 is really nice, and itâ€™s extra nice at its price. Plus the back label has a charming story of why the wine is called Whiskers Blake. I note that WL has a 93 RP for $7.99 in a Trevor Jones Old Tawny Port Jonesy. Ah!…For my next order!

A side note: WL categorises Australian Ports on the WL web site, very correctly, as Australian fortified wines.

Last weekend my wife and I hosted my niece and her husband for a Paella dinner, Nora Albarino, Godello (from WL) and a ripping good Rioja.. For dessert we served fresh Bartlett pear gallette, a Spanish blue cheese, and the Australian Seppelt Port. Port and blue was a first for my niece, she let out a yelp of joy when the port and the cheese made happy in her mouth. There are few other pairings more profound than port and blue.

If you want a real in-depth look at the world of Duoro Port and Madiera go to:

http://www.fortheloveofport.com/

For those who have not voted for the Tshirt Name
Voting ends Sunday.

http://www.vaynervote.com/

Remember:
Terroirists is a dirty choice

Chin chin
October 7, 2006

Big Billy from Big D
For those who have not voted for the Tshirt Name
Voting ends Sunday.

http://www.vaynervote.com/

There are rummors afoot about
Wine Librarians
doing it in alphabetical order.

Salud
October 7, 2006

Big Billy from Big D
For those who have not voted for the Tshirt Name
Voting ends Sunday.

http://www.vaynervote.com/

Remember:
Terroirists is a dirty choice

Chin chin
October 7, 2006

Tony
I have several jars full of corks. But now, we’ve run out of jars, and they’re beginning to pile up around the kitchen. The bottles we toss – no recycling up here (though I did keep the bottle from the 1999 Dominus, even though it was crap – for $100 I keep the bottle no matter what!).

Denyce, the one place in Chico that does it right is Redwood Forest. Excellent food and great wine list. If you do ever try it, I highly recommend the 1998 Pontifical Chateauneuf du Pape. $38 in the restaurant, and a great wine. I bought a case of it after having it there (no, unfortunately WL doesn’t have it).
October 7, 2006

Joe P.
Gary,
My goal was to see the heat episode… and I haven’t reached my goal yet! Actually, my goal is to discover another new favorite bottle.

If we call Bordeaux “Bore dough” and Chianti “Key aunt ee” why do we call Porto “port” ?
October 7, 2006

john maki
Dear Gary,

1. Very nice episode on Ports.
2. QOD – My goal was to buy some wines at a price I could afford – to taste them when they got
old (which I didn’t think I could afford) & presumably better. That’s been 30 yrs+ and
I’ve learned a lot from that:
a). the wine I loved most young, 1968 BV PR George de Latour, – I no longer love!
My wife keeps encouraging to drink the young wines. (..to drink the wines young.)
b). people are surprised at how well some older California wines have held up
esp Zins from the 70’s. This confirms what you say about wines being resiliant,
as my storage conditions are pretty good but by no means perfect -
under my front steps in a room I insulated but do not refrigerate with slow temp
changes from 55-70 during the year.
c). most relevant to this episode – how pink (at least mine) some old Ports become.
I had a 1966 Dow a few years ago and was shocked at how pale it was – I imagine all
the color went into the sediment (sludge really). It was like a white zinfandel
almost.

Last week I had the first bottle of a case of Taylor Fladgate 1977 and it was also
quite pale. ( My question for you – Is this normal for old ports?)

3. keep up the good work!
4. p.s. I think your funny – at least entertaining and certainly enthusiastic!

john
October 7, 2006

Kahuna
QOD-I am Itailian- we do not get into wine – wine gets into us
October 7, 2006

Bill T
Gary,
Had to tell you how much we enjoyed a 2002 Charles Creek Merlot Miradero tonight! Fabulous wine …your review in episode 89 was right on! I just placed an order for more. Thanks!

