I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a
Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a
port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.

The six we are tasting are
Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus)
Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS)
Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile)
Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA)
Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon)
K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)

I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info, please
share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any
other interesting tidbits.

thanks,
J~

J~ wrote:
> I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a
> Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a
> port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
>
> The six we are tasting are
> Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus)
> Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS)
> Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile)
> Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA)
> Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon)
> K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)
>
> I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info, please
> share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any
> other interesting tidbits.

Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the selection of Australian
Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.

If you are leading the tasting you might try scanning through the archives of
Gourmet Magazine of about 4 years back for an article that they did on
Shiraz/Syrah. They got down to what they thought that the wines of each country
were trying to achieve. Very good article.

In message <1wLVd.39425$uc.3614@trnddc01>
Bill Loftin > wrote:

> J~ wrote:
> > I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a
> > Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a
> > port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
> >
> > The six we are tasting are
> > Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus)
> > Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS)
> > Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile)
> > Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA)
> > Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon)
> > K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)
> >
> > I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info, please
> > share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any
> > other interesting tidbits.
>
> Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the selection of Australian
> Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.
>

But is it Port — even in a storm?
I did not think that Syrah was one of the 48 permitted varietals for real
Port — no doubt those more learned than I in this area will put me right.

Timothy Hartley

In the US you can call some junk made from Thompson Seedless, Port, and get
away with it as long as you conform to BATF's regs. A number of good
wineries make port-like wines with Zindandel and other grapes, so if you
poke around you might find one using Shiraz/Syrah.

--
Joseph B. Rosenberg
"Timothy Hartley" > wrote in message
...
> In message <1wLVd.39425$uc.3614@trnddc01>
> Bill Loftin > wrote:
>
> > J~ wrote:
> > > I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a
> > > Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a
> > > port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
> > >
> > > The six we are tasting are
> > > Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus)
> > > Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS)
> > > Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile)
> > > Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA)
> > > Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon)
> > > K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)
> > >
> > > I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info,
please
> > > share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any
> > > other interesting tidbits.
> >
> > Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the selection of
Australian
> > Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.
> >
>
> But is it Port - even in a storm?
> I did not think that Syrah was one of the 48 permitted varietals for real
> Port - no doubt those more learned than I in this area will put me right.
>
> Timothy Hartley

"Timothy Hartley" > wrote in
message ...
> In message <1wLVd.39425$uc.3614@trnddc01>
> Bill Loftin > wrote:
>
Snip>>
>> Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the
>> selection of Australian
>> Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.
>>
>
> But is it Port - even in a storm?
> I did not think that Syrah was one of the 48 permitted
> varietals for real
> Port - no doubt those more learned than I in this area
> will put me right.
>
> Timothy Hartley

You are right - real port comes only from Portugal. But
Australian winemakers have long called fortified reds
"port" - vintage or tawny - quite legally in Australia. They
have made them from shiraz, grenache, cabernet, whatever.
The mis-naming is gradually dying out due to trade
agreements and regulations similar to those forbidding the
use of the term champagne for sparkling wines. Proposed
alternative names such as "Australian Sweet Fortified Red"
do not quite sound very marketable to me.

> I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info, please
> share. After I have done the event I will try to post results and any
> other interesting tidbits.
>
> thanks,
> J~

Hi J~
I think the reason you haven't found any info is because the wine is called
Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2002. I've got a couple but haven't opened one yet (I
tasted it at the winery last year) I can't find my notes for the wine but I
got some from Nicks Wine Merchants here in Melbourne (
http://www.nicks.com.au/cgi-bin/fram...itolo&x=18&y=8 )

2002 Mitolo Jester Shiraz
McLaren Vale South Australia
94/100
Opaque black purple colour with deep purple hue. Lifted nose with notes of
violets, spice and blackberry emerging showing very good varietal character.
The palate is generous with big 'joosy' fruit flavours supported by a very
strong flavour of very pronounced liquorice, toasted oak, spice and
blackberry. Fine dryish tannins. Long aftertaste of liquorice, plum and
spice followed by black pepper. Winner of "Best Red Wine - Under $25" at the
McLaren Vale Wine Show!!

Also on your port question Australia is, as was mentioned by someone else in
the thread, moving away from the term "port". You can quite a lot of good
"Liquer Shiraz" for Tawny Port Styles or "Vintage Fortified" for Vintage
Port Styles in Oz now. I have added a note for you (also from Nicks, I
haven't tried this wine) for a show vintage (Depending on the year they will
make them out of Shiraz, Touriga or Cab Sav)

1985 Seppelt Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Shiraz
This is a politically correct 'Vintage Port' packaged as a Show Vintage
Shiraz and is an outstanding example. Deep brick red colour. The nose is
superb displaying some very fine brandy spirit, liquorice, raisin and exotic
marzipan aromas. The palate is mouthfilling - a velvet smooth texture runs
right through the wine displaying perfect integration of component parts.
Flavours of liquorice, marzipan and raisins fill every corner of the
palate - exceptional length and complexity. Perfect balance and very, very
long liquorice, brandy and raisin after flavour. At 20.5% alcohol, it's one
of those 'moreish' wines that needs some good company

Hope that's some help.
Cheers Andrew

Bill Loftin wrote:
> J~ wrote:
>
>> I am looking for a port made from Shiraz/Syrah. I am leading a
>> Shiraz/Syrah tasting and have picked out 6 wines and wanted to add a
>> port to finish up the tasting with. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
>>
>> The six we are tasting are
>> Bixen Sparkling Shiraz ( Aus)
>> Jesters 2002 McLarenvale Shiraz ( AUS)
>> Montes Alpha 2002 (Chile)
>> Mas Des Aveylans 2003 (FRA)
>> Elk Cove Lasiuene NV ( US, Oregon)
>> K Vintners 2002 Milbent ( US, WAS)
>>
>> I have found info an all but the Jesters so if you have any info,
>> please share. After I have done the event I will try to post results
>> and any other interesting tidbits.
>
>
> Just go in your favorite bottle shop and look at the selection of
> Australian
> Ports. Likely they will all be Shiraz based.

The ones I have seem to all be Grenache. Opened a Bernesh Brae
last night... a bit lighter than the Cockburn/Fonseca/Grahams tawny's
but not bad.