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Return to Newsletter Archive Index
For The Love Of Port Dear friends of Port wine,
Port season
has arrived, and our choices for Port drinking pleasure seem endless.
Whether you prefer a great 20 year-old Tawny Port, a stylistic LBV, a
complex Colheita or mature Vintage Port ... there are so many excellent
wines to choose from, and at a wide variety of price points. Understanding
the differences in the various Port styles and being able to determine
which you really enjoy, is the key. From there, knowing which type of Port
to buy or even how to select the right bottle for the right occasion,
becomes much easier. Then comes the challenge of learning the house styles
of the Port Shippers, and even in which vintage, the specific producer
made their best wines.
Heading down to my cellar is always fun, but never quick. Last night was no different, as it took me a while to choose a worthy bottle for watching the US Presidential election returns. Later, I drained the last of a bottle of "new" Port, which I had evaluated over a three night period. More particulars about this bottle will be discussed in, "A Tasting Note," that opens this month's newsletter. I love this time of the year. Not only do I enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and crisp autumn weather here in Washington State, but this is the season that retailers, distributors, importers and the Port producers/Shippers ... pay more attention to their primary markets in the US. With the upcoming holiday season around the corner, a trip to this side of the pond is beneficial for the trade and consumer alike. Retail shops are presenting Port tastings, special pricing is promoted and both snail and email offers abound with great buys on Port. So for those of you interested in tasting and learning more about Port wine, keep your eyes open and inquire at your favorite retailer(s), to be kept in the loop for tasting events in your area. In this issue of For The Love Of Port, there is a special report on a recent tasting by a panel of local wine enthusiasts. A new kid on the Port block, or at least for North America, has made its way to our shores. A bunch of Seattle area Port enthusiasts, were amongst the very first to try a vast array of different Port styles from this producer. Look for the details and tasting notes in this month's feature article. In writing this newsletter, I really enjoy getting to know some of the recipients through the emails they send. Being able to share my passion for Port and hopefully providing interesting answers and opinions with folks that care, is the best part. I hope you will find the Mailbag section, of particular interest. The volume of email is appreciated and I have done my best to include as many of your great questions and comments, as possible. Please keep 'em coming!
Thanks for
your supPort!
Roy
CONTENTS:
~ A Tasting Note:
Broadbent Auction Reserve Port
~ Feature article: A Little Known Port Producer: PORTO SOUZA ~ Roy's monthly Port website recommendation
* * * * *
~ August's Tasting
Note: Broadbent
Auction Reserve Port ~
In 2005, the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto) will eliminate the use of the Port term: "Vintage Character" to describe a popluar category of Port that is ultimately a premium grade of Ruby Port. The new nomenclature for this category will be, RESERVE PORT. Always one to be on the cutting edge, Bartholomew Broadbent has created this "new" wine in conjunction with Port winemaking maestro, Dirk van der Niepoort.
Thirty eight years ago, Bartholomew's father Michael Broadbent, organized the first fine wine auction at Christie's in London. The very first lot to appear at this auction was Port ... ergo, the name of this wine. Bartholomew is one of the world's foremost Port and Madeira experts and also imports fine wines, from family-owned wineries around the globe. He has delivered this delicious new Port to market under the Broadbent label.
The Broadbent Auction Reserve has not been filtered. It is made from the following vintages (the blend of vintages will, naturally, change over the years): 25% 1999, 15% 2000, 40% 2001, 20% 2002. This Reserve wine averages about 3 1/2 years of blended wine age. Another point of difference for the Broadbent, is that unlike other large production blends of Vintage Character, or Reserve Port ... this juice has been 100% foot trodden in lagar and is then aged in mellowed old oak. The Broadbent Auction Reserve Port was made at Niepoort's Quinta da Passadouro, but will be made at Dirk's new winery in the Douro in the future. All the grapes come from Vale Mendiz, which is a small and charming area possessing some excellent vineyard locations, with a mixture of terraces and patamares.
