Boston Wine Expo 2001 -
Vineyard Brands

One of the more popular tables was the one run by Vineyard Brands, a distributor out of Brighton. David Bove manned this, standing next to a huge Otima port display. Needless to say, most people walking over went right past the Riojas, Grenaches and other wines and asked for the Otima.

Beringer, across the hall, was very quiet

We are lovers of Warre's Otima ourselves, a 10 year tawny in an attractive, slim glass. We talked with David about this penomenon. Apparently their first thought had been to call the wine "Optima", but that name was already trademarked. The port has become hugely popular, especially with people who might not normally drink ports but who find this in the liqueur section of a wine shop.

We also talked about the various pronunciations of 'Warre'. David explained that he always thinks of it as in the song, "War, Good God, Y'all" :) An easy way to remember it!

So yes, the Otima was smooth, rich, and easy drinking. We went on to the 1994 Marques de Caceres Rioja, one of our favorites. This was smooth and rich, with the lush Rioja flavors. We tried the Perrin Les Linards, a 25% Movedra blend. This was very dark, with a rich, fruity flavor. The Cotes du Rhone fro Perrin is 60% Grenache, and is more tannic and rough, with again a fruity flavor.

Sake & Sushi

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