One of our guests for episode 201 of The Adelaide Show, Matt Taylor, provided a bottle of Galway Pipe Grand Tawny with a difference for our SA Drink Of The Week.
Matt has allergic reactions to red wine but Tawny does not affect him, thus he went to the “king among men” of tawnies, the Galway PIpe from Langhorne Creek.
Adding yet another twist, Matt brought the bottle directly from his freezer, where he’d been chilling it.
He argues that “Port” has long been considered a winter drink but he likes to drink it year round and has found that by keeping it in the fridge, it makes for a refreshing summer drink, too.
He also noted that people in Portugal, the home of Port, do likewise.
Historically, the drink is named after Governor Sir Henry Galway, governor of South Australia from 1914-1920. Governor Galway was a frequent visitor to the winery and on each visit he would conduct a tasting of the finest “pipes” (500L barrels) of port. Whichever pipe was most to his liking was inscribed as “Galway’s Pipe” and that particular blend was used exclusively at Government House.
Galway Pipe Grand Tawny tasting notes
Krystal Brock, guest, said it is very smooth, with a hint of chocolate, and is very refreshing.
Steve described an aroma of bruised plums and cola.
On his palate, he described the Tawny as like twisting, turning, and splashing down a large, swimming pool, slippery slide filled with chilled, sweet, grape juice, and at the end he’d forgo the towel and just lick himself off.
Matt concurred with Krystal’s comments about smoothness but qualified Steve’s note about sweetness, saying it is not as sweet as many other tawnies.
He also pointed out the presence of some spice on the palate, even with a tingling burn.
Steve finished off by noting there was still an elusive element in the heady mix of flavours that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
In summary, we heartily recommend Galway Pipe Grand Tawny and you can hear the live tasting by downloading episode 201 of The Adelaide Show in your favourite podcast app, or by playing it, below. The tasting starts about three minutes in.