The pretty pomegranate red hue provides
a look into the heart of this Port. Light and fragrant violets
and lavender are bolstered by the aromas of sweet blackberry and
anise. There is also a whiff of spirit that is noticeable but does
not detract. Broadbent's Auction Reserve offers a smooth,
medium-bodied Port that delivers fresh, fruit forward boysenberry and
plum flavors with a nice touch of chocolate that adds to the overall
enjoyment of this wine. The tannins let you know they have shown up
to the party, without being obtrusive. This new addition to
the Broadbent stable of Ports delivers a lingering and fruit filled
finish. 89 points
In US$, the
Broadbent Auction Reserve Port will be entering the market at a
suggested retail price of $22. There are retailers and distributors
that already have received their allocations. If you are seeking out
this wine, please check the following website, which is that of
Broadbent Selections, Inc.:
http://www.broadbent-wines.com/index.html,
or you may email: bbroadbent@broadbent-wines.com to
find a retailer or distributor near you.
_____________________________________________________
A Little Known Port Producer: Porto Souza
Should you be interested in
some of my other recent articles on Port, please visit the
Article Archive
_____________________________________________________
Roy's Monthly Port Website Recommendation : This month's web recommendation is: The Port Appreciation Pages
http://www.the-port-man.fsbusiness.co.uk/ *
* * * *
~
Letters and e-feedback: Hi there Roy I discovered a bottle of 1982 Quinta Do Noval vintage port in the celler.
Would you happen to know how much it is worth? Many thanks Dear Caroline, I can tell you that the '82 Quinta do Noval was not one of Noval's better
bottlings. Even the 1982 Nacional that I tasted was just a middling effort
from this special vineyard site. You can normally find the regular 1982
QdNoval VP in the US for about $40 per bottle. The Warre 1977 has long been
one of my favorite everyday VPs. Through the years, I have probably owned
more of this Port than any other. I know that I consumed a few cases worth
in the 1990s. It is still a very lovely Port and is close to reaching
maturation, but will remain on a plateau for at least the remainder of this
decade, in my opinion. Tanner's on the other hand presents a challenge. As you know, (living in
the UK) there is a rich history of Port within the UK. Your bottle weaves a
wonderful short story, intertwined in the English countryside. A retiring
sea captain settled into Shrewsbury in the UK and opened his shop circa
1872. His sons also joined the business, working for their father. Like many
other wine retailers of the day, they handled and are probably best known
for their Sherry stocks, but also sold Rum from Jamaica and Guyana and of
course, Scotch Whiskey. But Tanner's sold even more Whiskey from Ireland and
it was marketed in stone jars surrounded by basketwork for protection (think
of Chianti bottles prior to the 1980s). They also deftly ran a very
successful beer brewing business as well, from the same premises. Full pipes of Port arrived at the Tanner's shop via London, Bristol or
Liverpool and on by rail for resting and bottling in Shrewsbury. Today, the
Tanner's have a 2nd shop in Hereford too. But back to their Port. They had a
neat bottling line in which they handled Butts of Sherry and hogsheads of
Burgundy & Claret too. The Ports were given special treatment as they were
aged in the shop until the customers placed an order. Long branded corks
were used and the bottles were embossed with wax seals, with the Tanner's
brand, W & H E Tanner (does yours have this?). On rare occasion, one of
their old bottles turns up, but they carry BOB (buyer's own brand...not seen
in the USA much) for mostly less expensive Vintage Character, Fine Reserve
Port and even a Crusted Port, (all in the £8 - £20 range) which is produced
by Churchill's for Tanner's. Without more specifics or a digital photo, I
could not get more detailed for you. I hope that this does shed some light
on your bottle's source though, and you can now do the rest of the legwork
if interested. Caroline, thank you for your patience and this wonderful challenge. I
only receive inquiries, stories and/or pictures of old and rare bottlings of
Port, a handful of times a year; and delight in the research and
satisfaction of unearthing the threads that eventually lead to the bottler
... and sometimes not. It provides me an excuse to sit and do research with
a great glass of Port in hand. Roy
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Roy, Thanks for getting back to me. I've been getting your newsletter and
enjoy wine, but believe it or not except for a time or two as a guest, I've
not gotten into port yet, never even bought a single bottle! A factor has
been been that it is enoyable in relatively small amounts (for me) and it
seems like a shame to buy it if I am going to waste most of the bottle! (my
wife and I usually drink wine with dinner, and have about a half-bottle
daily). I live in Brazil and we get a lot of portuguese wines here,
including ports. So, I would probably start with something relatively
inexpensive, a tawny I guess. Would it keep as long as a week or two? Thanks, Steve Nash, Sao Paulo, Brazil Dear Steve, Good to hear from you again. Not everybody likes to consume an entire
bottle of Port, especially if they have to work the next day. That is why
the Port trade sells so many half bottles (375 ml). There are limitless Port
options, but then again ... I am not familiar with the market place in
Brazil. If you like the nutty and tangy nuances of a fine Tawny Port, I
suggest you purchase a full bottle (750 ml) of 20 year old Tawny Port for a
reasonable price. Once opened, if you recork and refrigerate your bottle,
there is absolutely NO problem in storing the open bottle for a few weeks.
