For The Love Of Port

1900 Niepoort Porto Colheita - Portugal, Douro, Porto (1/24/2024) Day 1 - Decanted five hours before service. Light brownish gold. Dominated by monstrous acid coming from 55 years in wood. Underneath there's good signs of toffee, brown sugar, molasses, all those sweet notes you want from a port. It...

I've had this one and the VV with several hours of decanting and it was stunning. So I don't think you would go wrong with a few hours of air. I agree with Andy. Anything wood-aged Port that's been in bottle that long needs some decant time, so a couple of hours (or a few) will be beneficial. Thank...

I am fine with the way it is. Comes down to whether I like the tawny and think it's priced accordingly. Call it 10, 20, or whatever. But the issue with that is that the producers clearly price based on the stated age on the bottle. The average consumer, the people not using this forum, judge that o...

Andy Velebil wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 8:25 am I've had this one and the VV with several hours of decanting and it was stunning. So I don't think you would go wrong with a few hours of air.

That's great Andy. I have served the VV as well, and I believe I gave that a few hours of air as well. Thanks for the help!

I am fine with the way it is. Comes down to whether I like the tawny and think it's priced accordingly. Call it 10, 20, or whatever. But the issue with that is that the producers clearly price based on the stated age on the bottle. The average consumer, the people not using this forum, judge that o...

For those who have tasted the 1900 Niepoort Colheita, most of which have statements on the bottle that it was bottled in 1972, do you have a recommendation for how far in advance the wine should be decanted before service? My gut tells me a couple of hours, but I thought I would ask those who have c...

I just caught up on this old thread that reemerged. Ultimately, the truth should be followed by adding "style" to the label instead of misleading the consumer that the wine in the bottle is 10 years old. Remember that lots of regulations are written to help support industries and not neces...

1964 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage Quinta de Vargellas - Portugal, Douro, Porto (9/20/2023) Double decanted earlier in the day and served several hours later. Really amazing for what it is, and an excellent drink in and of itself. Brown with red color notes, very much like a tawny that's probably...

2001 Smith Woodhouse Porto Late Bottled Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (4/21/2023) Decanted 12 hours before service. Opaque purple color. Medium sweetness with still some alcohol heat showing. Lots of red fruit showing. Not close to maturity yet. https://cdn.ct-static.com/labels/94e759b9-d400-4f8...

1983 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (11/25/2022) Double decanted three hours before service. Light red color. Good tannins but only a little alcohol heat. Medium sweetness. The overall experience was what I expected for what's turned out to be a lesser declared vintage. I lik...

Hi John, Just wondered if, 2-3 weeks later, you've found the 1937's profile has changed for the better... is the residual sugar still so dominant? I have 2 bts of the same bottling, & was thinking of gifting one to a friend who prefers a high acid, drier style of madeira... Hi Nigel, I'm afraid...

1937 D'Oliveiras Madeira Sercial - Portugal, Madeira (10/3/2022) 2017 bottling. Double decanted two days before service. Clear medium brown color with a green rim. Very high acidity, as expected from a relatively young Madeira. Lots of residual sugar hidden by the acid. A couple of hours later, the...

Brought to a dinner by a friend. I don't know anything about provenance. Oporto bottled in 1947. Decanted 5 hours before service (too long?). Light brink red in the glass. Alcohol heat still intense. Any sweetness is masked by the alcohol heat. Flavors of raspberry and cooked rhubarb. After about 15...

I have a number of 1980 ports, but alas, this magnum was my only bottle of 1980 Dow.

1995 Kopke Porto Colheita - Portugal, Douro, Porto (2/19/2022) Popped and poured. Bottled in 2015. Oddly very light in both color and palate. The color was light orange. Very smooth on the palate without any real alcohol heat. Good sweetness that allowed for pairing with a dessert (we did brownies)...

1980 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (2/16/2022) From magnum. Double decanted five hours before service. Some eucalyptus on the nose. Dark red with no sign of color loss. Completely balanced. Hardly any alcohol heat. Chocolate and dark fruits on the palate. Still very youthful with decad...

1977 Graham Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (1/19/2022) From magnum. Double decanted about five hours before service. Reddish brown color. Aeration really helped this wine put on weight. The wine is pretty sweet but there's still some nice acidity to balance it out. Not much alcohol heat at ...

I'm ok with producers recorking older bottles that are still in their possession, although topping up with other bottles is potentially dangerous because of the effects from the other cork that was in that bottle However, I don't consider 40-year-old port old enough to be a candidate for recorking.

Here are my notes on a bottle I opened last night. Andy, the wine is definitely fully mature but it will also easily make it to it's 50th anniversary without any problem. Decanted four hours before service. A nice brick red color that looks healthy. Medium sweet with some alcohol heat, but there's a...

From a bottle purchased on release. The bottle was opened six hours before service. Sorry for the short notes. Medium reddish brown in color. Really well balanced on the palate. It's got good acidity, but there's little alcohol heat. The fruit is really popping on this. I would rate the sweetness as...