Bill T
October 7, 2006

Dennis
Hi Gary,
Nice show on Porto. Not an area I am familiar with and look forward to the experience.
As for the QOD: my goal is to learn about and experience a variety of wines. First exposed to wines in college, (Matues and Liebfraumilch) then moved on but not much. Received Alex Lichine’s book as a gift and explored further. However, then got into a rut buying the same wines, Cab or Italians for Red and Mosels for White. About 18 months ago realized I was in a rut and missed the great changes made in the wine world.
I decided to explore again and sampled a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and was blown away by its taste and nose. This encouraged me to explore some more and picked up Karen MacNeil’s book. After reading it I felt like I took a world tour. Used this as a jumping off point to explore wines and varietals from around the world so I can take my own tour. Now I keep a log as to which wines I sampled so I can note which I like. Still enjoy German rieslings but like those from NY State, Washington and Aussies as well. Only wine I really disliked was an Italian Fiano, strange taste. (Not corked though) Although I will give another producer a try to see if it was the varietal or the producer. Ah some many wines, so little time.
Looking forward to future WLTV for more suggestions.
October 7, 2006

Wildebeest
Gary,

Hmmm… the “puff, puff” comment towards the beginning of the show makes me wonder if you’ve read my email.

It’s easy to use pipe smoking references to paint a picture of the sort of folk who drink wine more out of snobbery than for any other reason, but I can attest to the fact that there are other pipe smokers out there who approach their tobacco in very much the same way that you do wine. Like the drinking of wine, pipe smoking is another pastime that is made unpalatable by the snobbery of some of it’s enthusiasts.

This reminds me of a question that I’ve often had when watching your show. You often mention that a wine has tobacco in the nose, or other overtones of tobacco. What type of tobacco are you talking about? In my experience, tobacco has a variety of forms that barely resemble one another in flavor and smell. The smell of a cigar is nothing like that of a pipe or a cigarette, and each form has a wide variety of ingredients to choose from. In the world of pipe smoking, the tobacco can be blended from a variety of virginias, latakias, burleys, and cavendish tobaccos, to name a few. Some styles of the blends also include other ingredients such as oils or syrups to make them more aromatic. So, when you mention that you smell tobacco, do you have a particular type of tobacco in mind? Are you talking, perhaps, about the smell of many of these ingredients combined, such as the one encountered upon entering a tobbaconist’s?

Thanks for the episode on port, by the way. I saw the word “port” in the title and proceeded to spend four hours downloading with my ridiculously slow connection. It was worth it.
October 7, 2006

Ferrigno
I ALWAYS wanted to see a port episode!!!!! thank you gary, and by the way… several months ago you promised a champagne blind tasting to around these days, just so you dont forget to keep up your word!!! see ya
October 7, 2006

Jaye
Gary, you were good, but you are getting better! I really enjoyed this episode. I even laughed out loud while watching on the plane when you took that bite of cheese. Everyone around me turned to look at me. I made my husband watch — he wondered if you maybe enjoyed the cheese more than the wine.

I’m really happy you did an episode on Port wine. I have a number of nice bottles in my collection (1994, 2000 and 2003), however, being that I am 40 now, I think I won’t be buying any new vintages going forward. My experience is you really need about 30 years for a vintage port to come into its own. I figure I will be almost 70 by the time the 2003’s are ready to drink. Don’t know if my taste buds will really enjoy things as much when I get much older than that.

Hope your “Saturday in the Store” was fruitful!
October 8, 2006

Brandon M
Props to all the Mets fans out there. I never thought for a second that the Mets had the ability to sweep my beloved Dodgers….I hang my head in “double play at the plate” dissapointment.

San Felipe…24 hours and 1/2 a bottle left.
I must say that the time has done even more to this wine than expected. The nose has opened up extemely well. The smell of Caramel and Coffe are VERY prevelant, body seems balanced, finish a bit short.

I’ve never had a wine I’ve been all over the board with like this one, but I think the price makes it an absolute steal…Time to order some more!

