Hey Dan -
I'm glad that you've found a wine that agrees with you!
Let me take a look at your questions one at a time:
Will you like the $5 port as much as the $15? Well, there is only one
way to find out, and it involves risking $5. My guess, however, would
be no. There are many good ports that are available for about $15.00
(Fonseca Bin 27, Kopke Ruby) and a couple that are under $10.00
(Warre's Warrior, for example) but none that I have heard of for
$5.00. However, if you are just getting into the business of drinking
port, it's all worth a try.
Is a Port a Port? No. There are ports and then there are ports. A true
Port is from Portugual only - in much the same way that a true
Champagne is only from the Champagne region of France. However, just
as there are Champagnes from Champagne and Sparkling Wine from many
other places (like California), there are Ports from Portugal and
other fortified wines made in a "Port" style (mainly from California
and Australia). What is a fortified port style wine? It is a red wine
(usually made from the sort of robust grapes that grow in the Douro
region of Portugal) that has been fortified with neutral tasting
brandy. Adding the brandy to the fermenting wine suddenly kills the
all the yeast before they have finished converting the natural sugars
in the grapes to alcohol. In practice, that means that you are left
with a sweet and alcoholic beverage.
Are there real differences between a good Port from Portugal and less
expensive versions from California? I think so. There are many
different kinds of Port from Portugal, but the best (even for $15 or
so) will be rich, well-textured and complex. I find cheap port-style
wines from Australia to have a messy, over-done flavour that reminds
me of a woman with lipstick smeared around her lips and leopard print
leotards.
I just wrote a column itemizing my favourite cheap Ports. If you are
interested, you can find it he
http://www.lawandstyle.ca/index.php?...76&Item id=90
Hope this helps!
Matthew
The Short Cellar
www.lawandstyle.ca/shortcellar