Are Large Formats Practical for Port?

[Bradley Bogdan]

So the theme of our magnum+ tasting shall be 1977?

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I can get my hands on a '77 Warres Magnum...


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[Al B.]

Earlier this year I opened a double magnum of Sandeman Vau 1997 for home consumption. It took me about 3 weeks and by the time I finished the DM I was so bored with that particular port that I was desperate to move on to something else - it's a perfectly nice port, but there was just too much of it.

In early 2013 we managed to put together a vertical of Dow magnums (which we called the "Dow Magnumonicon") and had a tasting where we drank magnums of 1963, 1970, 1977, 1980, 1985 and 1994. We washed dinner down with a magnum of Warre 1985.

I do like the pota-style Tappit Hen. I used one very successfully to keep 7 people from being too thirsty after a port dinner in October 2013 when we drank around a bottle of port each with dinner but didn't want to stop. The Tappit Hen became empty about 2am and that seemed the perfect time to retire to bed.

I love the idea of the very large size bottle, but fear that they will need so long to reach the point at which VP is at its most enjoyable that I will not benefit from the current fashion for a small number of large formats to be filled each vintage. I love the idea of clubbing together with other port lovers to share, say, a double magnum of Cockburn 1955 but don't think I'll be able to wait another 56 years for the Quevedo 2011 double magnums to reach the same stage of maturity.

[Andy Velebil]

3L by yourself? Uh, yeah, I think everyone would get sick of the same thing after that long.