B
October 8, 2006

Tony
Yeah, baby! Goodbye Yankees!!! – and good riddance!
October 8, 2006

Matty Van, Rochester NY
brandon m…I used my saved corks to make a “cork” cork board for my office
October 8, 2006

Lynne
1) LOVE YOUR FAMILY…absolutely! I know we Vayniacs don’t need reminded of this, but it truly is THE most important purpose.
2) QOD: My original goal, the reason I took my very first sip (and subsequent others that evening), was to experience what all my other friends had said was so cool…drunkeness..which is the reason still today that I will not go near certain wines (or certain “friends). Thankfully, my goal has changed. Now, I would like to own and drink wines that taste good to me, are highly rated and highly affordable. I always believed they existed; just didn’t know how to go about finding them. Thanks to Gary V & WLTV, I have begun collecting my personal “stash”. Bad part is, the ratio of purchasing vs. consumption is too close. I need to increase purchasing!
3) Port EP: Gary, thank you for drinking a “wine before its time”. I can afford to buy the young Port, (never tried a Port) but I wonder if I can wait all those years to try it. Does one really have to wait Soooooo long to enjoy a Port purchased this young?

BTW, Gary, I haven’t commented since EP 99 …Congrats! and FYI, I really enjoyed you introducing your father to us. What a treat. I would love sometime to know the whole Vaynerchuk story.
October 8, 2006

Rich S
Great Port episode GV. I am a huge fan of Port and have a few bottles of Croft 2003 Vintage Port that I will be holding for quite a while. I hope that in 15-20 years it will be as good as the greatest port I ever tasted which was a Penfolds 20 year Grandfather Reserve.

As far as the QOD goes, I think I got into wine because I am a huge “foodie” and aspiring chef. I really enjoy cooking and to me, wine and food are inseparable. Whenever I cook something that requires a little effort, I always open a bottle of wine along with it. I have been learning more and more about wine over the years and now am very comfortable knowing what I like and what I don’t. WLTV is a great tool for learning about different wines so keep it up GV.
October 8, 2006

MarcT
I’m BACK!!!!!!
Just caught up with the episodes and posts!!! WHEW did I miss a lot. I’m gonna have to try and get my girl to post on here too!
BrandonM…save a bottle or two for a hippy style candelabra and I am using my corks to make a cork board and to also show off some of the wines I have consumed!
I’m about to vote…play poker…and submit my trip notes from San Fran and the wines we drank…UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 8, 2006

MarcT
Original goal for wine…To build and have the ultimate cellar where I can drink hundreds of wines with my friends and family at my leisure…The goal remains the same…and I am working on it too with my inventory quickly increasing by the week.
BrandonM and Tony…My girl has mentioned my wine buying habit too! I counter with my poker winnings and salary
J/K…she is very understanding and lets me do my own thing as it is my own money. And (thanks to GaryV) she understands the whole futures thing.

MarcT is from Lithia Springs, GA
October 8, 2006

MarcT
BrandonM…stop giving away your alter ego!
Did you know that I too am a computer geek by day and a personal chef by night and weekend?
October 8, 2006

Matthew L
Say it with me Gary…T I G E R S, TIGERS, TIGERS, TIGERS!
October 8, 2006

Rick McQ
Gary:

Very interesting episode. I have a couple questions on Port. If you open the bottle should it be treated like wine and consumed like wine within a day or two or like a liquor? If you like wine will you like port or is it a different taste?

I drank Ermitage Du Pic St Lour 2004 over the weekend. Which I thought was very good.

On the back of the bottle is says:

“Good wine is a Necessity of life for me” – Thomas Jefferson. This would be a nice line to close a show.
October 8, 2006

Rick McQ
Gary:

Why do you have the Jags 23 and the Jets 13 on the board behind you in episode 101?
October 8, 2006

SS Chris
METS win!! I’m taking my 3 boys to game 1 of NLCS!

