Adding Port to Wine

[GregT]

Or sangria?

Well, maybe it has something to do with wine being the blood of christ. But then, why is it OK to salt crackers?

Jennifer - you’re rapidly becoming one of my favorite posters. I do want to hear of your results with the liquid smoke and peat.

As to why it’s OK to salt crackers, I don’t even know where to start. I’m going to spring that on someone one day just to see what they say.

Regarding additions to wine - as people above have noted, there are lots of drinks that are based on wine and some other ingredients like herbs, fruits, etc. In Uruguay they make some really good stuff that way, some sweet, some not. In Italy they do as well - Vermouth has been mentioned. Lillet was once a popular wine from France that had added herbs and I believe it also had some quinine initially. The Greeks and Romans and Egyptians used to add all kinds of things to their wines. One descendant of that would be ratafia, which is made from wine or alcohol or both, to which various herbs and fruits are added. It’s found all around the Mediterranean; there was never any “official” recipe since it was just something that people made at home. Eventually someone will probably claim ownership and establish a formal recipe, if they haven’t already, much like the Neapolitans tried to do with pizza.

[Scott_Brunson]

No one drinks Kir or Kir Royal?

Or sangria?

or Aperol Spritz?

[J_Brooks]

This liquid peat smoke is a game changer.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071KV3GXY?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

[Arv_R]

Back in the day, say 1979, we were Silver Oak junkies. Had a friend over and decided to treat him with some of my favorite wine. After two sips he asked for some ice cubes. I took his glass to the kitchen, poured a glass from the half gallon screw cap last hope Cab, added ice cubes and gave it to him. He thought it was stellar. But that’s not all. He called his girlfriend and told her to get some potato chips of some sort and come over to try the wine. When she arrived, I poured her the cheap stuff with ice cubes. She sat silently drinking her wine and eating chips from the bag in her lap. When our friend asked if she was going to share the chips, she responded, “These are ours. If they want some they can go buy them.” I should have taken her glass of wine away.

This such a great story. It’s like something out of a Quentin Tarantino movie. Love it.

[Jurgen_Steinke]

It was told that Hardy Rodenstock - the famous man who counterfeit prestigious wines - probably added some port into bottles to make people believe they were actually drinking old Pomerol such as 1947 Lafleur or Petrus.