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Think women are complicated? The drawing-room drink port is way more confusing. You'd think it's named after Portugal but, in fact, the moniker derives from the Portuguese city Oporto. The chemical composition of port is also complex -- it's a blend of wine with a distilled spirit like brandy. There are all sorts of varieties, and each one sounds like it should be the best. There's vintage port (generally, the rarest and best), tawny port, reserve port, late-bottle vintage port and ruby port. But one thing is perfectly clear -- port is a delicious after-dinner drink.
Not all ports come from Portugal anymore. A 27-year-old United States company called Prager -- based in Napa Valley -- recently decided that the 2003 vintage was good enough to bottle. This is the first vintage port of the millennium for Prager, so you know it must be good.
Indeed, this is as fine a port as any I've tried, and substantially less sweet than most vintages. Prager uses 100 percent petite syrah grapes and ages the wine in oak wood for two-and-a-half years. Dark purple with a tangy, spiced-cherry aroma, Royal Escort has intense plum flavors. Balanced by serious tannins, the drink has a terrific, dry, lip-smacking finish. It's got legs as nice as this month's Playmate, and it is not heavy, thick or syrupy. At 38 proof, it is far stronger than your average sauvignon blanc, and it will age nicely into its teens. The heck with dessert -- just break out the Royal Escort after your next dinner party.
-- James Oliver Cury
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