Even if you’re not a MET fan, you have to admit that they are a likable team.

As I write this, I have a bottle of the ‘03 Pessagno Zinfandel (Ep #63)…looking forward to it!!
October 8, 2006

Ed R
Gary, terrible question of the day, may I suggest like someone else did some things have jumped the shark and if this is the best you can do I say you got 25 episodes left and this is coming from somebody who watches every episode and has since the beginning. Hopefully, this inspires you to prove me wrong. As far as I can tell 3-5 people addressed your question and half of those answers were to get drunk. The rest was stuffy nonsense which I thought we were trying to avoid. I am currently watching Cowboys/Eagles game hoping for T.O. to be mamed. Jet update 28-0 Jaguars second quarter, so 56-13 is looking more likely.
Sorry,
Ed
October 8, 2006

Ed R
Although Leftwich was just mauled.
October 8, 2006

Ed R
That might help
October 8, 2006

Jill
ouch! 41 to nothing. What up with that? Pats… P-A-T-S
I got interested in expanding my wine knowledge back in the early 80’s. I was moving up the culinary ladder from sous chef and wanted to pair wines with foods. Things were a lot different 26 years ago. A restaurant bottle of port once open merely sat on the back bar with other high percentage wines (sherry, madeira, marsala) and gradually was consumed.
GV, really interested in your thoughts regarding port storage once it has been opened.
Thanks, from South Coast Massachusetts.

P.s Joe Torre too?
October 8, 2006

Denise
I’ve noticed some posts re: the Super Tasting. Anyone interested in the potential of a WLTV After-Party on the 10th?
October 8, 2006

SeanM
Are you buying Denise? j/k
October 8, 2006

Denise
SeanM, you have a sense of humor! : )
October 8, 2006

Tony
Yanks gunned down and Jets destroyed. Me thinks Gary is going to be in a bit of a down mood tomorrow. Guess there’s still time to become a Mets fan.
October 9, 2006

Seth - MacGeek
Why don’t you use a different glass?!
October 9, 2006

Rick McQ
Gary:

Are you sure you didn’t mean to write Chargers 23 Steelers 13??
October 9, 2006

Tony manning
Thanks for finally doing a review on ports. I have been waiting a while for this show.
Thanks Gary.
http://www.thewineglass.net
October 9, 2006

Julius
In regard to the 2005 Bordeaux vintage, the following item from the Wine & Spirits magazine indicates why some of us won’t buy first growths (not unlike Jaye’s comment on vintage port). It refers to the 2005 Latour.

“One poignant moment during our tastings was when Michael Broadbent MW, the venerable wine critic realized that he would no longer be on this earth when this wine reached its peak. We promised we would send him our tasting notes in heaven!”
October 9, 2006

David K
Gary -

What wine do you recommend drinking after your favorite football team takes a 41-0 ass whipping? Just curious, will there be free shipping to Jacksonville until the end of the year?

Go Ravens!
October 9, 2006

Italian Stallion
Hey Gary!!

I used to be a huge collector of baseball cards and autographs. I actually just purchased an AMAZING collection. I bought a Mickey Mantle signed baseball, a Joe Dimaggio signed baseball that was thrown out on opening day about 7 ago (not sure exactly when), 2 Mantle signed 8 x 10s, a Joe Dimaggio and Mickey Mantle 8 x 10 signed by BOTH!!! A 8 x 10 signed my Ted Williams and a 8 x 10 signed by 15 of the members of the 500 homerun club. I got these from my Uncle’s best friend….he is a huge collector and bought all of these from an old man who lives upstate…the old man got all the autographs himself ever the years and wanted to get rid of his collection and we are fortunate enought to grab ‘em. Sorry to run on a tangent, but I figured you’d like the story. Anyways….GREAT SHOUTOUT TO ROCKY!!!!!! As you can see from my name, I am the biggest Rocky fan in the world. ROCKY is to me what the JETS and wine are to you.

