A few questions for the port amateur here

[Evangelos M.]

I am a very big spirits fan which include: tequila, bourbon, scotch (all iterations), rum, cognac

I do like port and have slowly increased my interest in them. I do have some questions though.

From what I understand the white splash of paint on the bottom of a bottle signifies a good vintage year. (at least that's what I was told and it is what I tell other people) 2003 being one of those years. One bottle I had and opened and finished was a Smith Woodhouse 2003 vintage port. It was excellent, but I have a few questions now....

1) Was this something I should not have opened yet?
2) What is the ideal time to open and enjoy a vintage port?
3) What are other "white splash" years? Is there a running list somewhere?
4) A vintage port is an aged wine, right? How long is it aged? Is there a certain amount of time it needs to be aged to be considered a "port"?

I know tawny ports are meant to be enjoyed immediately, but they are not my cup of tea. Too resiny and oakey for my taste. Although, the most aged tawny I have had was a 10 year. I assume they get better with age.

Anyway, I appreciate anyone that helps me with these questions. I apologize if I could've searched the forum and found all the answers I needed.

Vange

[Andy Velebil]

Vange,

Welcome to FTLOP. Before I answer your questions, if you could add your last name and location into your profile, as it is required. Thanks, and we are a friendly lot, i swear :)

1) Was this something I should not have opened yet?

There is no wrong time to open a VP. Although most affecionados prefer to drink VPs when they are mature, it is fun to also try them when young. But they can be very different after years in bottle. VPs require plenty of time to age in bottle. Excatly how long depends on the year, producer, style, and other factors. I think Roy's "tasting note" section is down right now as they add lots more tasting notes. But people here can and will give you advice on storage for a particular producer and year.

2) What is the ideal time to open and enjoy a vintage port?

Anytime

3) What are other "white splash" years? Is there a running list somewhere?

The paint splash only denotes what "side-up" the bottle was stored at the Port lodge. White paint goes up. A lot of producers have stopped doing this due to the labor costs invloved in painting each bottle.

4) A vintage port is an aged wine, right? How long is it aged? Is there a certain amount of time it needs to be aged to be considered a "port"?

VPs are aged for 2 years in barrels (called Pipes) then bottled unfiltered and unfined. They are designed to slowly mature in bottle for many years, and in some cases over 1/2 a century or more.
Port is Port as soon as it is fortified during the fermentation process.

Hope this helps a bit and I'm sure others will chime in with their excellant advice also.

[Evangelos M.]

I added my location and fixed my name. I realized I made a typo. My realname is Evangelos, but people can call me Vange for short. I dont want to put my last name in there since I have been getting googled a lot lately!
Although, my last name is really easy to find.

I thank you for your answers. I have a few follow-up questions.

So, the white paint doesn't mean much? Oh well. I guess my source is bad then! Does that mean all vintage port is the same then and that the vintage is really just the year?

[Alex K.]

All vintage port the same?? Don't blaspheme on this site.

Vintage Port is the top of the tree for Ports. Most of the houses only declare a vintage in certain years such as 2003. Mostly there are only three maybe four declared years in a decade. In off years the wines go to other non-vintage ports but some will declare a Single Quinta Vintage Port (so if you see SQVP, that's what it is), where the wines from one vineyard are used. These are normally cheaper and earlier drinkers but some are absolute wingers - Roy will tell you about Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1987... several times... and then some... and some more.

[Frederick Blais]

Hi Vange and welcome to the Forum.

About the white paint, your source is not totally wrong. The main purpose as Andy points out is to put the bottle paint side up, but only Vintage Port do have that mark, so yes it can be said that this is a quality sign to find on a bottle of Port.

For the aging of Port, the minimum requirement is 18 months for Ruby type of Port. Some other category of Port do age further in barrels, sometimes for half-century while the VIntage Port category is meant to age in bottle instead.

To be called a Port, the grapes have to be harvested in the Douro region of Portugal and meet some regulations too and quality standards, but yes it becomes Port when we stop the process of sugar transformation into alcool by killing the yeast by adding neutral alcohol of 77%/vol. Killing the yeast and keeping the sugary fruity flavours. Then the aging process in barrels and bottle is different for each type or Port.

