10 Years Old or 10 Year Old?

[Stewart T.]

As a former English Professor, I've tried to be pretty consistent with correct grammar in writing my tasting notes. Granted, there is usually drinking involved when I am writing my tasting notes....but I digress.

As I have been catching up transcribing years of hand-written tasting notes, I found that I've been inconsistent in one consistent way: whether I should be using "10 Year Old" Tawny Port or "10 Years Old" Tawny Port or "10-Year-Old" Tawny Port.

Normal English rules state that if the if the phrase as a noun, it is plural:
The Port is 10 years old. | or | The boy is 10 years old.

If it is being used as an adjective, then it should be singular. However, "year old" used as an adjective should be hyphenated.
The Port is a 10-year-old. | or | The boy is a 10-year-old.
This 10-year-old Port... | or | This 10-year-old boy...

Now for the fun part....
In the IVDP Regulations, the rule on Ports with an indication of age specify that the following should be used:
"10 anos de idade, 20 anos de idade, 30 anos de idade, 40 anos de idade ou 50 anos de idade; "

Which - if google translate isn't messing with me, translates to
"10 years old, 20 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old or 50 years old;"

However, it appears that producers have been inconsistent in labeling (which the IVDP has to approve, BTW)...

(Randomly Searched to see how producers spell it on their labels)

10 Year Old Tawny Port: Taylor, Dow, Burmester, Fonseca
10 Years Old Tawny Port: Niepoort, Rozes, Barros, Calem, Churchills, Kopke, Osborne, Vallado,

Graham's smartly avoids the whole thing with "Aged 10 Years" and Sandeman "Rested 10 Years"

So it would seem that
1. IVDP regulations are more commonly followed than English grammar.
2. Nobody uses the hypen
3. Some producers still use the plural "Years"

As a final consideration, if you are writing a tasting note on a Taylor, for example, do you leave off the "s" to correctly reflect what is written on the label?

*Discuss*
:)

Sources:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/year-old-hyphen/
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/thre ... ld.219005/

[Andy Velebil]

Most excellent, professor. haha

[Glenn E.]

The categories literally mean "10 years of age" and so on, so yeah the proper translation would be "10 years old". I rarely hyphenate compound adjectives anyway, so for me it sounds and looks best to write it as "Taylor 10 Year Old Tawny Port".

As far as the producers' names go, I generally avoid the possessive. It is a Taylor Vintage Port. I find "Taylor's Vintage Port" to be mildly annoying, because I bought it so it's my bottle of Port now, not Taylor's.

That said, I'm fine with Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas because they do own the Quinta, after all. I rarely write out the full name of an SQVP, but would probably write it as non-possessive, e.g. Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port. Or even Taylor Vintage Port, Quinta de Vargellas. I definitely would not write Vargellas' Vintage Port.

[Stewart T.]

So no Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas’ 10’s Years’ Olds’ Tawnies’ Ports’!?

You bring up good point about Dow’s, Taylor’s.

That’s just a whole additional category of nomenclature that I am inconsistent on. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Lol!

I do tend to leave off the ‘s and just call them Dow or Taylor.

[John M.]

But they are NOT 10 years old. They are meant to taste like a Port of 10 years of Age.

So: Taylor's Port that is intended to taste like 10 Years of age but in reality is a blend with a weighted average of approximately 5 to 20 years...or

Taylor's Port TIITTL10yrsOABIRIABWAWAA5-20yrs

[Phil W]

c.f. "The man is 75 years old" vs "A 75 year old man". Similarly "these are 20 year old tawny ports" vs "these tawny ports are 20 years old" with imo the former correctly selected for most labels.

That ignores the whole "in the style of a typical tawny of that age" vs "mean age at least" issue, where I feel the latter should be the rule, but isn't currently at least.

When writing I tend to leave out the word "old" and just refer to "10 year tawny" (10yt) or "20 year white" (20yw) in my notes, abbreviations, and database.

[Eric Menchen]

10 Year Old Tawny Port: Taylor, Dow, Burmester, Fonseca
10 Years Old Tawny Port: Niepoort, Rozes, Barros, Calem, Churchills, Kopke, Osborne, Vallado,
...
As a final consideration, if you are writing a tasting note on a Taylor, for example, do you leave off the "s" to correctly reflect what is written on the label?

I took your question here to be in reference to the "s" in "Year" or "Years." As in, do you match what the producer does?

In my book, I avoid the issue altogether. I have an entry "Kopke 30," without further adornment.

[Al B.]

I get round the debate by consistently using something in my notes along the lines of “Kopke 10YO”