Cuttings from October 2006

A world first: mussel fraud
Fraudsters are cashing in on the demand for bouchot mussels from the bay of Mont St. Michel, on the north-west
Baron Forrester
In 1831, a 22-year-old Englishman called Joseph James Forrester went to Porto to join his uncle's firm, Offley Forrester &
Chickpeas
The chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a pulse of the Fabaceae family. There are two types of chickpea: desi, which is
Chilean wine
Try something different this autumn and make an appointment with a bottle from Chile. The international popularity of Chilean wine
How and when to drink port
The French drink the most port in general, but the British drink the most vintage port, closely followed by the
How port is made
The grape harvest in the Douro River estates, which are owned by the port companies, takes place in the first
Styles of port
There are many styles of port, but just two broad defining categories: bottle-aged and cask-aged. The two processes produce distinctly
The Douro
This is the official port region, the world's first demarcated area. It covers 618,000 acres, of which only 82,000 acres
The major port-shippers
The port market is dominated by groups which own one or more of the old port houses. Their names are
The story of Kellogg's
The name that says 'cereals' is marking its 100th year in business – read on and find out what lies
More cuttings

Port traditions

By Daphne Caruana Galizia

Because port was developed by the English, who once had manners and methods for virtually everything, the enjoyment of it was hedged around by traditions that have fallen largely into abeyance.

The traditional method of passing the port started in the Royal Navy and spread to civilian drawing-rooms. The decanter or bottle was passed ‘port to port’ - that is, clockwise. It was placed in front of the host, who served the guest on his right before passing it to the guest on his left, rather than pouring a glass for him. The decanter or bottle was then passed guest to guest until it returned to the host. There were no ladies present; by this time they would have retired to the drawing-room for a touch of sherry and a gossip, while the men remained at table with port and cigars.

Passing the port

The tradition that port should be passed from the right to the left is taken to be a 19th-century British affectation, but it may be a lot older than that. The Celts believed that the 'lucky turn' was to the right, and this system should be used for passing anything around, as in carrying a coffin round the grave before lowering it, or passing round a drinking-cup. The notion that passing from right to left is lucky, while passing from left to right is unlucky, exists in many world cultures.

How and when to drink port