What to get to start a collection?

[Joe Chan]

I just recently discovered port, and I want to start a small collection of VP, but I have no idea what to get. I want to have a few bottles to give to the kids in 20-30 years, and a few bottles to enjoy ourselves for the next few decades. I don't have much room, may be 20 bottles max. I know nothing about port (besides I like it ). Any advice on what to get? And where I should get it from (I'm in MA)? Most of the big liquor stores I checked has very small selections.

[Todd Pettinger]

Hi Joe, and welcome to FTLOP

I would recommend looking at Roy's Top 12 on the main page and determine if you can find any of the reasonably priced bottles in your area. If you can score any of these, they will be a great way to start the collection with a few special bottles.

The other recommendation would eb to determine what is available in your area for VPs and then search on this forum, particularly the Tasting Notes section. Many of our members have tried virtually everything out there and have been generously posting tasting notes so people like you and I can benefit from their experiences.

Lastly, if you find a particular style and house that you do enjoy a lot, purchase and enjoy many more!
Stay within your budget but also take the time to enjoy life and make a special purchase every now and again. Don't forget to come back here and post your thoughts on all the bottles that you try!

Todd

[Glenn E.]

Part of what makes Roy's top 12 great is that the list spans 1966 - 2003. So if your storage space is limited, those 12 bottles will get you started with a broad selection of Ports, some of which are ready to drink now, some of which will not be ready for 30+ years, and everything in-between. Some of the prices have gone up (some quite a bit) since he wrote the article, though, so be prepared for that when you're out searching.

[Moses Botbol]

The best selection of vintage port in the Boston area are at Marty's or Brookline Liqours. I would consider picking your children Vesuvio cases. They come in 6 and are just beautifully packaged. If your end up kids hating port, they'll appreciate the packaging at least.

Do you have a cellar storage available? Port does not need fancy shelves. On the cellar floor in a box is generally fine in the North East

[Joe Chan]

I looked at wine-searcher for all the 12 on the list. There were only 2-3 that I can find locally, Vesuvio 1994 happens to be Gary's liquor down the street . I guess I'll just go to those two stores that you recommended and see what they have.

As for storage, I have a small plumbing closet in the basement, right next to the brand new water main. The temperature in there is 55-60F, 50% humidity all year round. I hope it's good enough.

BTW, once a bottle of VP is opened, how long does it stay good?

[Andy Velebil]

I just recently discovered port, and I want to start a small collection of VP, but I have no idea what to get. I want to have a few bottles to give to the kids in 20-30 years, and a few bottles to enjoy ourselves for the next few decades. I don't have much room, may be 20 bottles max. I know nothing about port (besides I like it ). Any advice on what to get? And where I should get it from (I'm in MA)? Most of the big liquor stores I checked has very small selections.

Joe,

First let me welcome you to the forum

You've come to the right place, and please worry because with this group you'll soon need lots of room to store your future bottles. While the others have already given some good advice I'll add that you shouldn't forget the lower priced and easy to find Ports for "daily drinkers." These don't need to be cellared so you can save that space for VP's. Check out Noval Black, Graham's Six Grapes, Warre's Warrior, 10 Year old Tawnys from Ferreira-Taylors-Niepoort-Ramos Pinto-etc. Those are great everyday Ports that won't break the bank. We've got a few members from your area, Moses being one, that can point you in the right direction for the better retailers to visit and buy from.

[John M.]

Hi Joe;

I, too, am a noob to Port. Roy's list is great, but pass on the 1983 Cockburn's as that vintage has "corked" issues.

What Andy said above was perfect--also look for Late Bottle Vintages (LBV)--most of these are under $25/bottle and very approachable right away, or if unfiltered, you can cellar for a few years.

Half the fun for me is finding deals and new ones to try. All TN's are linked to Wine Searcher, so you see a port you like you can look up a TN and then find out what an appropriate price is.

Enjoy & Cheers!

John

[Roy Hersh]

Joe,

First and foremost, glad you've found your way to FTLOP and thanks for taking the leap of faith.

I wanted to give others a chance to put forth their suggestions for you and they have done a great job.

You mentioned specifically that you are looking for bottles to give to your children when they grow up and will enjoy the Vintage Ports when they are more mature. Therefore, I suggest you look for Vintage Ports from 1994 onwards (younger) from the likes of 2000, 2003 and 2007. These vintages are much more affordable to buy up front. in 20-30 years, they will be drinking very nicely and your kids will be able to decide whether to drink on special occasions or hold until they are even older ... if they've caught your passion for Port.

In the meantime, if you are looking for Port to drink now, I would also strongly recommend LBV Ports. Half or 1/3 the price of Vintage Ports in terms of cost, and many are ready to drink the day you buy 'em, while some can still improve in the bottle. I'd suggest that experimenting with LBV's will give you a good idea of which house style you will appreciate, without having to spend the big bucks on Vintage Ports.

Andy also made some fine suggestions for Ruby Reserve Ports (Graham's Six Grapes, Noval Black and Fonseca Bin 27 for example). These are even lower in price than the LBV category and are able to be kept open (like LBV) for several weeks, vs VP which should be consumed between 1 day and 1 week, depending on vintage and producer. Then there are the Tawny Ports to explore and I'd suggest you begin with 10 year old Tawny Ports (depending on what's available there) and then move up to 20 year old Tawny Ports if you like the flavor profile of Tawny to begin with.

