Monthly Archives: December 2013

Visiting Graham’s in Porto

Graham’s was founded in 1820 by the brothers William and John Graham.

In 1890 they made a far sighted move and as one of the first port producers, they bought their own wine yard. The now famous Quinta dos Malvedos. It was the same year they built their lodge at its current location in Vila Nova de Gaia.

In 1912 they switched from transporting the pipes of port by boat to have it driven down by train on the newly constructed rail roads.

In 1970 Graham’s was bought by the Symington family and is at present day still in their possession.

The main entrance to the Graham’s wine cellars.
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The almost obligatory wine bottle collection that can be found at all the port cellars.
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The tour leads through the casks and vats to the vintage cellar.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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This is the private collection of Graham’s own vintage wines, owned by the Symington family.
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The newly released 1952 single harvest tawny. A celebration to the jubilee of Queen Elisabeth II.
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The large vats with LBV wines.
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Casks with colheita and tawny port wines.
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Casks with colheita port wines.
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The Churchill VIP tasting room is worth the visit, actually I must say that it is a shame to miss this room full of all the original cellar tracking records and the very good wines you get to taste here.
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Haandbryggeriet – Bavaria

GS6A2084Haandbryggeriet is a small hand brewery located in Drammen, Norway. Four guys that used to brew at home moved into a old horse stable in 2005 and in 2011 they got a large premise with room for more tanks.

I bought this bottle of re-fermented, unfiltered and non pasteurized beer in a local supermarket in Lillestrøm, Norway at a price of 6 Euro for a 500 ml bottle at 4,5%

Light yellow unfiltered beer.

Head starts out big and settles down to a thin layer.

Aroma is fresh and with a hint of bitter fruit.

Good CO2 with the same slightly bitter fruit from the aroma in the taste with a good sweetness along it, after taste dominated by the bitterness over the fruit.

It is a wheat beer called Bavaria and thus I look upon it as weissbier. Price is on the expensive side.

Overall rating 75 / 100

GB Weiss Bier

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The Gourmet Brewery was founded in 2005 in Denmark, today the two originally owners are no longer a part of the brewery and it is owned by the Harboe brewery group.

I bought this beer in a local supermarket in Odense, Denmark at the price of 1,5 Euro for a 500 ml can at 4,8%.

The colour is yellow and looks filtered, there is lack of sediment for this beer type.

Very rough head that disappears quickly.

The aroma is a lovely fruit aroma.

Light bubbly CO2 with a hint of fruit, fast after taste and the alcohol is dominating. This beer reminds me more of a witbier than a weissbier.

Overall rating 67 / 100

Henriques & Henriques Madeira 5 Year Finest Full Rich and Fine Old Malmsay No.1

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The Henriques & Henriques 5 Year Reserve Finest Full Rich was bought on the Island of Madeira during a holiday visit.

The Henriques & Henriques Madeira Fine Old Malmsay No.1 was bought on a auction with some other wines and given to me as a gift from a friend.

From the research I have been able to make about the wine shop that once sold this old bottle, Kolding Vinhandel and named with the owner Christian Friis, he was part of the company between 1910 and 1923, the 3rd generation took over the wine shop in 1943, this does not go to well with the writings on the label about it winning awards in 1929 and 1930. After contact with Henriques & Henriques they could confirm that it is a 5 year Madeira and somewhere around 75 years old.

 

The Henriques & Henriques 5 Year Reserve Finest Full Rich

The wine is red with brown notes to the colour.

Aroma comes off with a dried fruits and alcohol.

Strong taste of dried fruits like raisins, some tannin, warm and strong in the throat, easy to drink and after taste of about 30 seconds. A straight forward and solid taste of dried fruits and nothing more.

Overall rating 85 / 100

 

The Henriques & Henriques Madeira Fine Old Malmsay No.1

The wine is brown with some red notes to the colour.

Semi sweet aroma and the alcohol dominates.

A very sweet taste of dried fruits, a complex mix of fruits, very little tannin and the alcohol is pleasant. A very enjoyable after taste of dried fruits that lasts a good while. It can however seem dull in large glasses and it was never a wine meant for maturing.

Overall rating 89 / 100

 

 

Störtebeker – Bernstein-weizen

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Störtebeker brewery was founded in 1862 in Stralsund, Germany. The first big expansion of the brewery was in 1899 where the building now had brewing going on on multiply stocks.

I bought this beer at Systembolaget in Vimmerby, Sweden. 2,75 Euro for a 500 ml bottle at 5,2%

A good looking yellow unfiltered beer with a orange glow.

A nice big head with a thin fine layer on top, as the head settles a fine layer is left behind.

A good fruitful aroma with a hint of wheat.

Tasting it, the CO2 bubbles up fast and dies just as fast. The fruit is flat, a little watery and a little bitterness shines through.

Overall rating 70 / 100

Theresianer – Wit

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Theresianer brewery is located in Trieste, Italy. The brewery was founded in 1766 by Mr. Lenz, he obtained permission from Maria Teresa’s government to open the city’s first  brewery.

I bought this beer at Vinmonopolet in Oslo, Norway. Price was 4,5 Euro for a 330 ml bottle at 5,1%.

Yellow unfiltered look with a faint orange glow to it.

Head is low and rough, disappears instantly.

A very faint aroma that can not be identified as anything specific.

A lot of CO2 makes a good bubbly taste with a little fruit taste, it is like the after taste starts right away. For a wit there is really nothing wit about it. Lack of aroma and spices in the taste.

Overall rating 68 / 100

Visiting Ferreira in Porto

Ferreira was founded in 1751, five years before the demarcation of the Douro Valley. Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira was an example in the nineteenth-century of good business, social engagement for the weak and keeper of a high quality port wine production.

Ferreira was from the start a Portuguese company and is it still today.

GS6A1620Outside the cellars

GS6A1621A series of tanks for the freshly pressed wine before it is distributed out in fats and casks.

GS6A1622Some of the big fats used for Ruby production.

GS6A1623Casks and fats in long rows, notice the wooden floor made to minimize damage to casks when being rolled around.

GS6A1624A display of empty vintage port wines, the real treasure of company vintage wines was not on display to the public.

Ægir bryggeri – Siv Witbier

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Ægir brwery is located in Flåm, Norway and was founded in 2007.

I bought this beer at Vinmonopolet in Oslo, Norway at the price of 8 Euro for a 500 ml bottle at 5,5%

Yellow unfiltered beer with a faint orange glow to it.

Head is small and fades out fast to almost nothing.

Aroma comes off with a hint of fruit and a more dominating flower.

Very little CO2, which unfortunately leaves it a bit dull, as the otherwise nicely balanced coriander and orange makes the taste. The bottle fermentation did not produce enough CO2. Prices on beer and alcohol is in general very high in Norway.

Overall rating 72 / 100

Bryggerigården – Mørk hvede

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Bryggerigården was founded in 2007 and is a micro brewery located in Vejle, Denmark.

I bought this beer in a local supermarket in Denmark at 1,5 Euro for a 500 ml bottle at 5,1%.

A brown colour with a bit of orange glow to the bottom with enough light.

A big rough head settles to fine layer after a minute.

The aroma is faint fruit with a hint of caramel.

Taste comes off with a good CO2, a fruit that makes more of itself in the after taste than at first, but still a little too anonymous, not much darkness to the taste. Too watery.

Overall rating 66 / 100