The bottle was a gift from new partners, and certainly not worth any more than the $25 limit imposed upon one by the policies of most corporations. I say this with conviction, because, unless it’s a rare vintage or from a top producer, Port in Portugal is very affordable…downright cheap (though I would never say cheap, for fear of insulting my hosts). They could have given me a company shirt that would have easily cost more.
But this was not what concerned me. You see, the next stop on my itinerary was Dubai. And though I’d been before, and witnessed the general laissez-faire attitude towards many of the UAE’s Sharia-based laws, deep down inside me there lives an Iowan, not wanting to run afoul of any law (unless it involves speeding on a country highway).
So I looked it up…whew. As a non-Muslim, I’m allowed up to two liters of alcoholic beverages. Port, that sublime elixir, evoking sunny days on the Douro and fortification against chilly nights, could accompany me into the emirate. What a gift, indeed!
A most common yet lovely ruby port
Pulling up to the gate at DXB, a fellow Emirates flight beside us
From between the curtains, a view of Star Wars City