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Port
III: White por
White
port has never really caught on in the United States, and that’s a pity, as it
really is a charming drink, especially when served moderately chilled on a warm
evening. The production process of white port mirrors that of red, except that
it starts with, obviously, white wine instead of red. The low tannin levels
common to white wines means that white port reaches maturity rather quickly, but
does not hold it very long, and hence there is somewhat less following for
vintage white ports than for reds.
Mount
Pleasant Winery (family-owned, as are most Missouri wineries) rests in the heart
of the Augusta appellation high atop a hill overlooking the Missouri River
valley. One foggy day last winter, Angela and I visited the winery and bought a
bottle of its 1996 white port (375 ml for $ 18). The wine, which scored strongly
at the 1998 International Wine & Spirits Competition in London, poured
beautifully from a tall frosted bottle when we opened it early this summer, and
it served ably the goal for which all fermented or brewed drinks were created,
namely, the fostering of conversation. White ports being less robust than red,
we finished the bottle over the next week, during which time the flavor held up
admirably.
Prior to the debacle of Prohibition, Missouri was thickly planted with
family vineyards, and ranked second only to California in total wine production.
But it always takes much longer to build than to destroy, and only in the last
20 years have numerous local vineyards, led by family ventures in California’s
Napa Valley, put America back on the world’s wine list. It remains to be seen,
however, whether these autonomous operations, so special to wine life, can
resist the lure of the megadollar. Ah, but now I risk running afoul of the
Lord’s advice to let the day’s own troubles be sufficient for the day.
White port, served chilled, leads one inexorably to talk of sauternes,
served cold. The looming presence of Château d’Yquem, however, seems to have
frightened many away from experiencing the viniferous masterpiece that sprang
from a mistake. We’ll see what can be done to address this problem in our next
installment. +++ |