QOD: This follows Jason R’s quetion about buying wine at the wine store that is at room temp. What if the bottles were standing up, and the store was warmer…like temperature in the mid 70s???? Also if the bottles were kept in an area that was under a light, is that also gonna funk up the wine? Please help with these Gary, as I am sure this same situation many people will find themselves in.
October 9, 2006

Grant Gallagher
HEY – good to beback. Thank you!

I agree that the Dows is usually pretty light. I haven’t tasted Broadbent. I was a bit surprised that you didn’t taste Graham’s. Recently discovered Warre (war-ey)….yum yum yum

G
October 9, 2006

Italian Stallion
That last sentence was not grammatically correct…it should read “Please help with these Gary, as I am sure many people will find themselves in the same situation”.
October 9, 2006

Dave F
Gary,

3 or 4 questions on Port storage after a bottle has been opened with no answers. Well??? Will it keep or not. I was hoping I could put a nipple on an old vintage port and take small nips off it for months… Any chance of that?

DF
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Voting is closed for the VaynerNAMES…over 500 votes! Thanks everyone.
Thanks to Big Billy From Big D for keeping the word out there and getting people to vote!

And the winner is: Wine Librarians with 282 votes.

I went through and cleaned the database as best as possible…there were a lot of fake votes for Vaniacs (over 100), so I pulled them out. I will post T-shirt designs as soon as possible. I will also be setting up a “request” form over at vaynervote.com to see how many people are actually going to be at the party, and interested in having a shirt. Gary…cmon man…when / where????

Thanks again for your votes

B
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
BTW…if I give the T-Shirts to Gary, he could charge a couple of dollars over cost for the shirts, and then we could give the money to charity. I think this community probably has a real great way to help our larger community…just a thought.

B
October 9, 2006

Julius
Regarding the keeping of Port after opening, the following should help.

“As soon as bottles have been opened, Port is meant to be kept for a limited time only. Young Tawny and modern bottled Ruby, Ruby-Reserve/VC and LBV will stay good for 3 or 4 weeks. They can be closed with their original stopper cork.
For Tawny with indication of age and Colheita the risk of deterioration is less, because these wines also come in contact with oxygen during cask maturing. Sometimes you read about a storage life of months.
Traditionally bottled Port, and especially an older Vintage, may obviously deteriorate already within one day. So a fine vintage Port should be drunk the day it is opened.”
October 9, 2006

Lawrence Leichtman
Gary, thanks for reviewing my favorite wines but I don’t know about buying too many new ones as I’m not sure I will last 20 years much less wait that long. Just now drinking 70’s. Do you have any opinion on Ports not from Portugal such as some of the California or Australia Port makers. I love Prager Ports but I know many who say they aren’t real ports so why drink them?
October 9, 2006

Tony S.
Great episode Gary, I love Port…my wife hates it. So I rarely drink them, I just save them for special occasions. Also, I LOVED your ending, wine is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, not just the successful. It just sucks that most wineries nowadays cater to the rich. It’s sad. I love wine very much, but I hate that side of it.

QOD: I kind of fell into wine. I didn’t know anything about it, didn’t even think I liked it, and I was working two jobs–one as a Pizza Hut shift manager (which I dreaded and didn’t want to even imagine myself staying there) and the other as a telemarketer. The telemarketer thing was just to slowly ween myself out of Pizza Hut before moving onto something else…ANYTHING else. Anyway, a friend of mine was working as a temp person for a wine auction company here in Chicago, that was back in 1997. They needed a full-time warehouse guy, and he told me about the job opening. I applied, told them I knew nothing about wine and walla! Here I am now, still learning, but I’ve come a loooong way. Now I inspect the wine that comes in, rather than shipping it out.

I guess my goal now, is just to enjoy wine with friends. Even though I’m surrounded by fine wine and I get to taste them at tastings, I can’t afford them. So, I’m always looking for that great bargain that doesn’t taste like crap. That’s why I like your show. You weed out the crap for us.

