Chocolate and Cheese plus Dow’s 10yo and 20yo Tawny Port
Did you know that the original “Mothers’ Day” began as an anti-war movement? Heather Cox Richardson writes that “”Mothers’ Day” with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society.” To achieve that power, she also notes that it produced the movement in the US to get the vote for women.
“While we celebrate the modern version of Mother’s Day on May 12, in this momentous year of 2024 it’s worth remembering the original Mothers’ Day and Julia Ward Howe’s conviction that women must have the same rights as men, and that they must make their voices heard,” she writes in her letter published on Facebook on May 11, 2024.
Gwendolyn Alley and her mother Suzanne Paquette Lawrence in costume as living history suffragettes
Happy Mothers’ Day! Thank you to all of those who “mother” — whether it is animals or humans– and to our Earth that mothers us all!
Chocolate and Cheese plus Dow’s 10yo and 20yo Tawny Port
So how to celebrate Mothers and others? A box of chocolates is not that original of an idea for a Mother’s Day gift, but what about chocolates and a really nice Port? And what gift does a mom really want more than anything else for Mother’s Day? The gift of time– time with her kids– or with her own mother! While some moms enjoy being in the kitchen with their kids, it’s also nice to prepare together something simple yet special– and pair it with a special wine of course!
So with this in mind, Sue and I came up with the idea of pairing Port with a cheeseboard and with chocolates — for a dessert or for an afternoon chat.
But not just any Port will do for Mom!
Because she’s been around helping you out for so many years, how about a Tawny Port that offers a way to taste time in a bottle like Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port (SRP $45) or Dow’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port (SRP $78) from Symington Family Estates, fifth generation Port producers from Porto, Portugal?
Dow’s Tawny Ports are aged in small oak barrels for 10, 20 and 30 years in the Boa Vista Lodge on the banks of the Douro River across from Porto. In Portugal, wines are chilled, and we do that too!
The number of years on the label indicate an average age for all the wines used in the blend. “Dow’s hallmark drier house style is the result of using a larger blend of older wines which offer complexity, while the younger wines bring fresh fruit flavors and vibrancy,” according to a press release.
Dow’s Aged Tawnies balance wood character with fruit by aging a portion in larger well seasoned oak balseiros, and by larger I mean capacities from 5,000 to 10,000 litres!
Dow’s Tawny Port with chocolate truffles
Port for Mothers and Others
- Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port
- Dow’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Menu for Tawny Port
- chocolates: dark chocolate raspberry, dulce de lethe, Belgian intense dark, hazelnut praline dark chocolate, red velvet, salted caramel, crunchy toasted almond, Hauser champagne truffle, Hauser milk truffle, milk chocolate truffle
- cheese: comte, snowdonia extra sharp cheddar, red wine soaked cheddar, red Leicester, blue dansk, truffle gouda, lemon ricotta, asiago
Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port
Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port
ABV: 20%
SRP: $45
Grapes: text
Importer: Premium Ports Wines Inc.
sample for my review
Bottled in 2023
Appearance
- Garnet, amber rim, looking from under the glass into the light it is a florescent blue rim,
Aroma
- Chamomile, black current, citrus oil, raisin,
Palate
- Herbs and brown sugar, black current, citrus oil,
Pairing
- Cheese Board: Very good with our fig and olive crackers, the lemon ricotta was fresh and bright with the wine, so fantastic with the Red Lestershire, fabulous with the blue cheese and then followed up by a candied pecan and you are in heaven, gummy with the truffled gouda, best of all was with the Snowdonian Black Bomber Aged Cheddar.
- Truffles: very nice with the milk chocolate truffle neither are too sweet together but have a nice sweetness, the red velvet truffle was hella sweet on its own but was tamed nicely by the port making it a too sweet pairing, the champagne truffle was way too sweet for the port, the hazelnut praline went alright with the port it was also sweet but the nuts and the cinnamon and nutmeg were beautiful with the wine, the dulce de leech truffle went quite nicely with the wine according to Kathy and Sue, but I did not like it at all. the raspberry dark truffle was by far the best of all with this wine.
Dow’s 20yo Tawny Port
Dow’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port
ABV: 20%
SRP: $78
Grapes: text
Importer:Premium Ports Wine Inc,
sample for my review
Charles Simington Master Blender.
Appearance
- Beautiful clarity, translucent, garnet or rose gold, very coppery, amber rim,
Aroma
- Honey, mead, pollen, sweetness, chamomile, sweet chamomile tea, vanilla, butterscotch, baked caramel apple, toffee,
Palate
- Spiced apple, toffee, caramel, baked pear, toasted walnut
Pairing
- Cheese Board: The candied pecans with this port are just divine, great with the blue cheese, lovely with the nutty Comte, Very fun with the Red Leschtster, I actually liked it with the truffled gouda however Kathy thought it was a bot overpowering to the wine, across the board the three of us this evening agreed that the three best cheeses the board with this port were the Red Leschster, the Snowdonian Black Bomber Aged Cheddar and the Nutty Comte.
- Truffles: We did not care for milk chocolate at all with this port, the salted caramel was nice and if you are a caramel lover a quality salted caramel would be a great choice with this port, the best chocolate of all with the wine was the dark chocolate.
- The truffles that best went with the Port were the truffles that were less sweet.
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 