This is not the case with Vintage Port though, but Tawny holds very well in
refrigeration (which retards the oxidation process). Although normal
refrigerator temperature is 40 degrees F. (4-5 degrees C.), I suggest
letting the wine rethermalize at room temperature for a half hour (it will
still be nice and cool though, except for the summer where you can even drop
in an ice cube or two) prior to serving. Keep in touch! Roy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ good morning roy When i found the port in my fathers shed it was under a work top in a wooden chest covered with sacks, the shed was situated in a shaded area and was made of wood and no glass. I can not remember if the port was upright or lying down but at the moment it is in a cool place standing up. As for the rest of the bottles there is one bottle dated 1924, with no label and a green wax top. There are also 6 bottles of fonseca 1963, also no labels but clearly marked on the cork.
Steve Dear Steve, The value depends on "provenance" and the quality of how it was stored. This brings into focus the "ullage" or fill level of the bottle and also, the condition of the cork, label, capsule etc. Do you have a digital photo you would be able to send me so I could provide you with more information on the value of the bottle? Please explain more about the weather in your area and the situation of the shed itself. Anyway ... the 1931 Quinta do Noval bottle is considered one of the very best Quinta do Noval Vintage Ports ever produced. It is still probably the BEST vintage Port I have ever tried and I have had it now a number of times, including twice so far in 2004. Sounds like a great discovery on your part. The value can range from $800 to upwards of $2,000 per bottle when in impeccable condition. It is much more difficult for me to guess on the 1924 vintage Port. The few bottles I have had from this vintage were all pretty captivating and the Dow and Taylor come immediately to mind. It was a fine vintage although it was much smaller and received less attention than did the awesome 1927 vintage that followed (and might just be the vintage of the 20th century). The determining factor again, will be how well they were stored and the temperature will have a lot to do with the overall quality today. Lastly, your 6 bottles of Fonseca VP, IF stored well ... can be great bottles of Port. Along with the Graham's and to a lesser extent, the Taylors ... the Fonseca is at the very apex of the VPs made in this exalted vintage. The only other wine that has considerably more youth is the Nacional, but it is almost an unfair comparison. You can find the Fonseca 1963 VP for $220-$300 depending on condition and shipping costs and on the lower side of this range when buying at auction. I hope this helps. Best regards, Roy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Roy, I was Googling for info on late vintage port and I ran across an article about a vintage port tasting on the "New Zealand Wine of the Week" site. The author recommended your newsletter. I have been meaning to research port options, but haven't yet dived in. My primary question is whether there are drinking age vintage ports that haven't cleared three figures (US$). Vintage port is my father's preferred gift but his reserves are low so bottles need to be ready to drink. I haven't been watching closely, but it seems that the prices for vintage are much higher these days. I look forward to reading your newsletter. Derek Glanville San Francisco, CA Dear Derek, Yes, Sue who publishes that newsletter (in NZ) and I are mutual admirers and friends from the Wine Lover's Discussion Group. Given the prices of CA wines over the past decade, Port is a darn bargain (not to mention, in comparison to Bordeaux and Burgundy) these days! Yes there have been increases, but when you can still find wines that are 20+ years old that come from top producers and don't cross the $100 threshhold, then I can't see a legitimate complaint. Onto the positives though. You can find quite a few ready to drink VPs under " three figures (US$)." 