The Kosher Critic Port wine: affordable and decadent

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With the shadow of Passover looming on the horizon, it’s time to discuss alcoholic beverage options. While there are plenty of options when it comes to potato vodkas or fruit brandies, I feel that Passover is an excellent opportunity to indulge in an often unnoticed libation that is both affordable and decadent. I am talking, of course, about Port.

Port, like champagne, refers to a regionally produced fortified wine from Portugal but a number of winemakers in various countries produce some excellent Port style wines. Traditionally Port is made by making wine and then fortifying that wine with a second grape-based spirit with a higher alcohol content. Most commonly the spirit used is called aguardiente and mostly resembles brandy

or grappa.

The aguardiente arrests the fermentation process which results in the wine having additional sugar and a greater concentration of alcohol.

What makes port really interesting is that, due to the higher level of alcohol, Port is able to stay fresh after being uncorked for quite some time. Corked Port can last virtually forever, which is best illustrated by the fact that recent auctions have featured drinkable bottles of Port owned by Thomas Jefferson.

Sipping a good Port is a really lavish experience and when paired with a meal, desert or ,my personal favorite, a cigar. It is just so classic a feeling that it calls to mind images of old English aristocracy sitting around a lush room festooned with velvet drapes, Persian carpets and leather chairs.

I managed to sample a number of kosher Ports and Port style wines and I can recommend the following for your Passover aperitif (digestif if you want to nitpick about it).

Porto Cordovero Ruby Port: Made in Portugal. Porto Cordovero is the most commonly available kosher Port. It is traditionally made from grapes grown in the Douro Valley

and is matured in wooden casks. It is exceptionally rich and fruity with a strong nose and

a full body.

The flavors are of dark berries and spices have a very subtle honey flavor on the finish. Porto Cordovero also makes a Res-

erve Port which is much like its younger brother but has a much deeper and more layered

flavor profile.

Shiloh Fort Dessert Red: Shiloh (one of my favorite wine manufacturers) made their own Port style wine from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah and Merlot.

The grapes are late harvest which gives the wine extra sweetness and the wine is matured in oak giving it a nice woody flavor that helps to punctuate the wine’s other flavors. The wine has flavors of plum and currant with citrusy overtones and a caramel aroma. This makes for an excellent addition to any dessert or dairy meal.

Psagot Prat: I love Psagot wines and so when they released their Prat I was eager to try it. Winner of the Terravino Silver Medal, the Prat is a Port style wine that showcases the breadth of Psagot’s high-quality grapes. Aged for sixteen months in oak barrels, the Prat is rich and layered excellently.

It has flavors of pomegranate and spices as well as a subtle chocolate finish that is velvety on the palate. It is easily one of the most unique Port style wines I have ever drunk and is now a staple in my home.

Fabregen Shtark: Ok so no one is going to win any medals for this wine but that doesn’t detract from the wine’s overall

jaunty personality.

While I would describe the flavors as simply sweet and fruity and maybe even a little clumsy I still enjoyed it immensly. Shtark isn’t trying to be a high end Port style wine; it’s simply a fun, spirited little wine with a low price tag and high

alcohol content.

So this year as you stock your homes for Passover I would highly recommend that you consider adding a Port to your collection. Just remember, Port wines usually have an alcohol content of about twenty percent which makes it forty proof. That being the case, I wouldn’t recommend you use Port for your four cups.