Wine Fictions

 As soon as Hamburg started getting on a Christmas feeling, there are certain tastes which start rising. My wife starts asking for cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg seasoning along with red cabbage and strongly marinated herring.  On my behalf I have to confess that Port wine offers me a whole set of memories which are carved with long Christmas evenings along with a lot of people and good talking.  Due to the restrictions this year Christmas was kept short but the wish to share some Port was there.  The chosen one was this Messias LBV 2013 which has one of the most emblematic bottles of Port I know. Its black shape with white letters still carved in ink has always fed my imaginary about what Port wine was and still is nowadays. In the mouth had all the properties that you can expect from a LBV: strong wood, spices and a long and pleasant ending. Its intensity creates a sort of smoky atmosphere in the mouth asking for dark chocolate and Christmas´ desserts. In fact, this P...

 There are moments when our palate starts anticipating what is going to come with the first sip. Having achieved 91 points by the Wine Enthusiast and being considered Best of the Year by one of my favourite wine critics, João Paulo Martins,  the expectation I have created around this Port was enormous. I know how dangerous it can be to create such sort of expectations, but there is also some  beauty on it. After having got it home I felt again like a small child  waiting for Christmas presents. In order to exponentiate this experience, I have waited a couple of days to open it, having it strategically put in a table close to my dinner table. A constant guard both tempting and watching every step of mine. As silly as this may sound, I have to confess that the moment of opening it has started being involved in some sort of special aura.  When would it be the perfect moment for it? After  raising such expectations, I have finally decided to move forw...