No ALL VIntage Port are not the same. Each shippers(companies) has its style, some more dry, some more jammy. Some do also invest more into quality of their products, have the best vineyards and great winemaker to make in the end better products. Appart from the company, the Vintage year is important to get the right components to be able to put top quality juice into the bottle so it is Vintage Port Quality! This is why Vintage Port do get produce once every 3 years on average.

[Evangelos M.]

Wow, thanks for all the info. So far I am very impressed by this forum.

Anyway, I didnt mean to say all vintage port is the same in taste and profile, but rather that vintage port is vintage port based on decalred year. So, if a bottle says vintage port it is from a declared year by nature of being called vintage port. Not sure if that makes sense.

With that said, let's say I go out and buy a case of 2003 vintage port, I could drink some now, but what would be a good average time to wait? I also may want to tell anyone I buy a bottle for (even if that is me) how long they could wait if they wanted to.

[Evangelos M.]

So, vintage port can be aged in bottle for up to 50 years, but many seem to reach peak maturity after 30 years? Wow.

[Derek T.]

Vange,

When to drink your 2003 VP is a matter of personal taste. I prefer mature VP whilst others, particularly on your side of the Atlantic, like to drink it young (less than 10 yrs old).

The best way to work out the answer to your question is to go out and buy 12 bottles of VP of different ages spanning 3 or 4 decades. Drink them over a period of time (days rather than hours :? ) and take tasting notes as you go. By the time you have had your 12th bottle you will know what your answer to your own question is 8)

Derek

[Evangelos M.]

Derek, it sounds like a plan. I may do that in 07, it would be a fun test.

On a side note, how long should PV be decanted?

[Derek T.]

how long should PV be decanted?

PV? Have you been drinking already

You will have to buy another 12 bottles to work out the answer to that one

I would suggest you search throught the Port Forum and Virtual Tasting Room sections of this board and read the tasting notes posted there. You will see a diverse range of views on how long VP should be decanted ranging from 1 hour to 2 or 3 days. Again this is all about personal taste and the optimum time will differ for each person for each different wine. As a starting point I would suggest you allow 2 hours. A good way to find the hot spot for a particular wine is t tasted it at 2 or 4 hour intervals taking a note each time. You will find many notes like this on this board. Keep a record of your notes and oer time you will work out your own preference for decanting times for each of the wines you hae in your cellar.

Derek

[Evangelos M.]

PV?!? Oops! Funny thing is, I had it as VP and then changed it. Weird, again, thanks for the info. I'll keep reading posts in this forum and see what I dig up.

[Roy Hersh]

Vange,

I would suggest that you find a group of folks or a couple of others guys who also love Port and get a tasting group going and you don't have to just focus on Port ... but always include one or two in the lineup.

Eric who posts here often and he also came to Portugal on our trip and he has a solid palate, even if he is somewhat new to Port ... would be a great addition. I'm sure he would enjoy drinking with other like minded Port enthusiasts.

[Tom Archer]

Vange,

Port is the ultimate stress reliever. It is the perfect drink to share in relaxed company, it is also the perfect drink to finish the evening - especially when the rest of the world is making demands that can spoil your sleep.

Those who drink port regularly (but in moderation) and avoid stress in their lifestyle, have a tendency to reach a great age - look at the academics in Britain's great universties....

For those who live a fast and exhausting lifestyle, the raw vibrancy of immature vintage port (sometimes matched with dark chocolate) can be very rewarding.

For the rest of us, fully mature wine (which can sometimes be as young as 12 years old, but is more often over 20 years old) is usually the wine of choice.

In theory, vintage port is bought by one generation for the benefit of the next, although few on this site have had the benefit of such a legacy...

Tom

[Guest]

Try buying two identical bottles of port (nothing too expensive, perhaps another 2003 would be pefect). Open one the night before, and open the other bottle an hour before. Invite a few friends and compare the differences the breathing can do to the identical port.

Although this is a little different than bottle aging, it can show you how port develops over time. Which one of the two you like better is personal preference and there is no "wrong" answer.

Welcome to our forum!