1977 Warre comes right to mind and it normally sell for approximately $80 today and is well worth that figure. You can find just about any of the top five to ten wines of the vintage from 1983 that all deliver great value and are $45-75 today. The 1980 VPs are even more approachable in most cases and there are a bunch that are well under one hundred bucks, especially in CA. Just look in the back of any issue of the Wine Spectator and you will find a wide range of CA-based retailers to find these wines. If you like 'em young, I suggest you look at 1995 and 1997 for some excellent values too! Roy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Hi Roy, Now that port season is fully upon us, I have a couple of questions for you regarding LBV ports. Based on your recommendations I've picked up a few bottles each of '97 Niepoort LBV and '92 Warre's unfiltered LBV. My questions are: 1) Should LBV's be consumed sooner than later or can they stay in the bottle for a while. If they can stay in the bottle, is there a rule of thumb for how long before they start heading down hill? Do they improve with more bottle age? 2) How long should they be decanted? Do similar decanting times apply compared to a VP? I've read your posts on decanting VP but wasnt sure about LBV's. Thanks for your time! Bill Buitenhuys Boston, MA Dear Bill, I am pleased that you liked the LBVs I recommended, although I suggest you continue to try a variety of others from diverse Port Shippers until you find your favorite style. You posed some excellent questions and certainly these are amongst the most FAQs that I am approached with. So ... LBV = Late Bottled Vintage and these Ports come in two distinct styles. The most common is made by the British owned Port Shippers, and this style is ready to consume immediately after bottling and will not get any better in the bottle. That is a sweeping generalization with a few well known exceptions to the rule (Smith Woodhouse and Warre jump to the fore). The second style is called either Traditional (Tradicional by the Portuguese) or "Unfiltered", which is the nomenclature that is becoming more popular today. Unfiltered LBVs are rarely fined and never filtered. This lack of processing allows for the particulate or sediment (dead yeast cells, skin/pip/stem matter) to be bottled with the Port and therefore helps the wine to improve in the bottle. Sediment forms over time and decanting IS required for this style. So you really need to check the labels closely to see if Traditional or Unfiltered are represented on the label. Additionally, there will be a vintage date and also a date of when the wine was actually bottled. There is no rule for when these wines head over the hill. The LBV style is VERY big in the US market and that is what many Port lovers might drink, while their vintage Ports sit and age in their cellars. It is not everyday that one can afford to drink a nicely matured VP, afterall. This is a great niche wine that the Port industry does a great job with. LBVs are ready to drink when they are released and even though one style (as mentioned above) CAN age in the bottle, it is certainly not a requirement. Really, the LBVs offer primary and berry good fruit flavors that emulate a young classic Vintage Port. So although I have had LBVs recently from the 1970s, I would not say that I enjoyed them more, for their age. Decanting is another story. Clearly you must decant off the sediment in Unfiltered LBVs. But to enjoy them ... they do not open up like a great Vintage Port, so one or two hours at most is appropriate for decanting these wines. Then again, many people just open the bottles and pour straight away and like them every bit as much (I do). A little sediment won't kill ya. Remember to recork and refrigerate you bottle and LBVs will certainly hold up for a week or two. Roy ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Roy, Thanks for answering my question on the '45 Taylor on eRobert Parker. Wish we could have decanted as it continued to improve over the 30-45 minutes that my pour was in my glass. If only there is a next time... I'd also like your opinion on decanting times for some ports and which of these would be best to drink now (next few months): From 375: '83 Warres, '92&'92 Fonseca, '94 Grahams, '94 Dows, '95 Taylor VV From 750: '83 Fonseca, '83 Taylor, '91 Grahams. I often see port at auction with "slight signs of past seepage." While this is an instant deal breaker for Bordeaux or really anything else, it seems that vintage port is hardier and perhaps more prone to leakage (not necessarily from heat). I'm tempted to pick up a small lot at a good price and take my chances since I have had bottles of port which looked terrible but tasted superb. Any thoughts (realizing that every seeping bottle is different). Cheers, Mike Dear Mike Ahhhh, I have such fond memories of the 1945 Taylor's. One can never sip enough of that particular vintage Port! I will do my best to help you with decanting times on your bottles, but this is a very subjective area. Some folks like to