For The Love Of Port

FTLOP member Marco DeFreitas had emailed me pictures of his bottle of Nacional after expressing concerns whether or not it was authentic as he felt there was some issue with the fact that the IVDP Seal of Guarantee was missing.

I contacted the person who I felt would be able to provide the best information for Marco. Here was his response:


Dear Roy

The bottle looks perfectly authentic, the only surprising thing being the absence of the seal of guarantee. In theory this is impossible, as all shipments have to have it, but in fact it is possible that some sample bottles get sent out early from the Quinta for tastings without seals, and a sample left over might have been sold by somebody. I expect this is what happened. It would seem extremely unlikely to me that a faker would have gone to the trouble to get everything else right and then not bothered to put on a seal: they are easy enough to get hold of. However, anyone who loves Port enough to buy a bottle of Nacional is someone I would like to look after, and it is important that he should feel confident about his wine, so I have arranged with Wm Grant, our importers in the US, to arrange an exchange with him of a bottle with a seal. They agree to do this but would obviously like to hand over the bottles at some place mutually convenient. It might take a while to arrange but they are ready to do it, and I suppose he doesn't need to drink his Nacional 2003 just yet.

With best wishes, Christian
________________________________________________________


Marco has been provided with detailed instructions and contact information ... which he will not share. I am pleased that the outcome for Marco turned out so positively and applaud Mr. Seely's excellent response.

This is an outstanding example of a commitment to customer service and pride in one's product.

Fantastic response, Mr Seely 8)

Derek

- Indeed, excellent customer service.

However, I hope this thread draws Mr Seely's attention to the need to make the authenticity of his prime product a little more secure.

Tom

Roy,

Thanks for posting this. I was wondering where things had ended up.

I also applaud Christian's commitment to customer service. Excellent.

Perhaps the attitude shown by people like Christian and Dirk are why I feel prepared to spend such ridiculous amounts of money on such transient pleasure.

Alex

To be honest, I was completely stunned at their commitment to customer service. Quinta do Noval was always one of my favorite port houses (the only house I vistited on my trip to the Douro in 2004) and this response from them only cements my admiration and respect for them.

BUT.... let's not forget our host Roy. I thought about posting this question on other, perhaps more "high-profile", bulletin boards... But I really felt this is the only REAL place for serious port discussions. Roy's knowledge, commitment and connections to the world of port is invaluable. Kudos to Roy.

Thanks for the kind words Marco. I am very pleased this turned out so well.

Just to make you laugh. Today I received 2 Mags from the 1990s and a v. solid Port producer. Neither bottle had an IVDP Seal of Guarantee. Go figure!

Just came back from the William Grant & Son's office in NYC. They pleasantly exchanged the bottle for me. A happy ending to a stressful situation...

Thanks again, Roy!

8) 8) 8) GREAT service!

...but I wonder: does you "new" bottle has a IVDP-seal and / or embossed capsule?

The new bottle does indeed have the embossed capsule and the paper seal running underneath the capsule... just like all the other bottles I've seen at retail.

One interesting tidbit... both bottles had labels on the back that stated they were imported by William Grant & Sons, but the labels were quite different.

Anyway, it's great to know that Noval stands behind their products.

Anyway, it's great to know that Noval stands behind their products.

Hear, hear!