Database for Port

[LOUISSS J]

Is there a topic on the forum or a book that contains the general quality of each Vintage Port according to the year for each house? A database that could say not to buy a house on certain Vintages in particular or that could tell us that such and such Vintage Porto is highly recommended.

For example : Watch out for Vesuvio before 1992 because they can have Douro Bake.
Strong Buy for Taylor Fladgate Vintage 1994 and 1992. Long live Port.
...

Instead of doing research all over the place for each Port and each Vintage this would be very useful to help us in our purchases or when betting on Ports at auction.

[Glenn E.]

I don't think that such a database exists, at least not exactly as you've described it.

FTLOP's TNDB can serve that function, though. If you have a particular Port that you're thinking about buying, look it up in the TNDB and read people's notes. It may not give you the broader information that you're looking for about an entire vintage, but it should serve to educate you about specific Ports.

For a broad rating, Roy has a Vintage Port chart 1900-2017 available here. It is just a simple 1-5 star rating guide to the vintages, though. He also has his Vintage Port Forecasts available here for vintages from 2000 on.

[Thomas V]

We could just make our own list together on the forum? Pretty sure we could reach a consensus

Could do something like this for the relevant years in each decade. Like 70, 77, 80, 83, 85, 92, 94, 97, 00, 03, 07 and 11

A. Tier 1 (Top of the crop)
B. Tier 2 (Excellent quality)
C. Tier 3 (Recommendable)
D. Avoid (Know for VA, faulty or just a weak wine)

[Andy Velebil]

It would be almost impossible to maintain properly. A VP generally goes through many phases over a decades so while today it doesn't show well and would get downgraded, a few years from now it could emerge great again.

As mentioned, the best best is to search on here or other similar places for reviews from trusted posters.

[LOUISSS J]

Yes I can do some research (and i will). On the other hand, I would like to have precise information on certain bottles... especially those with potential defects or those considered as big trophies.
Apart from the evolution of the bottle we all know (if you read the forum a little) that Veusivo before 1992 can have a little burnt side, Quinta do Noval Nacional 1980 is perhaps not as grandiose as the 2011, that Dow 1977 has many bottles variations... it will probably change little over time... otherwise we can make a summary where the bottle is made.
We could all give our general impressions of the bottles and then have everything approved by a person (or group) who confirms everything.
Despite everything, I will probably make my own database myself and then probably update it according to the different readings that I will do.

[Lucas S]

Has anyone compiled a spreadsheet of which houses declared which years, with as many houses as possible?

Looking mostly for the past 30 years.

It would be a godsend.

[Glenn E.]

The last 30 years? No.

Before that? The Book.

[Lucas S]

Oh the book itself is a Vintage Book, that's amazing.

I'm reading Wiseman's blog now, this is hilarious:
http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/port_a ... ition.html

Might have to splurge on the book after all.

[Glenn E.]

It really is an essential resource for true Port geeks, but has Julian noted even after as much research and as thorough of work that he put into the book over a decade, as soon as the book was published more information came to light. Thus the Second Edition.

And with a wider reach due to the publication and distribution by Académie du Vin Library, more people will read it and find more missing information, likely necessitating a Third Edition somewhere down the line.

Note that Julian deliberately stopped in 1986 because Portuguese law changed at that time and allowed the number of Port producers to explode. Where there had previously been only a couple dozen producers, there were rather suddenly hundreds making documentation of every Port produced for every vintage exponentially more difficult.

[Phil W]

exponentially more difficult.

careful...!

[Thomas V]

Has anyone compiled a spreadsheet of which houses declared which years, with as many houses as possible?

Looking mostly for the past 30 years.

It would be a godsend.

The Swedes have done so and you can find it here.

https://www.vintageport.se/vintages.php

You can send a nice VP my way

[LOUISSS J]

Has anyone compiled a spreadsheet of which houses declared which years, with as many houses as possible?

Looking mostly for the past 30 years.

It would be a godsend.

The Swedes have done so and you can find it here.

https://www.vintageport.se/vintages.php

You can send a nice VP my way

Not bad! Thanks.

[Andy Velebil]

To be fair, Julian stopped at 1986 as information on VP’s after that are fairly easily obtained thanks to the internet and far better record keeping* by producers. Older stuff, a lot bottled by negociants, we’re rather difficult to track even for some of the major houses. Hence the focus of the book was on older VP’s.

*I say that loosely as decades ago producers were very good at documenting in ledgers, not so good at making those ledgers easy to quickly find said information.