Two fine Boxing Day wines

2006 The Standish Single Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 

The Standish Wine Company 

(above and below)

Being away for Christmas has meant that I haven't been choosing all the wines, so there hasn't been a great emphasis on the Loire. For Boxing Day dinner we had a magnum of 2006 The Standish, a single vineyard Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. It was very well balanced – concentration of black fruits but not a head banging Ozzie Shiraz with some freshness in the finish. Decidedly impressive and at 11 years old this still has plenty of life left in it – although it was a magnum. The Standish is a 7.6 hectare vineyard planted in 1912 on its own roots.     

1970 Vintage Port, C. da Silva 

We opened a bottle of this 1970 Port from C da Silva a few weeks back. It was relatively light and I thought it was time to drink up any other bottle we have over the next couple of years or so. The bottle we opened yesterday was considerably more concentrated, more complex with a long finish. A fine bottle indeed. Interesting that even with vintage Port there appears to be considerable bottle variation. 

Why are the Douro trains so dirty?

 Port vineyards through the streaks of grime 

The ride up the Douro from Porto São Bento is recognized as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. Unlike the road the train hugs the river from around Aregos (a little over an hour from Porto) right up to Pocinho, the train’s terminus. The landscape, classified by UNESCO, is increasingly magnificent, especially after Pinhão, with the vineyards (Port and Douro reds) playing a starring role. Sadly many of the windows of the Douro train are engrained with dirt, spoiling both the landscape and any photos you take. 

Curiously the other suburban trains that operate around Porto are very modern and clean as are the ALFA trains running from Porto to Lisbon. Why doesn't Portuguese Railways bother to clean their Douro trains? Equally shouldn't the Portuguese Tourist Board put pressure on the railway to present their wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site in its best possible light?

It is true that train ticket prices are low but they are throughout Portugal and the trains are often clean. I understand that the Douro line is under pressure due to dwindling traffic because of the move away from the country to towns. Presumably improved road links have also played their part as have the popularity of Douro River cruises.
I presume that trains running during the winter between Regua and Pocincho will carry very little traffic. It is a pity that Portuguese Railways and the Portuguese tourist bodies do not do more to promote the regular services on the line, although they do run special trains between Regua and Tua. The journey up the Douro has obvious appeal to wine lovers but is surely much wider than that as the success of the cruises shows.

Is there a place here for some more imaginative promotion and marketing?

The Douro train@Pocinho