Please don't be shy about asking us questions. As you can see, we are here to help, and hopefully you will wind up with a bunch of great info to help you make solid decisions and spend lots of your hard earned money on Port wine!

We may all be broke ... but we are happy in knowing we'll drink well.

As for the guy that wrote that 12 step program, er ... Top 12 Port article, feel free to ignore him!

[Moses Botbol]

I looked at wine-searcher for all the 12 on the list. There were only 2-3 that I can find locally, Vesuvio 1994 happens to be Gary's liquor down the street . I guess I'll just go to those two stores that you recommended and see what they have.

As for storage, I have a small plumbing closet in the basement, right next to the brand new water main. The temperature in there is 55-60F, 50% humidity all year round. I hope it's good enough.

BTW, once a bottle of VP is opened, how long does it stay good?

I'd be suprised if Gary's had '94 Vesuvio in stock; their port selction did not wow me about a month ago. It's certainly a port worth grabbing if they do have them.

Your plumbing closet sounds fine for port/wine storage!

[Gary Banker]

If you can travel, the New Hampshire liquor stores have some port. They always have 1985 Warre on the shelves. They are running a sale with 15% off all wine if you buy a dozen (750 or 375).

[Joe Chan]

I have been slowly trying things out:

77 Graham at a dinner party (this was what got me hooked)
Some 20year tawny
10year Offley
Six Grape

I still have o 2003 Dow LBV that I've yet to open.

BTW, I have no idea what to look for in identifying "styles" of different port. What are the variations that I look for? Are there some "typical" example of different styles I should try?

[John M.]

There are two basic types: Ruby and Tawny

Ruby's spend less time in Oak are are generally as follows:

Ruby: To be drunk now
Late Bottle Vintage (about 4-6 years in oak): If filtered, drink now, if unfiltered can drink now or cellar a handful of years
Vintage Ports (1-3 years in oak): cellar and wait until you are old.

There are some others such as crusted ports, but the above are the basics

Tawnies spend a lot of time in oak and the wine is affected by same.

Basic tawny is in the cask an unknown time
Tawnies with an indication of age (typically 10-20-30-40 years) indicated the "average" age of the blend--such as if they mixed equal parts of a 15 year old tawny with a 5 year old, the average would be 10 (Usually the blended age is greater than 10).
Colheita's are tawnies of a particular year. Such as a 1982 Colheita, which was bottled in 2009. There is debate as to whether tawnies age in the bottle--I'll leave that debate to others.

Again, there are some esoteric variations.

I am not the expert here, but I hope this will serve as Port 101. Poke around this site, go to wikipedia, etc.

[Eric Menchen]

I still have o 2003 Dow LBV that I've yet to open.

BTW, I have no idea what to look for in identifying "styles" of different port. What are the variations that I look for? Are there some "typical" example of different styles I should try?

That Dow is a good place to start. Dow is usually one of the dryest Ports, and the 2003 LBV is no exception.

[Joe Chan]

The Dow was indeed very dry. I'm looking for something very different to expand my experience, what LBV should I try next that is very different from the Dow?

[Monique Heinemans.]

Hi Joe,

You could try the Warre 2000 unfilterd LBV or the Niepoort 2055 LBV, both very nice drinking! Both under €20 here in the Netherlands.

As to the VP: There are a lot of TN's on this site, it might take some time reading them all, but it will give you an idea which port is generally prefered by a lot of portlovers (which doesn't mean you have to like it too, but it's a start). But reading about it helps you to discover what you (dis)like in a port.
I myself made an excel sheet (Names of the houses, vintage years and ratings) which I still carry in my purse. Whenever I pass a winestore I take a peek if they have something interesting there for me.

Monique.

[Nick M.]

How old are the kids? There is always the possibility that their birth year was a vintage. That would be a neat place to start....give them a bottle in 20 years from their birth year.

I know when my first was born, my brother gave me the 03 Fonseca. Then when my second was born he gave me the 03 Warre's. So that ended up starting me off collecting from that vintage year.

[Lamont Huxley]

The Dow was indeed very dry. I'm looking for something very different to expand my experience, what LBV should I try next that is very different from the Dow?

If you want something to contrast to the Dow's LBV I would suggest trying a Graham's LBV. Graham's generally produces a rich, sweet style that is definitely a departure from the dryness of Dow's. Graham's LBV is pretty easy to find as well (at least where I am in the NYC area).

[John M.]

The Dow was indeed very dry. I'm looking for something very different to expand my experience, what LBV should I try next that is very different from the Dow?

If you want something to contrast to the Dow's LBV I would suggest trying a Graham's LBV. Graham's generally produces a rich, sweet style that is definitely a departure from the dryness of Dow's. Graham's LBV is pretty easy to find as well (at least where I am in the NYC area).

I agree with Lamont--also I've been seeing Taylor LBV 2005 in stores. Try as many of these as possible--I'd also try Noval Black, Fonseca Bin 27 and Six Grapes if you can find them (all you should be able to find for $20 or less).