budget-friendly everyday ports

[Michael G.]

Hello all,

First off, let me say thanks to Mr. Hersh and all the members who have made this site such a wonderful place to learn about port.

I occasionally splurge on a vintage port or 20-year tawny, but my current budget doesn't allow for everyday drinking of such ports. I was wondering what others here might recommend as an inexpensive, everyday kind of port. Here are a few of things I am looking for just to give you an idea:

1. Inexpensive (say, under $20. The lower the better :) )
2. Able to last at least a couple weeks after opening.
3. Not a tawny (I like tawnies, but prefer the "redder" types of port)

Currently, my "go to" port is Noval LB which I can often find on good sales for around $13. All opinions and recommendations are appreciated. Also, if you think there is nothing worthwhile that fulfills my criteria, I would love to hear why. I just need something to get me by until I can save up for a few cases of Nacional.

Thanks,
Michael

[David G.]

I drink Dow's Boardroom tawny as my daily go-to Port. For daily non-Tawnies, I find Smith Woodhouse's Lodge Reserve too flat, but Six Grapes and Bin 27 are nice. I too would be interested in others' comments or tasting notes on these or other daily Ports. I would think that only tawnies could last a couple weeks open but if others here know otherwise I would like to be informed.

Premier Cru had the Noval Silval 2003 750 ml for $25 a few weeks ago. I should have bought a couple cases. At that price, it too could be a daily drinker though might not last as long opened as a tawny.

[Andy Velebil]

Michael,

Welcome to the site, I second Fonseca's Bin 27 and Six Grapes. Niepoort's Junior tawny is also good and is more if a ruby than tawny and it retails around the $10.00 mark. Although it is a bit tougher to find than the other two mentioned. Cockburn's Special Reserve is an ok one for the price too.

Also, have you tried any LBV's. They can typically be found for less than $20.00, and are rather easy to find. They can last the couple of weeks you mentioned, but may not be quite as fresh as when opened. But for a small glass every other night or so, they often hit the spot.

Let us know what you end up getting.

[Michael G.]

Thanks for the tips, guys. That deal on 2003 Silval was pretty tempting. I actually have a little 2000 Silval sitting around that I was thinking of trying out.

I have tried a couple of LBVs and have enjoyed them. I wonder, would filtered vs. unfiltered make a difference in how long they keep after opening? Or does it have to do more with how long they spent in barrel previous to being bottled? Anyway, I noticed some Dow 2000 LBV at my local Trader Joe's for under $17. I may have to give that a try.

Michael

[Roy Hersh]

Michael,

I think the shelf life has more to do with the amount of time the Port sits in wood, rather than going unprocessed.

For one of the most extensive Port retailers in our area, check out The Spanish Table on Western Ave., just below the Pike Place Market. Some excellent Ports in there.

Thanks for your kind words.

[Dave Johnson]

my advice is to buy LBV's in 375ml.

[Al B.]

I have never seen an LBV in half bottles in the UK - I never even knew that the port houses bottled LBV in halves.

Anyone know where you can get halves of LBV in the UK?

Alex

[Dave Johnson]

Niepoort markets LBV's in 375ml (see my recent tasting note of the '99 - it was very good)

[jon bricken]

I have been buying Presidental LBV 2000 in 1/2 btls for $9.99.

[pgwerner]

I'd reiterate the advice to go with LBV Ports, rather than "Vintage Character" Ports. The price difference is small – LBV Ports, on average, are $5-10 more expensive, but given the extreme variation in retail prices for wine, that difference is practically meaningless, and often you can find LBV Ports selling for the same price (or less) than Vintage Character Ports.

Also, filtered vs unfiltered really does make a difference - LBVs are partially bottle-aged (typically they're in the bottle for a couple of years before they go on sale). Unfiltered Ports improve in the bottle, while filtered ones improve very little, if at all. Dow does exclusively filtered LBV, and having tried it, I don't recommend it. They make a Crusted Port that's quite good and not very expensive, but you won't see that TJ's.

There are several good LBVs available for under $20. My current "go to" port is Ramos-Pinto LBV, which I get at Wine Club for $14/bottle (before tax). That's here in San Francisco - I don't know what the bargains are in Seattle. Based on my experiences with Spanish Table here in the Bay Area, I can say that even though they're selection is good, they're prices aren't that good, and they have a noticeably higher markup than some of the other Bay Area wine stores (such as K&L, Wine Club, and Beltramo's). I'm not sure how they compare to other Seattle wine stores in that regard.

