For The Love Of Port

Hi Andy I understand your frustration about Port communication. I also feel the same. But, as I am an optimist man and believe the quality of Port Wine, I think that this quality product will come up again. If we look at the history of different wine categories, we see that there are high and low pe...

Hi Bob Of course, the best thing is to drink all the Vintage bottle. If not, you have to think like a fortified red wine. I explain: In red wine, you have a quality ascendant curve after opening the bottle and this stabilises for some period the top quality and then drops very quickly. For Vintage, ...

Hi Cynthia Hip, hip, hurrah! . . . Finally, we can talk! Thank you for your comments that I really appreciated. About my sons, I do like my father did with me – I don’t interfere. I let them following their way and try to learn and understand which is their way. The fact is that they live in a wine ...

[ 2 - You can by a case of Vintage Ramos Pinto in London or in Portugal or anywhere else. Please just let me know your contact and a miracle will happen! [ Thank you - I appreciate your help. I have sent you a private message with my contact details. Kind regards, OK, David! We’ll keep in touch. All...

Hello Sean 1)They go for many countries but, as a small House, I think it is a bit difficult to fight against big Houses. I think we have to do a better effort in USA. 2)Of course, those wines are more and more rare and difficult to find but I will try to contact with you at the time of my next trip...

Hi Stewart 1)The Single Quinta Tawny Bom Retiro, because it is something very traditional. Here at Ramos Pinto, for several years, the culture of this blend became a Family treasure. 2)I appreciate that you call me a philosopher not because I am in a scientific way but because I confer much importan...

Hi Michael In fact, Ramos Pinto 2004 LBV is almost a Vintage, as you said. Here is the reason: Ramos Pinto makes Traditional LBV’s, thus meaning that those wines are made with our own best grapes and treaded in “lagares” like we do for the Vintage. This wine is not filtered or chilled and so we do i...

Hi Roy The oldest LBV registered at IVDP is for sure 1927 Ramos Pinto. Portuguese Houses, such as Ramos Pinto, used to let the wines more time in casks and then bottle them 4,5 years later. Thus, the wine could be drunk earlier and Vintage could be made then but at that time it was a product demande...

Hi David, Well, having said that I would like very much to visit your cellar!!!! Regarding your questions: 1 - We have stopped producing those wines since times have changed. Ramos Pinto finished bottling Colheitas to dedicate exclusively to the Tawnies with an indication of age (10, 20 and 30 year-...

Hi Daniel Please call me João! (the titles are a nasty habit here in Portugal!) Thank you for your nice words about my father, myself and my son (I've even blushed!) Ramos Pinto was one of the first, not to say the first ones, to start the new Douro in 1990 when we launched into the market 60 000 bo...

Hi Andy In fact for the last years there has been a huge development in terms of tourism. Everything started about 10 years ago when the hotel boats navigating from Oporto to Spain. Fortunately, the Douro Valley was considered World Heritage by Unesco and that brought rules, namely for further inves...

Dear Moses It was a great pleasure to meet you and to drink Port with you. Regarding your questions: 1 - Louis Roederer was a happy marriage because the strategy they wanted for the House was exactly the one we were foreseeing: own production, limited but top quality. This sell allowed to lead inves...

Dear Roy In fact that is a quite complicated question. Until the 18th century most of the vineyards were planted in "pilheiros" (a kind of a square hole dig in the stone wall where vines could be planted horizontally and trained onto a sideways trellis that overhangs the terrace below). Pl...

Hi Derek, As regards the pink / rose Port I think it's a wine to be drunk as younger as possible to enjoy the fruity flavor because I don't think it's a wine that will age for a longtime. On the other hand, the white Port with an indication of age, I think it's a wine that can age very well and it's...

Dear Glenn I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the visit to Quinta de Ervamoira and also that you appreciate our 20 year-old tawny (which I also like very much). To reach Quinta de Ervamoira is very difficult, but that is what makes things more exciting. When you start from the beginning in a place w...

Hi Rune, Regarding your question, I don't think Roederer is considering further expansion in Douro or even to buy any other Port producers. Roederer bought Ramos Pinto because of its own production strategy. As you may know, their philosophy for the whole group is both limited and own production. We...

Hi Roy, I am quite happy to be sitting with a nice glass of Port while I try to answer to your questions!!! As I've mentioned the cork industry is developing a lot and faster and the producers are treating the cork immediately after taking it from the tree, in the region, in order to sterilize all t...

Hi Paul That's a really though question. The Vintage is very exciting because you have to find the best grapes that most of the times are in limited quantities in order to take advantage of the greatest quality that the Nature can give you. The tawny is a very unique culture on wine ageing. We have ...

Hi Eric, I think if we know exactly what we are planting and the final quality results we expect we can plant it all mixed. This is a way to adapt to modern times the traditional way of planting and knowing exactly what we are doing. We already have some vineyards planted like that. Regarding the gr...

Hi Derek
As I answered to Alex, the legislation still doesn't allow making single varietal Port Wines and, in my opinion, I hope this keep being like this for the reasons I mentioned above.

João