Taste Descriptors

[g-man]

As the cold weather picks up, i find myself drinking more port, but coming more and more at a lost for taste descriptors and it's getting quite frustrating.

It's like you can still pick up the quality, but the one distinct taste, you just can't your finger on it and you end up saying "fruit"

So besides cherry, licorice, mint what other taste descriptors do you guys think would be acceptable for port? How would one describe the taste profile of say, Fonseca vs. Taylor?

And I think if we can sort it out, if anyone is up for it, we'll see if we can track down a bunch of the ports and do a blind tasting


Edited to add some structure to this topic.


Recap of Port Descriptors:

Ruby

Crusted

LBV

Tawny
Nutty

Vintage
Alex: In younger port, I often find plum, damson, blackcurrant, blackberry, loganberry, raspberry, redcurrant; sometimes also figs and dates, but these are usually in older wines.

Colheita

White Port

[Alex Bridgeman]

In younger port, I often find plum, damson, blackcurrant, blackberry, loganberry, raspberry, redcurrant; sometimes also figs and dates, but these are usually in older wines.

There's a really long list of taste descriptors that I use - but sometimes it depends on what Elizabeth has been baking in the recent weeks! I have even found rhubarb crumble in some ports a few days after she was raiding the rhubarb out of the garden!

Alex

[jdaw1]

I’d really welcome a list of good port-taste words.

[PortDude]

I’d really welcome a list of good port-taste words.

I know it's a painful process, but if you visit Wine Spectator's website (http://www.winespectator.com) and browse through their tasting notes, you might come across some helpful descriptors.

[DRT]

Surley this is a very personal thing.

The only valid descriptors in anyone's list should be things that you have actually tasted.

For example. if someone detected a hint of deep-fried kangaroo's testicles in a port then it can only be because they have been a contestant on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and were forced to eat them in some stupid game. However, if this taste descriptor appeared in a list of possible tastes in Decanter Magazine no-one else would be able to associate with it and therefore no-one else should use it.

An extreme example, I know, but you get my drift.

Derek

[g-man]

Surley this is a very personal thing.

The only valid descriptors in anyone's list should be things that you have actually tasted.

I agree on the personal, but for those of us who wouldn't mind hunting out for some deep fried kangaroo testicles and try it .. Well I'd then thank you for broadening my knowledge =)

Sharing taste descriptors amongst each other should only increase the amount of knowledge one can gain.[/quote]

[DRT]

G-man,

Unfortunately the last time I tried them they were corked so it was difficult to enjoy the experience

I agree that it is good to share these descriptors and they become even more relevant and believable when put in context, like AHB's rhubarb crumble.

What I would guard against is using these descriptors where you do not have a specific personal association with the taste. Here are three examples of the same TN to demonstrate my point:

Tastes like KFC

Tastes like I imagine deep fried kanga nuts would taste

Tastes exactly like kanga nuts


All are valid, but not from everyone

Derek

[g-man]

Tastes like KFC

If a port tastes anything like 11 herbs and spices, you'll be sure I'll be the first to use that taste descriptor

[DRT]

Tastes like KFC

If a port tastes anything like 11 herbs and spices, you'll be sure I'll be the first to use that taste descriptor

You need to taste Cruz Ruby

D