Peter

[Jay Woodruff]

LBV vs Ruby:

Looking online things can be different, but in my market I always see the ruby poorts, such as Fonseca Bin 27 within $2 of the LBV wines. In a few cases, I see the Bin 27 selling for more than the Fonseca LBV (Whole Foods recently).

As such, I mainly drink LBV if looking for a daily drinker. Unless I want to wait for a good sale or have ruby port shipped in, it just is not worth it to me. When my wife needs some ruby for a recipe, I would rather open a LBV so I have something to drink.

Jay.

[Ronald Wortel]

Crusted ports could be an option as well. They can be found under €20 here, but I don't know what the prices are in the US (with the crappy exchange rate at the moment). Churchill, Dow and Graham produce one, of which I probably like Graham the best (which is funnym because normally, I never like Graham best... )

[Michael G.]

Sounds like LBVs are getting the most votes here. I think I'll keep my eye out for good LBV deals and try some more out.

Since, for me, this seems to have come down to an LBV vs Reserve/Vintage Character issue, I would be interested to know what differences there are in the wine making process for these two styles. Obviously unfiltered LBVs are quite different and reserves are made from a blend of several years, but otherwise are they vinified in pretty much the same way?

Would a "VP is to Crusted as LBV is to Reserve" analogy be not too far off?

Thanks again,
Michael

[Al B.]

Michael,

I think your analogy is pretty much spot on!

VP and LBV are single year blends from different sites. Crusted and ruby/vintage character are multi-year blends from different sites.

LBV and ruby/vintage character are matured in wood for a longer period (generally) than VP or crusted.

Alex

[John Conwell]

For my day to day sipping pleasure I've found a good deal 1989 Porto Rocha Colheita at my local Whole Foods that I've been really enjoying.

[Roy Hersh]

Peter wrote: There are several good LBVs available for under $20. My current "go to" port is Ramos-Pinto LBV, which I get at Wine Club for $14/bottle (before tax). That's here in San Francisco - I don't know what the bargains are in Seattle. Based on my experiences with Spanish Table here in the Bay Area, I can say that even though they're selection is good, they're prices aren't that good, and they have a noticeably higher markup than some of the other Bay Area wine stores (such as K&L, Wine Club, and Beltramo's). I'm not sure how they compare to other Seattle wine stores in that regard.

For Seattleites: I agree that the prices at Spanish Table may be higher than you can find at some places in CA, but they buy from Distributors getting these bottles ex-cellars. In Seattle, they have by far the finest selection of VP of any shop by leaps and bounds. If you prefer Colheitas than the finest shop anywhere around here is in Redmond, called FINE WINE & CIGARS in the Redmond Towne Center. Lots of Rocha and some great old Kopke too (I prefer Kopke in general). If you want to buy your VPs from out of state, there are places on both coasts and the middle that do a great job. Keep an eye on the MARKETPLACE too as there have been some great bargains and also tremendously rare offerings there too.

[Cindy Walker]

I've been interested in exploring Port and decided to try a Crusted Port which has been touted as "the poorman's (or woman's) vintage port. It's blended from 2 or 3 vintages and I've heard, closer in character of vintage port. It really has a rich denseness to it. I've just tried Dow's Crusted Port bottled in 1999. See my notes under the topic of Single Quinta Vintage port forum also under Port Basics.

[Doug Zdanivsky]

I've never had a bad Smith Woodhouse LBV '94, and the price is right, for a Port..

[Jay Powers]

Niepoort markets LBV's in 375ml (see my recent tasting note of the '99 - it was very good)

I agree that the 1999 Niepoort LBV is very good, and at $16/750 mL or $8 for the 375 mL is a great deal and is my go-to everyday port. The 375's can be poured without decanting with a little care, as there is not much sediment yet. The 1996 is very good as well, although I recommend decanting.

Jay

[windycityjim]

The 2000 Dow LBV is excellent. For LBVs, I'd also recommend a Fladgate, 1996 or 1997, both around $20. Try an Australian tawny - Whiskers Blake is amazing for $13.