Quinta Do Crasto Finest Reserve Port

Again my favourite phrase in my travels in and about Porto was from a French PR executive who gave a presentation in Porto on International Port Day on Port being an undervalued luxury product. I have no difficulty with that as for consumers that is good news.

So we try a Quinta Do Crasto Finest Reserve Port. On the nose we are welcomed with that rich nose that Port so often gives us.  This nose has a big blast of blueberry, black cherry and milk chocolate. On the palate a strong presence of blueberry and black fruit. Big blast of blueberry pie with a very long finish. However expansive and potent this liquid is it is restrained and compact. Luxury at a discount price indeed.

I’ll mention this yet again but in Porto I was taken out by the Sogrape group to the Bolsa restaurant which is the old stock exchange. We had a huge cut of Portuguese beef with Port and it was a magical combination above and beyond the blue cheese and cigar matching of Porto perhaps overdone in British men’s clubs. Port is not a stodgy drink my friends but a rich exploration into what “red wine” can be transformed into by many years of Portuguese excellence.

While I say beef is a great accompaniment to Port you may scratch your head and say this is a dessert wine! Considering many red wines are up at 14.5% in alcohol is that much different than a Port at 20%?

As for food beef/ox may be a perfect match for Port. Sinatra of the 60’s is a perfect music match.

So many of you may be put off by Port as the drink of the eccentrics I can only hope to persuade you to bring it in the mainstream.

And in the 8 years I have be sampling Port I have yet to have a bad bottle and that included an 1867 Port.

(Quinta do Crasto Finest Reserve Port, Quinta do Crasto, Sabrosa, Portugal, $17.95, LCBO # 18284, 20%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 92 /100).