Alright, well, this posted too late on Friday, so it’s lunch time on Monday and I gotta get back to work. I hope nobody is celebrating Columbus day…but instead, if you have it off, I hope you’re celebrating just having a Monday off…three day weekend’s are always great! See you in a couple hours or so…hopefully.

GO BEARS!!!!!–truly the best overall team in the NFL right now. Haven’t been able to say that for a while!
T
October 9, 2006

Tommy T.
Excellent episode. Just what I was waiting for!

So Gary what exactly do you do with all that wine left over from the WLTV episodes?
October 9, 2006

zerokreap (kw)
QOTD: i didn’t like it when i first tasted it….so i was going to drink it until i liked it…what do you know, 10 years later, i like it A LOT!
October 9, 2006

GOL
GV – Great energy on this ep… I’m fearing today’s episode might find you in a less enthusiastic mood, what with the Yanks and Jets showings over the weekend…

QOD – My goal in getting into wine was to give me something to do during a six-month period of unemployment… it worked, and I’m still hooked!
October 9, 2006

Tom
Gary,

Great episode. The first port my wife tried, she did not like. I should have left it there. Now she is a port fiend and we give each other a vintage port almost every year for Christmas. We have several 80 and 85’s in the cooler waiting for them to develop fully.

We had dinner with Bartholomew Broadbent the other evening when he was in town. He is a very interesting gentleman. You should also try his Madeira which also is very interesting. Remember Madeira was the #1 wine in the US until around 1900. Many a US document was written by our forefathers over a glass of Madeira.

We “taste wine” every evening.

Thanks for using the port glass.
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Ed R…whats up? Did you really think the show was that bad? I mean cmon..whats wrong with telling what our wine backgrounds are. If someone says it was to get drunk, and now they have evolved into a connoisseur…then so be it. At least people are being honest.

What did you think was wrong with this episode? You REALLY didn’t eloborate.
To say Gary has 25 epsiodes left is a little harsh…even though you thought the episode was bad, doesn’t he deserve a bad showing every now and then?

B
October 9, 2006

Ed R
Brandon,
I just thought the QOD was a bit elitist. I’m a blue collar guy who drinks wine for fun just like everyone else here. Just think Gary needs a little criticism to keep things fresh and I was hoping to create a little controversy to wind up the troops, but like Gary’s QOD it went pretty much unnoticed.
For the record I liked the episode and appreciate Gary’s assistance with my increasing wine knowledge and helping me spend my money more wisely.
October 9, 2006

Brandon M
Nothin wrong with that I guess
October 10, 2006

Seth - MacGeek
What is wrong with criticism? It happens every episode on WLTV? It isn’t wrong or right it is just opinion!

What is the most expensive bottle of wine out there?
What is the worst bottle of wine out there at the highest price?

Seth – MacGeek
October 10, 2006

Sam Zen
G- Can you open a port for a long time or is it like other wines that, for the most part, you need to finish in a day?
October 10, 2006

JayZee
Gary:

Dude, great episode! One of my favorites. I really enjoy Port, but I didn’t know much about vintage Ports. Wow! You’ve sold me. I need a case NOW!
October 17, 2006

Brandon M
Just ordered the Dows with free shipping!

B
October 17, 2006

Brandon M
Cannor wait…this free shipping thing is AWESOME
October 18, 2006

Vinacull
I’m with TimF on this one. This EP was about as close to perfect as it gets. Loved the Vayner-Puff reference, and the cheese chomp later followed by our friend Nikolai took it over the top. Best of all there were excellent descriptions for great wines Gary. QOTD: Related to your answer on one of the viewer questions, my goal when I started with wines was to taste enough that my palate would serve me reliably and correctly even in blind situations, and also that I would come to know enough about producers and vintages that I would never be intimidated again when picking a bottle from a restaurant list.
December 14, 2006

Adam
Great episode, can’t wait for the next one on port. My goal was to be able to distinguish enough flavors and scents to talk intelligently about wine.
February 1, 2007

Salvatore
I knew we had something in common besides wine. “Yard Sales” it’s like the very best treasure hunt ever! My wife in I did the Yard Sale hunt intense for two years. We even made a few bucks selling on ebay; Oasiz5. (O)livia, (A)ngelina,(S)alvatore,(I)sabella,(Z)achary; 5 Grandchildren.

