When Old Friends Turn on You

I don't drink a lot of port, but this is the time of year that most of the port I do drink is consumed.  It's definitely nice on a cold evening with some Stilton or other blue cheese and perhaps a handful of nuts or some fruit.

For a number of years the local stores always have a sale in December on Warre's Warrior Porto, their entry level wine.  It's fruity, warming, and delicious and goes down much easier than it should. This year they changed the label on the bottle and labeled it as a "Reserve."  The sale price was quite appealing at $15, regularly $21. 

I opened a bottle Wednesday evening after we collected six inches of snow.  Warre's must have changed the blend as well as the label, because this wine is vastly different from what I was accustomed to from this producer.  It is thinner, more acidic, less flavorful and tasted more like flavored sugar water than a reliable porto.  This was a very disappointing wine and one I won't be purchasing again.  Time to move on to perhaps Graham's Six Grape Porto.

Warre's Warrior Porto Reserve.  20% alcohol and $15 and a terrible buy at this price and a horrid buy at the regular price of $21. This is sad.