Five Misconceptions of Vintage Port

[Roy Hersh]

Roger Voss of the Wine Enthusiast, a long time admirer of Port wine, pontificates on the Five Misconceptions of Vintage Port:

https://www.winemag.com/2012/10/26/5-mi ... tage-port/

What is your opinion on these five areas?

[Thomas V]

I like that he states that Vintage Ports were made to be drunk and he has some good insight. I agree with usage of glasses and that you can drink VP at any occasion.

A few things I note and disagree with:

1. I agree that there has been a shift in how the winemakers and shippers design/create their VPs these days. (Came about in early 00' according to a source in the Douro). They are making the VPs much more accessible to drink straight from release as opposed to previously. But this WILL have consequences for long term maturation and if the ports can last 40 + years and improve in the bottle. You cannot have it both ways. I fear for the future of long term maturation of VPs and think we will see that the wines from 2007 and onwards wont be as long lived as previous vintages such as 94, 70 etc. They will mature faster and wont develop the same kind of complex maturation that takes decades to achieve and the right composition from the get go (blending process).

2. It is a bit simplified to write that VPs no problem can be open for 2-3 days if kept cold. Perhaps that is the case for something younger, but for some older and more mature and fragile VPs just a few hours of extra air can be devastating to the wine.

[Eric Menchen]

Your first point Thomas is a valid concern. I'm not betting heavily either way. The author thinks the new ones will age just as well, but then he hedges:

Because the current style is still relatively new (beginning in the mid-1990s), your descendants will be the judges of that.

And I concur that statement about lifetime after opening is a simplification. I have had some young VPs open for more than just two days, but some older ones collapse pretty quickly, as well as some middle aged ones that may not have been so strong to start with.

[Eric Ifune]

We made drinking vintage Port seem like something only done in clubs amongst elderly colonels

I have no problem with that. I am an elderly colonel.

[Eric Menchen]

I have no problem with that. I am an elderly colonel.

Apparently I'm relegated to drinking Captain Morgan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrrmNpGYH28

[Thomas V]

We made drinking vintage Port seem like something only done in clubs amongst elderly colonels

I have no problem with that. I am an elderly colonel.

Hahah awesome

[Roy Hersh]

I have no problem with that. I am an elderly colonel.

Of corn?

[Glenn E.]

Pretty good overall. That said:

1. We British swear (correctly) that mature (20 years or older) vintage Port is best with a blue cheese, like Stilton.

Nope. Nope nope nope. Maybe very young VP, but a mature VP needs a softer flavor like white cheddar, Comte, gouda, or even manchego. A non-blue Stilton, or even a fruit Stilton, also works. Try it with a double or triple creme Brie some time. But blue cheese of any kind is just generally a bad pairing with Port.

2. Very dark chocolate and rich cheeses “show all the richness, body and complexity and flavor that defines mature vintage Port,”

True, but it needs to be very dark chocolate. The Port needs to be sweeter than the chocolate or the chocolate will make the Port taste bitter.

3. 2009

2009 was not a general declaration as the author implies. 00, 03, 07, 11, 16, and likely 17 which we'll find out about next month.

[David Spriggs]

Vintage Port needs neither cheese nor chocolate

[David Spriggs]

They are making the VPs much more accessible to drink straight from release as opposed to previously.

True, but the 2016s seemed like a throwback to the old ways. They are tight and tough and never any pleasure. They probably would show better after extensive aeration, but I never had them long enough in order to see that happen. I will say that the Graham's Stone Terraces was a delicious exception!

[Glenn E.]

They are making the VPs much more accessible to drink straight from release as opposed to previously.

True, but the 2016s seemed like a throwback to the old ways. They are tight and tough and never any pleasure. They probably would show better after extensive aeration, but I never had them long enough in order to see that happen. I will say that the Graham's Stone Terraces was a delicious exception!

The regular 2016 Graham Vintage Port is also deliciously approachable right now.

[Thomas V]

They are making the VPs much more accessible to drink straight from release as opposed to previously.

True, but the 2016s seemed like a throwback to the old ways. They are tight and tough and never any pleasure. They probably would show better after extensive aeration, but I never had them long enough in order to see that happen. I will say that the Graham's Stone Terraces was a delicious exception!

The regular 2016 Graham Vintage Port is also deliciously approachable right now.

I have tasted the 2016 Graham's & Warre's (and many others) and agree with the above statement by Glenn. Which is great right now but frightening for the long run

The only power house 2016 I've tasted was the Javali which is one of the biggest tannin bombs I've ever tried in my life.

[David Spriggs]

2016 Taylor and Dow were brutal to taste. I'd have to look at my notes to see which other one's I had.

I'll add this to the discussion. Today's Vintage Ports are the cleanest that they ever have been. Essentially no VA. The aguardente (spirits) are the best ever. Corked examples are way down (both spoiled by cork or spoiled by poorly kept barrels). Tannin management is excellent. All of this leads to a more approachable wine. But will these wines last like the 1948 and examples like 1985 Fonseca and 1977 Gould Campbell?? I guess we'll find out!

[Derek T.]

Pretty good overall. That said:

1. We British swear (correctly) that mature (20 years or older) vintage Port is best with a blue cheese, like Stilton.

Nope. Nope nope nope.

You could have stopped there, Glenn

Vintage Port needs neither cheese nor chocolate

On behalf of "We British" can I just say that this guy doesn't speak for most of us. Perhaps he is a Remainer who wishes he was French?

[Tom Archer]

I wasn't hugely enthused with that article - it felt like a re-hash of many that have gone before.

Young vintage port is more approachable than in years gone by because it has generally spent more time in stainless vessels or large wooden ones, and less time in pipes. This keeps the rough edges at bay as a young wine but reduces the concentration of the wine that results from storage in pipes.

The long term effect of that will probably be more evident on those vintages that were more hydrated in the run up to harvest. Intense vintages will probably age as well as those of yore.

However, the notion that VP is now old enough when only about five years old misses the point - it is approachable as a young wine up to about five years of age, when it starts to lose its vibrancy, often closing down and then indulging some teenage tantrums before emerging as an adult. Whilst one can find some very enjoyable VPs at 20 years old, they are are not very reliable at that age, so the proper approach to VP is to enjoy it young if you have a penchant for the young wines, but when it is no longer the most recent release, lay down what you have left over for another twenty years.

Dusty old colonels in London clubs.. - that stereotype has been extinct for over half a century now..

Cigars - I don't believe that any form of tobacco can do anything other than corrupt and diminish one's enjoyment of a fine wine. Others may differ on that.

Food pairing. The only pairings that work well with fine VP are those that do not assault the palate. Food that has any form of cooked animal fat is best avoided. Blue cheese pairs well with ruby and reserve ports, but not so well with fine ones. Light cheeses are generally OK. I have experimented with various types of chocolate, but am broadly unenthused.

Smoked salmon and fillet steak are both reliable companions for vintage port ..

[Moses Botbol]

Vintage Port needs neither cheese nor chocolate

I prefer nuts and cured meats instead. I enjoy port with cheese, but feel semi or hard cheese goes better and is more accessible to a wider audience. Many have a tough time digesting the soft cheeses (I am fine with the fwiw).