For The Love Of Port

Time for an admission of guilt - I have never tried a Ferreira port. I do however, want to! So what should I try and where can I buy it in the UK?

Secondly, I've just started stocking O'Hanlon's Port Stout - anyone had it?

Peter

Grab their 10 and 20 year old tawny's to start with. They are some of my favorites and the leaders of the class, IMHO.

1985 Ferreira Vintage is also a generous Port. But the 20 year old Tawny, Ferreira's vaunted Duque de Braganca is worth every penny!

Come to Boston and we'll treat to as much Ferreira as you can handle :twisted:

The LBV is a great value. A touch below Warres & Dow in quality, yet has a distinctive taste that is quite nice.

Peter,

Although my experience of Ferreira is limited, I can truly say that I have never had a VP from Ferreira that I have not enjoyed. So, my advice, if you want a Ferreira VP experience then get the oldest you can find that is reasonably priced and tell us what you think.

Alex

Disclaimer I have only had the 1963, 1980 and 1985

Someday, I have to transcribe my written tasting notes from 1994 to about 2002. There are lots of 'em but all written on pages that resemble the ones in the back of Suckling's book; so they are much shorter than what is in the FTLOP database. I can't wait until the quality of voice activated computer writing gets more advanced.

My point is, that MANY of the oldest VPs from the early to late 1800s which I have consumed in the aforementioned years, came from Ferreira (mostly ex-cellars). The quality of their old VPs and their ability to drink beautifully at over 100 years old, is simply remarkable.

Although I love their 10/20 yr tawny, I can't recall ever having one of their VP's either. I do have a 1999 LBV in the cellar, but other things keep pushing themselves to the front of the drink line. Must try and drink it this month and see how it is.

I recently tried the Ferreira 1982 which I really enjoyed (see tasting note on main forum posted on December 8th 06).

I paid £27 a bottle over the internet from a firm called Vinehaven who are based in Upminster. Their contact number is 01375 891 874. I hadn't dealt with them before but couldn't fault the service.

Looking back, and apart from the fact that the wine was delicious, what really appealed to me about this port was its slightly earthy character which gave the wine some real interest and personality - what the french woudl call a 'gout de terroir'.

I should have bought some more at the time but there's just so much wine out there...

Phil,
you make an interesting point, that I can certainly sympathise with. It would be lovely to be rich enough to have a well stocked cellar with cases of everything. But the more this Forum heightens my knowledge of Port, I want to try so much more. To narrow your range of experience, by buying cases and half cases, is a luxury beyond me. I think I'll try starting to buy a brace of Port bottles. One to experience and one to put in stock.
Alan

Alan C wrote:Phil,
I think I'll try starting to buy a brace of Port bottles. One to experience and one to put in stock.
Alan

That's how it all started for me. First I bought single bottles to try as many different wines as I could. Then I started buying 2 or 3 at a time. Then it was 6 pack's and in 2006 I bought 6 cases of 12. You are standing at the top of a slope, Alan - hang on to your willpower, you are going to need it soon

Derek

Derek Turnbull wrote:

Alan C wrote:Phil,
I think I'll try starting to buy a brace of Port bottles. One to experience and one to put in stock.
Alan

That's how it all started for me. First I bought single bottles to try as many different wines as I could. Then I started buying 2 or 3 at a time. Then it was 6 pack's and in 2006 I bought 6 cases of 12. You are standing at the top of a slope, Alan - hang on to your willpower, you are going to need it soon

Derek

Thats how I started too....Alan, it is indeed a steep slope

The trouble with bottles......





... is that they breed..!



..wire coathangers are just as bad - put two in a cupboard, wait a few weeks and - hey presto! - the cupboard's full of them...

Only difference is that as bottles breed, your bank account keeps running on empty...



..funny that..



Tom

Tom's post reminded me of this thread from nearly two years back. I laughed a few times when I re-read the thread so I thought I'd repost it here for everyone.

http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... ed+bottles

Alex

So, 18 months ago I had 100 bottles of port and claimed to be drinking 12 VP's per annum - oh how times change :?

Derek

I also try to keep my buying down to a closer level with what I consume. Obviously with wines that need years of aging I will still accumulate more than I drink at this point. But I dont go overboard anymore on my buying for the reasons you stated.

Well that was my quote back then....my have times changed My stock of Port has more than doubled since then, so much for not going "overboard" anymore :help:

My consumption is very lumpy. It’s not a regular predictable so-many-bottles-per-month type of thing, it happens in bursts. Last weekend lightened my collection by twenty-five bottles; but things may be stagnant for the next few months. That makes it harder to estimate a lifetime’s drinking.

tastingnote wrote:Time for an admission of guilt - I have never tried a Ferreira port. I do however, want to! So what should I try and where can I buy it in the UK?

I can't help you with where you can buy it in the UK, but if you can find some, I recommend it. I tried a Ferreira '97 VP as my very first VP ever recently. It was fantastic!! 8) It could still use another 10 years in the cellar but after significant decanter time it started to play nicely. The older stuff will likely be even better!

It it reasonably priced (IMHO) and is a great bit of juice!

Most importantly - let us know what you think of it when you do find and try it!!! 8)

Todd

Yeah, I started by buying a nice bottle every now and then. That led to somewhat more frequent purchases to help "fill in" some of the holes. From that I started to buy 2-3 bottles at a time. Now I'm purchasing VP a case at a time......

(yes, its a VERY slippery slope!)

If calculations serve me right, I am on a pace to try 450-500+ Ports this year. Fortunately I will have to spit a few. Since this is a Ferreira thread, I have put a 1900 Ferreira in my drinking queue and should get to it later next month. The hangman's noose awaits. I might even have to use a pair of Port tongs for this particular bottle.