Ask DrinkPlanner is a reoccurring feature here where readers submit their questions, and the crack team at DrinkPlanner does our best to answer. Got a question about booze? Ask us!
Welcome to this edition of Ask DrinkPlanner. Let’s get to it!
“Dear DrinkPlanner,
Two part question for you:
1. Why do angels cry when boys drink martinis?
2. Is there anywhere in Atlanta that does just Port tastings?
Thanks!
Any Port In A Storm“
Oh APIAS, there’s nothing inherently wrong with guys drinking martinis*. Angels only cry if you drink Appletinis or Chocotinis or BlueRazzatinis. Regular old gin or vodka martinis straight up, with an olive, gibson onion or even a lemon twist are tear-free beverages, as far as the angels are concerned. Drinking straight alcohol is almost never frowned upon in heaven.
So for the second part of your question, that took a little more research (what can I say, I have good connections with people in the afterlife). Port wine, as you know, is a fortified wine, typically sweet and typically served as a dessert wine. It’s a great after-dinner drink to have while you’re sitting around shooting the proverbial shit and want to enjoy something semi-sweet and don’t feel like ordering a dessert (thought it pairs up nicely with a number of desserts, if that’s what you’re looking for). A quick search of Atlanta restaurants and wine bars didn’t turn up much of anything solid. Many of them have tastings weekly, but none listed port or dessert wines on their schedules for anytime soon.
So I reached out to Chris Reid, Sommelier at VINE in Virginia-Highlands, one of the city’s finest wine bars. He holds weekly themed tastings there, so I asked him if port was in the cards anytime in the near future. Here’s what Chris had to say:
“Currently, the themes are being finalized and I will be glad to forward them to you at that time. As for port tastings, generally reserve those for the fall when they are more “in season.” Hope this helps”
So there it is. But what do you do if you can’t wait 6-8 months to try delicious port wines? Well, make your own tasting! Many wine bars across the city (such as The Grape, which has a number of Atlanta locations) allow you to taste by the glass, or have groupings or pairings already arranged for you, and discounts if you order 3 or more glasses for a tasting “flight”. Do your research ahead of time, find some that sound interesting to you, make a list, and create your own port tasting right there. Sure, it’s not as good as having a guided tasting by a professional Sommelier would be, but it looks like it’ll have to do until port tastings are in season, when you can spend your autumn rolling around in piles of leaves in a well-informed fortified dessert wine state of euphoria. It’s not a bad idea actually.
That wraps up this edition of Ask DrinkPlanner. Join us next Friday where we’ll tackle some more of life’s most important questions. Got a booze question? Ask DrinkPlanner.
*And really, you’re the guy who’s asking me about dessert wines, you big lady