Berserkers,
As promised to Roy, I gave the Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port another crack. This is Graham’s Reserve Ruby Port, using a fine blend made from six different grapes they use for Port wine. It is actually very hard for me to do this because my first experience with this Port was at the 2011 Toronto Port and Douro Wine event where it was quite literally surrounded by greatness including its own brethren tawnies and vintage Ports. I did promise I would give this another chance, though, so I did. Since then I have also had a couple of Ruby Ports that I can compare this to in an effort to better evaluate.
GRAHAM’S SIX GRAPES RESERVE PORT – First off, a very bright purple nearly neon-like color which is very attractive. Despite the fortification, was surprisingly light to medium bodied especially in its mouthfeel. Strong nose of sweet black cherries, plums and tannin along with heat in there.
Has a very simple and straightforward taste that matches the nose 100% exactly: sweet black cherries, plum and tannin with a heavy dose of heat and really strong tannins. You smell on the nose is what you taste on your tongue. A little bit lacking in some balancing acidity, though; any less and this would’ve come off dangerously close to cherry cough syrup in flavor. Fortunately, there was just enough acity to avoid that horrible comparison. I really think this Port would benefit greatly from a hyperdecant to soften those tannins and bring out a bit more fruit. What I should also point out this was surprisingly refreshing given that it is a fortified wine. Very long finish too. This was shared with 3 other friends over a homemade dinner of Thai chicken Red curry served on beds of Brown Basmati Rice that was modified by using Habanero chilies instead of the usual and milder Thai hot chilies at one of my friends requests. For dessert we had British shorbread biscuits and chocolate truffles. The pairings were excellent and the Port surprisingly and enjoyably magnified the heat in the main course due to interaction with the alcohol and tannin. Popping in a truffle to melt in my mouth just as the finish from the Port began was quite an amazing taste combination.
So here’s the deal. Roy is quite correct: this is way, way better than I initially gave it credit for. If I were to only compare against other equivalent Ruby Ports, this is decent quality product that was fun to share with people. I might even give it a Recommend but for…
… the fact that overall I still have the exact same feelings I mentioned to Roy in a previous thread of his – this (and all other Ruby Ports I’ve had for that matter) just pales in the shadow of superior aged Tawnies and Vintage Ports. They come off as simple and one-dimensional with no uplifting complexity to them. I personally cannot see why I would ever pick up a Ruby Port knowing there’s so much better out there. I give it its respect for what it is and I freely admit it was fun to share and consume with my friends at dinner but a Vintage Port would’ve been even more awesome. Sure Vintages costs way more than Ruby, but the experience is worth it. Berserkers in particular, I feel, would be better served putting their pennies towards a nice Tawny or Vintage Port. Which is exactly what I intend to do. ![cheers [cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif)
Always a nice drink, Tran.
That being said, I rarely don’t take the (only!) several dollar jump to one of the wine worlds GREAT QPR values > LBV Port.
The Grahms house style is just a bit sweet & rich for my taste. I usually go with Taylor, Cockburn, Dow, Fonseca. The '03 LBV of this pack were all beautiful, with Dow leading the way.
Big, Rich, Purple-Fruity Cheers!
![cheers [cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif)
I think the Six Grapes can be a great value. It seems like the price is creeping up over $20 which is making it less so. But for low end Ruby Ports this is my fav. It has enough complexity for me and I don’t find it overwhelmingly sweet. I normally prefer Tawny’s but they are a different animal.
LBV Port is next on the tasting list, the Dow’s and Graham’s 2003 vintages.
Will post on these as well.
Tran,
Glad you gave this another go. Obviously everyone’s tastes are different but it seems you’re getting too wrapped up in the fact this is labeled as a “Ruby”. Are you aware that Graham’s uses it’s second best grapes to make this? That is, the best go toward their VP or SQVP then after that they go toward Six Grapes. In reality you can compare Six Grapes against many LBV’s, and in fact I prefer it to a number of LBV’s. This is very different than most producers who use their second best grapes for LBV’s. The majority of grapes come from the main Graham’s Quinta, Quinta dos Malvedos as well as Quinta dos Lages. Few producers use top-grape Quinta grapes for a Ruby. Another fact this is not generally known is that Six Grapes is actually an unfiltered Port. Almost all in this class are filtered and/or possibly cold stabilized.
