Wine Tasting Report

Hardy's non-vintage "Whiskers Blake" Australian Tawny Port ($14.99) Clear dark amber with an orange glint. Plums, apricots, caramel and a whiff of orange peel on the nose and palate; sticky-sweet but with fresh, lemon-squirt acidity to provide structure and keep the sugar from cloying. Purists would note that this is not from Portugal and thus not a true Port. Those purists would miss the delights of a really excellent and affordable dessert wine. U.S. importer: International Cellars, Chantilly, Va. (Nov. 2, 2000) FOOD MATCH: Served alone for after-dinner sipping. Gould Campbell 1983 Vintage Porto ($22.99/375 ml) Clear ruby with a slight amber glow. Blueberries and earthy notes, hints of peppery spice. Black plums and spicy flavors, sweet and strong; good fruit remains in this 17-year-old, and it still shows substantial tannic astringency, suggesting that more cellar time won't do it any harm. U.S. importer: Ex-Cellars, American Canyon, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2000) FOOD MATCH: Served after dinner with a chunk of Stilton cheese for an enjoyable "analysis" of the traditional British match. It works well: The creamy quality of the cheese tames the wine's tannins, and its earthy, tangy flavors mesh with the wine's earthiness, leaving its plummy fruit to stand out. NEW! Wine notes in 'shelf-hanger' format: We are now publishing Wine Lovers' Page wine reports in the familiar "shelf-hanger" size and format, to make it easy for wine merchants or collectors to print them out, clip and post them where this wine is displayed. We do ask, however, that the Wine Lovers' Page name and URL be left intact, and that these reports be used with the specific wines rated, not different bottlings or vintages. All my wine-tasting reports are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I accept no free samples from wineries or distributors, purchasing all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores. Have you tasted these wines? E-mail me your tasting notes, and I'll consider adding them to this page. The "Whiskers Blake" was featured in The 30 Second Wine Advisor, my free weekly E-mail bulletin of quick wine tips, advice and tasting notes. Click here to join the E-mail list!