March 2, 2019 March 5, 2019 jamiegoode Some highlights from Simplesmente Vinho, an authentic wine festival held in Porto Tagged portugal Archives

Made by the Symingtons. This is a bargain. It’s mellow and rounded with some spicy, leathery maturity and really nice smooth berry fruits. Textured and delicious. 90/100 Made by the Symingtons, this is really lovely. It’s direct and focused with bright cherry and plum fruit. Not too sweet, with nice structure and lovely floral fruitiness. 90/100 Colheita is the term used to describe a vintage-dated tawny Port. This is beautiful. Pale in colour, it has mellow red cherries and plums with some spicy old cask characters, and a long, nutty finish. 93/100 Made by the Symingtons. Warm, spicy and sweet with some spice, liqourice and leather notes. Attractive and mellow with ripe berries at its core. 89/100 Warm, rich, spicy and bold with lifted red cherry and raisin aromas as well as some cinnamon and herb notes. Rich, bold, complex and spicy. 93/100White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting. Made by the Symingtons. Sweet and a bit appley, with raspberry and spice notes. Juicy and herby. Unusual. 84/100 The two giants in the Port world – the Symingtons and the Taylor Fladgate Partnership (Quinta & Vineyard Bottlers Vinhos SA) – supply most of the main supermarkets with Port. They are both currently doing a good job. RESERVE TAWNY - For each of the historic bottles in the series, Taylor’s skilled blenders have created a wood aged Reserve Port drawn from the company’s extensive reserves and matured in oak casks in its ‘lodges’ in Oporto. Fully aged, these superb limited edition blends are ready for immediate enjoyment.

Made by the Symingtons. This rather sweet-tasting Port has fresh raspberry and cherry fruit with a bit of spicy structure. It’s floral and enticing, with lovely weight. 89/100 Lovely weight to this mellow, warm tawny, which has attractive raisin and herb notes. Smooth and sweet with some red cherry fruit still in the mix. 91/100 Cedary, spicy and raisiny with real complexity, some marmalade hints and lovely smooth, intense flavour. This is serious. 94/100 This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.TASTING NOTES - The mature, opulent nose opens with a warm redolence of coffee, butterscotch and dried fruit, with notes of plum and raisin. Around this rich, mellow core are layers of spicy, woody and nutty aroma, as well as discreet floral scents, giving the wine an intricate, subtle and seductive complexity. On the palate it is round and dense, with a smooth silky texture. This combines with luscious toffee and preserved fruit flavours which continue into the long, warming finish. TAYLORS HISTORICAL SERIES - The Taylor’s Historical series is a collection of specially blended cask-aged Ports presented in exclusive bespoke bottles inspired by historic bottle moulds. The Historical collection Limited Edition series represents different stages in this evolution. Made by Taylors. Very sweet and rich with smooth berry fruits, some caramel and a hint of pepper. An attractive sweeter style. 87/100

Sweet, vibrant and berryish with nice grip. This is a lovely fruity Port with brightness and sweetness. 90/100 Made by the Symingtons. Peppery and spicy with notes of old casks. Warm and sweet with lovely cherry and plum fruit and some subtle herbiness. 89/100Elegant and fresh, with pure light red cherry fruit and fine spiciness. This is just so elegant and supple, showing perfect balance. 94/100 I’ve divided these Ports into four categories. Reserve Ruby represents the most affordable style, and these are increasingly good buys, rich in fruit. Then we have the staple of the vintage style – Late Bottled Vintage. These are ready to drink, made in a fruit-forward vintage style, but with longer in cask before bottling, and they can be pretty smart wines. Then Vintage, which includes the Single Quinta wines. This is where things get pretty serious. And finally Tawny: a very different style, aged for a long time in casks, with less emphasis on fruit and more the complexity that comes from ageing in barrel. Don’t be afraid to serve tawnies a bit chilled: it can really help them. Mellow with a minty, herby, tea-leaf edge to the sweet, textured cherry and plum fruit. Mellow and complex, this is drinking well now. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.