The legendary Noval has produced a deliciously attractive, light and poised wine, with fresh fruit and acidity. It is dry in style, with some tannins, and a layer of spirit that is well in balance. The aftertaste floats with acidity and fruit.

Quinta do Novel's 10 Year Old Tawny exhibits a light ruby/garnet color, sweet jammy fruit, nice spice, cedar and smoke in the nose, and good concentration. Tawny ports are aged in wood from essentially a solera system for the number of years indicated on the bottle. In most cases I prefer the younger ten or twenty year Tawnys to the ancient forty to fifty year old wines, but it is really a matter of taste. I tend to like more fruit rather than the oxidized and aged characteristics of the very old tawnys.