For The Love Of Port

Not my bottle, but a friend opened a 1985 Dow's which was in perfect condition. Loved it.

1966 Dow's VP
1950 Dow's VP
1963 Dow's VP

1941 was the beginning of the use of the Selo de Garantia by the IVP. There is a register (cadastra) kept of who the numbered Selos were sent to and when. In the old days, when hand recordings were kept by producers, most kept good records and they had to let the IVP/IVDP know when the seals were us...

From a PR release and on the SFE website too: "For the first time, we are offering a unique opportunity for a private day visit of this remarkable quinta with a dedicated guide. Take in the magnificent estate house and chapel; step into the granite lagares in the winery where grapes are trodden...

Yes, it is very easy to get to for sure. Sorry I did not check back until now. It is a fairly non-descript building and "signage" is minimalist to say the least. If you check my photos from earlier today on FB, you will see what I am talking about. If you look on a phone or iPad, you can e...

Made it to Matriarca on Wednesday and had a nice lunch there. Downstairs is a bit spartan in terms of simple decor with nothing on the walls. The wine bar and serving area is spacious and it was fairly quiet, but it was lunch time which is fairly new there. Very friendly service. Afterwards, we were...

5x 1961 Krohn Colheitas - from 3 different bottlings, purchased in different countries, all with v. good to excellent fill levels. You'll see the photo soon on FOR THE LOVE OF PORT facebook page.

This afternoon, I had an excellent showing of the Burmester 40 year old White Port. Loved it. Only a couple of glasses did the trick.

Thanks Andy on the decant time! LOUISSS J asked me how was the 2011 Taylor's Vintage Port - overall quality: fantastic. Really a superstar that may be the next 1945/1948 for Taylor's. It needed 10 hours in decanter which is a lot more than I typically give ANY Port here in PT. That said, the tannins...

I hope your wrong, but we shall see. I remember moments in previous decades when long downward cycles were said to be complete resets. Nobody ever saw the bottom coming. Nor did they know or even believe that there would be an increase again. "You may be right, I may be crazy ... "

The USA is in a similar bind, but for different reasons, nothing to do directly with tax. Indirectly, USA tariffs ARE having a negative effect ... at least here in PT, as small and medium sized producers are quietly speaking of their fears stemming from the USA market specifically, but the larger gl...

How much air time did you give it Andy?

Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worst. Now over 100 fires blazing and temps back up and wind driving things out of control. This governments sees loads of wildfires, gets money from the EU to improve things, yet seemingly no new infrastructure ever appears. Stories, (I don't know the...

Good thing 2024 Vintage Ports are a year out and highly anticipated. Still early, as 2023 VP is just hitting. Things are calming a bit with the fires, slightly cooler temps, and still not as horrific as 2017, or France this past week or so ...with 16,000 ha lost. But there's still plenty of summer l...

Over the past few weeks: A pair of Menin 50 Year Old White Port - 500 ml 1955 Taylor's Vintage Port 1931 Krohn Colheita 1961 Krohn's Vintage Port 1966 Taylor's Vintage Port 2012 Taylor's Vargellas Vintage Port * 40 YO JMdF Moscatel de Setubal "Alambre" (Not Port) A pair of 1963 Burmester C...

2023, an "also ran" vintage. In 2024, the prior year's juice was talked about as being good, but many knowledgeable Duriense and Port savvy peeps after the harvest were talking about the 2024 as the next Classic declaration. In quiet circles, that talk is getting louder now. I have no hors...

Back to Beneficio: 2025 with its 75,000 pipa quota, is the lowest of all In the 21st century. 2011, was an outstanding year and due to a MAJOR faux pas by the then head of the IVDP, (and to a lesser extent, the Minister of Agriculture) the quantity had been reduced from 2010 by the largest increment...

Portugal is not alone with the current wave of disastrous wildfires, but it cannot be overlooked here. Since I returned from Seattle, there has been a new wave of horrific fires in this country. But things are also bad in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, the UK, and growing worse in Finland too. Pro...

This level of cuts is going to be dangerous. I can't remember the last time that Beneficio was this low. And as terrible as this is for the Port trade, special categories continue to do well. Is it time to move away from basic Ruby & basic Tawny Port altogether? While this decrease will result i...

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