Porto aperitif in Provence

[Katie Meadow]

I'm not a port drinker and know close to zero about Port. In Provence, while my husband was practically taking a bath in Pastis, my mother and I started ordering Porto after a waiter suggested it. It was served chilled in lovely little glasses and it was perfect for those warm evenings. My husband claims he saw the bottle, and that it was tawny port. We ordered it in several towns and it always tasted exactly the same.

Of course immediately upon getting home I went to BevMo thinking to duplicate the experience. Hundreds of bottles of Porto and not a clue what to buy. What was I thinking? More important, what was I drinking? Is there some standard Porto served as an aperitif in the south of France? Help me, I miss my dusty ochre violet hour!

[Peter the eater]

I don't know the answer . . . but your thread title and description sucked me right in!

Here we almost always do port the English way, after the meal, room temperature and ruby red, often with some seriously stinky cheese. I have had port "the French way" as it were - chilled, tawny and before the meal. Both are nice, and I think when you chill a tawny as an aperitif you can get away with spending a lot less and get good results, which is good news.

BTW what's BevMo? And more importantly . . . what's it like to take a bath in pastis? Sounds like nirvana.

[42390]

I'm not a port drinker and know close to zero about Port. In Provence, while my husband was practically taking a bath in Pastis, my mother and I started ordering Porto after a waiter suggested it. It was served chilled in lovely little glasses and it was perfect for those warm evenings. My husband claims he saw the bottle, and that it was tawny port. We ordered it in several towns and it always tasted exactly the same.

Of course immediately upon getting home I went to BevMo thinking to duplicate the experience. Hundreds of bottles of Porto and not a clue what to buy. What was I thinking? More important, what was I drinking? Is there some standard Porto served as an aperitif in the south of France? Help me, I miss my dusty ochre violet hour!

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Could be Banyuls or Mas Amiel, fortified wines made in the south of France (but not made in Provence)

[Dave Hatfield]

It most likely was tawny port or possibly late harvest port.

It would NOT have been vintage port. (unless it was a very expensive apero)

If the places you were in were very upmarket it could possibly have been a special port, but in that case you would have paid a high price.

True story. A few years ago my French MD, Yves, took us to a restaurant called Toit de Passy. Super place.

As we arrived Yves asked what aperitif I would like so I said Oh whatever you're having. He said I think a port would be nice.

The port came & it was fantastic. Wow! says I, what kind of port is this?

A 1910 says Yves. Never did find out what it cost & don't want to. Its still by far the oldest port I've ever drunk.

[Katie Meadow]

Sounds yummy, Dave! Our Porto was not expensive; depending on the venue we paid anywhere from 3 to 4.5 euros per glass (awful exchange rate now.) What struck me was that everywhere we ordered it the taste was exactly the same, as if there was some standard tawny port served as an aperitif.

Peter, I didn't realize that the French are more likely to drink port the way I had it--interesting. BevMo, by the way, is Beverages & More, a giant warehouse chain. I'm in Northern CA--dunno how widespread that operation is, but the prices are good for most of the standard liquors, beers and wines. Oh, and if taking a bath in pastis is your idea of heaven, you and my husband can soap eachother up to your hearts' content. I'll be watching the sunset here on Earth. To me, Pernod and Pastis are Klingon drinks, best sipped with an appetizer of live eels.

[Ptipois]

It was most likely the Porto Cruz available in every supermarket, or any other readily available bottle of port like Taylors or Sandeman.

Not the thinnest chance it was banyuls. When you order port in France, they serve you port, or if they're out of it they ask what you'd like instead.

[Adam Balic]

The French import (or did) a large % of the white port production for use as an aperitif. I think that this is a lovely aperitif in hot weather.

[cigalechanta]

I'm a big Pastis drinker. My dog's name is Pastis.