You just lit a fire under me; now we can go YS hunting again; and use the profits to buy top shelf wine. Very enjoyable episode. We are going to visit you folks this summer; as a torist destination.
March 21, 2007

Fiorentina!
Yo GV! How can you have a porto tasting without Fonseca or Croft? What’s up with that yo?
May 17, 2007

Samer I
Gary

I love Port however I always drink it at restaurants and not at home for one reason and that is: I can’t finish a bottle of Port in one sitting and I worry it will go bad. Once a bottle of vintage Port is opened how long will it last? You’re saying to keep it for 20+ years and it would be a serious waste to wait 20 years to open the bottle, have a glass of it, and have the rest get oxidized. Is there a way to try the same bottle at say 20 years, 25 years, and 30 years the marks without it going bad? Also at 20+ years to maturity, how do you even get your hands on some well aged ports?!?! No restaurant is serving that at least without breaking the bank.

Thanks
Sam

PS No name for the cheese near the links nor the WL price….
May 22, 2007

Panoca
Gary, since i’m the bigggest fan of port out there, i’ve got to say that i’ve watched this episode more than 20 times already (yes! more than 20) and i have to say this is one of my favorites (is in my top 5). The tasting notes are “profound” and i found you ABSOLUTELY hillarious in this episode (the part that you chewed that chunk of cheese is definitely a classic) You really crack me up in every view. Congrats!!
Samer I (the comment before mine): once you open your bottle of port, it will last ……………….. FOREVER!!! I had port with almost a half glass left on the bottle, for over a month, and when i tried it, it tasted the same as the previous ones. These wines are “ridonculous” profound.
Gary, again, you rock!!
July 20, 2007

David Canada
I am a port head……will try to snag some of the 2003 warres
QOTD – Simple to learn, and get all the enjoyment possible out of wine…and to get loopy while doing it.
November 15, 2007

ryptide
Went back and watched this episode, because I’m sitting here enjoying some Taylor Fladgate 10 year old tawny porto.

Gary, I know vintage port needs to sit for a long time to develop fully. Tawny apparently does not. How do you feel about tawny port?

QOTD: It’s just one of those things I’d like to be well-versed in. I like trying to identify the smells and tastes. I’m nowhere near good at it yet, but practicing is easy when there’s so much out there. I routinely just grab things off the grocery shelf, taste spices at home, etc. Trying to do those palate pushups.
February 17, 2008

thefanjestic
Good Episode – I liked getting an education on the ports.

Ok – so I am very curious about your baseball card business – if you’re reading this now GV – you should talk about that on an upcoming episode – just a quick summary of your working carrer and what has halped you make WL so successful would be cool.
February 22, 2008

Rhonda
here is probably the dumbest question you might get this week, would a wine bar have an aged vintage port that I could try? I would really like to try one but I am not sure how since I haven’t had any laying around for 20 years. There are a few wine bars near to where I live and I have to admit I have been too intimidated to step into one so I have no clue what they would have.
March 11, 2008

Deeve
Wine goal is/was to enjoy it as much as I possibly can as often as I possibly can
September 21, 2009

John J.
qotd: to get to try all the best vintages of all the best wines ever made.
Gary, how about a vin jaune episode, and an episode on tasting different charbono’s?
September 21, 2009

WilliamCharlesStanton
hey fight club…. time you bring me onboard.

Champion Ports. – Episode #102

Wines tasted in this episode:

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