Bazal
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Yeah mate!
Port; There are two kinds, really. Vintage Port and Tawny. Tawny is more common, it's been exposed to air already so it's essentially pre-aged and oxidised, which is why it pours a bit brown. Vintage port (or, confusingly, some makers call it vintage tawny thanks to origin control regulations) is single vintage, unoxidised port that retains a lot more fruit flavour and character. Tawny goes more towards the raisiny kind of flavours. I prefer a vintage port myself, but both are generally in my cupboard.
To be perfectly honest once you get outside the really cheap stuff I reckon it's impossible to get a bad Aussie port, just different styles
Brandy/Cognac; Personally I steer clear of brandy. Not that you can't get good ones, but I always figure you can pick up cognac for an extra $20 so why bother? Brandy and cognac are essentially the same thing, oak aged spirit distilled from grapes. But cognac is a single regional expression of higher quality (and with some technical differences). Generally cognac has three major age classifications;
VS=Very Special. The Youngest brandy in the blend is aged two years
VSOP=Very Special Old Pale. Youngest brandy four years old, but the average can be up to 20
XO=Extra Old. Youngest brandy six years, average can be well over 20
The four major makers you'll usually find are Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell. I prefer Martell, but all are very good. If you do go for a brandy, look for a VSOP or Napoleon labelled bottle.
Port; There are two kinds, really. Vintage Port and Tawny. Tawny is more common, it's been exposed to air already so it's essentially pre-aged and oxidised, which is why it pours a bit brown. Vintage port (or, confusingly, some makers call it vintage tawny thanks to origin control regulations) is single vintage, unoxidised port that retains a lot more fruit flavour and character. Tawny goes more towards the raisiny kind of flavours. I prefer a vintage port myself, but both are generally in my cupboard.
To be perfectly honest once you get outside the really cheap stuff I reckon it's impossible to get a bad Aussie port, just different styles
Brandy/Cognac; Personally I steer clear of brandy. Not that you can't get good ones, but I always figure you can pick up cognac for an extra $20 so why bother? Brandy and cognac are essentially the same thing, oak aged spirit distilled from grapes. But cognac is a single regional expression of higher quality (and with some technical differences). Generally cognac has three major age classifications;
VS=Very Special. The Youngest brandy in the blend is aged two years
VSOP=Very Special Old Pale. Youngest brandy four years old, but the average can be up to 20
XO=Extra Old. Youngest brandy six years, average can be well over 20
The four major makers you'll usually find are Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell. I prefer Martell, but all are very good. If you do go for a brandy, look for a VSOP or Napoleon labelled bottle.
