For The Love Of Port

hi which is the bible of vintage ports of 19th and early 20thc ports as i would like to buy it symonb

I'm not sure there really is one single book for Ports that old. The problem with most books is that over time the tasting notes in them become more and more unreliable. For example, if a book written in 1900 says that a 1870 Producer "A" VP is the best of the vintage, who knows how that same Port will drink 110 years later. It may have survived and still be a great bottle, or it may have fallen off the edge and is now not very good.

For very old Ports I use the tasting notes from this forum and from fellow Port drinkers who's palates I trust to determine if something is worth seeking. Of course storage and bottle condition also come into play here, big time. A bottle stored poorly for a 100 years will drink far different than one stored in perfect conditions for 100 years.

If the price is right given the age of the bottle, and the fill level/condition of the bottle is good, then I may take a chance on a VP I've never had or never seen a TN on. Just keep in mind there is a big risk that the bottle may not live up to your expectations.

IMO, buying super old bottles is like playing poker. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. If your not willing to accept those risks then you shouldn't play the game.

If it's tasting notes, then Michael Broadbent's "Vintage Wine," there are three edititions, is the best source. Covers other wine including Bordeaux, Burgundy, ect.; but still far and away the most notes on old wines.

Eric Ifune wrote:If it's tasting notes, then Michael Broadbent's "Vintage Wine,"

That's my pick as well. Great tasting reference I have used after taking my own notes on a vintage. It's an excellent book in general.

hi all thankyou i am after antique books on port 1 to collect because i have an interest in port and history 2 to compare then to now of what experts say
3 to learn of maybe things lost in history
we know what people think today
does anyone know of a book older than 40 years old in english on ports and the duro
i want to studdy the old masters of port if poss
were will i get broadbents book please thankyou symonb uk
im going to look out for manuscript papers from the old porthouses

There are plenty of old port books that come up on EBay.

Symon B wrote:does anyone know of a book older than 40 years old in english on ports and the duro

Simon,

Here are some good books to look out for to give yourself a good understanding of the evolution of Port:

• The History of Ancient and Modern Wines by Alexander Henderson (1824)
• A History and Description of Modern Wines by Cyrus Redding (1830)
• Lusitanian Sketches by William Kingston (1845)
• Portugal and its Capabilities by Joseph James Forrester (1860)
• Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly (1880)
• Oporto, Old and New by Charles Sellers (1899)
• Port by William J. Todd (1926)
• Port: From the Vine to the Glass by Geoffrey Murat Tait (1936)
• Port Wine and Oporto by Ernest Cockburn (1945)
• Vintagewise by André L. Simon (1945)
• The Wines of Portugal by Herbert Warner Allen (1963)
• Port - an Introduction to its History and Delights by Wyndham Fletcher (1978)
• Vintage Port by James Suckling (1990)
• Port Quintas of the Douro by Alex Liddel & Janet Price (1992)
• Port and the Douro by Richard Mayson (2004)

Enjoy!

Derek

Symon B wrote:were will i get broadbents book please

You will find it by clicking here on Amazon for £0.01 + P&P