Pairing a Port, any Port, with a spicy dish generally isn’t the best as the heat of the food will cause the spirit in the Port to be magnified, as you experienced. Yet despite the pairings you still enjoyed this more than at the tasting, that’s saying a lot. Did you get to retry it on it’s own with a fresh palate?
Obviously comparing it to a well aged Colheita or VP is tough, in fact it’s really impossible as they are quite different in quality and handled differently. Six Grapes, like many in its class, are priced around the $14-20 mark and at that price level Six Grapes is generally recognized as performing at the top of the heap among many Port lovers. As I said, everyone’s tastes are different and that just means there’s more for the rest of us to drink ![cheers [cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif)
I do need to point out that the name Six Grapes has nothing to do with the number of grape varietals it’s made with. I hear that mentioned often, but is totally inaccurate. The six grapes symbol has always been used as an in-house symbol on casks to identify their best lots, ones possibly destined to be Vintage Ports. It obviously made a good logo to use on a bottle since the end of the 19th Century.
Have you tried Quinta do Noval’s “Black” yet? If not, give it a try, on it’s own, and try it over a few days.
Thanks for your thoughts guys. I should point out that the back label of the Six Grapes half bottle itself specifically denotes what you said above about the cask markings but then goes onto to specifically say six varieties of grapes are used and lists them by name. Either the marketing guys or I are very confused. 
Don’t worry, however, I am holding on to my other half bottle of Six Grapes for comparison to the LBVs I have. If it turns out as you say that the Six Grapes is better than the LBVs, I shall be objective and post so. 
I’ve not got a bottle here to look at and read exactly what’s written, but I’ve been told from the family members themselves as well as every employee there I know that Six Grapes has nothing to do with how many grape varietals are in it. I assume it’s a bit of marketing that just sounds good. Here’s a link to Graham’s blog and a history of Six Grapes. In fact Quinta dos Malvedos still has some old vine (“Vinha Velha”) plots that are a field blend of who knows how many different varieties. So it may be impossible to know exactly how many varieties are actually in each production run, depending if they blend in the old vine juice or not.
Tran,
I am glad you did try this again, but as Andy mentioned, it would not have been my first or even 10th choice with habeneros and spicy food like that. I also find there is some spirit (heat) in the Graham’s wines in general and definitely in the Six Grapes as well. Typically, the heat calms down after day two and the mouthfeel seems a bit richer and rounder in the mouth too.
I like the suggestion of Andy’s for you to try the NOVAL BLACK, as I think it is an even better Ruby Reserve level of Port than the Six Grapes and it was selling at Wine Exchange for $15.99 last time I looked. Great QPR!
There’s no argument from any of us that Vintage Port and Colheitas or even some of the better Tawny Ports “with an indication of age” (10/20/30/40 year old) have more complexity, and plenty of LBV’s too (but not all) than the Graham’s but it is a fine example of Port and offers solid value for money. It is more of an “everyday drinker” for those that like a nip of Port while reading or typing or while relaxing in front of a TV/iPad etc. You can’t expect the Six Grapes to deliver the same level of excellence as the greater categories of Port when one is spending a fraction of the price compared to the others.
Nonetheless, I am pleased to read you enjoyed your re-visit of this Port and hopefully you will get to try others that you enjoy more. Do seek out the Noval Black and let us know what you think, keeping in mind its price and the fact that it is not a 1963 Fonseca. : )
Thanks for all the dialogue on this thread and wish I had a “nip of port” while I’m reading it. I’ve been to meaning to explore reasonably priced fortified wines this year and now I will.
Where Andy and Roy direct you, you should not fear to tread
. I speak from experience here!
I’ll look for the Noval black too, Roy, thanks for the heads-up on that.
I did indeed have the Noval Black and posted a note on it. Couldn’t believe it was a Ruby Port and not a Vintage Port. Really well done.
Great to hear. And this Friday is #PortDay. Basically a day to open a bottle of Port from Portugal and celebrate a lovely drink ![cheers [cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif)
Yeah, it’s pretty well made and a big step up from their old “LB” that it replaced. It shows even better on day 2, something not too many Reserve Ruby’s can lay claim to.