watch their VPs evolve in glass and feel that extended decanting robs a wine of showing its natural development. I respect that opinion and understand the thought process too. For my own palate though, I prefer to have the wine show at its best from the get go, as I tend to finish 99% of the VP bottles that I open ... within a couple of hours. If I am sharing a bottle with a group ... it goes way too quickly, so I want the finest showing possible when it touches my glass. From 375: * '83 Warre 3-5 hrs. * '92 Fonseca 6-8 hrs. * '94 Graham or Dow 6-8 hrs. * '95 Vargellas VV 6-8 hrs. From 750: * '83 Fonseca 6-8 hrs. * '83 Taylor 5-7 hrs. * '91 Graham 6-8 hrs. I like a bargain as much as the next guy Mike, but I don't believe you find them too often at auction these days. When you can tell that a VP bottle has been a "leaker" with signs of corrosion on the capsule (esp. around the bottom of it), or viscous syrupy goo around it, or visible signs that wine dripped onto the IVP label etc ... I can't see why you'd intentionally risk your money. Yes, Vintage Port with its higher level of alcohol, can withstand conditions that would destroy most other types of wine. But, VP is NOT invincible! It too can suffer from heat damage that a bottle can't survive without vastly changed characteristics (unless it is Madeira!). Now this is certainly different than laying down an old Port in your cellar, and a slight amount of seepage occurs as the cork's flexibility is lost over the decades (especially in DRY cellars with low relative humidity below 60% although 70% is more desireable). Then by all means, the bottle will rarely have almost any effect. There are ways to cure this too, but that is another story. Anyway, I would advise against buying wine bottles - or - VP that you know may have an issue. There are enough things to worry about, even when buying a wine at auction that LOOKS pristine! But bargain hunters may certainly disagree with my theory. Even I will seek out a stained or torn label or cracked wax capsule on a very old bottle that can save significant sums. Normally though, I would rather pay another $20-40 for a typical auction bottle and be sure that it came from a well stored and documentable source ... but that is just me. Roy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dear Mr. Hersh, Dear Jeroen, I appreciate the politeness, but please call me Roy. I am not THAT old, yet. Long before I started scribing this newsletter, I spent lots of my free time responding to Port related emails from all over the place. You can say I love doing so, but I have also sworn an oath (to the Port Wine Institute) that I take very seriously ... and now look at this as, "my duty!" So please feel free to email me with more of your Port questions, anytime!Coincidentally, the seepage issue was discussed in detail in the Q&A topic above. But, I am happy to tackle your questions about Colheitas. I do not believe I have had the 1965 Kopke Colheita but know I have had the Krohn from that year. But from tasting Kopke Colheitas that span 70 years, I can tell you that they miss the mark on very rare occasions. Along with Niepoort and Quinta do Noval (I opened the '37 Noval Colheita last Friday night, in fact), these 3 producers are at the pinnacle of Colheita producers although there are another handful that also do a great job. In terms of drinking Colheitas as close to the bottling date as possible ... I disagree with that opinion. This is not like "born-on-dating" by Budweiser, and there is NO proof that this is true, whatsoever. I have tasted many Colheitas from just about all the producers and I have not found this to be accurate from my experience. I have never seen any tasting at which aged bottles of Colheita did not show well. Conversely, I have tasted quite a few examples where older bottlings were absolutely delicious. Dirk van der Niepoort, the maestro of Colheita and Garrafeira styles of Port is a firm believer that Colheitas can and do improve with bottle age. In a recent newsletter, I tackled this topic in great detail. Please email me again if you are interested in receiving a back copy ... if you missed it. Thanks Jeroen, for taking the time to pose such a thoughtful question! Roy ************************************************************************************ Hello Roy, I am excited to be receiving your newsletter. It is very informative on the sometimes esoteric subject of Port wines. I have a bottle of the 1992 Quinta do Infantado that at one time (during my move across the country) was subjected to some heat for a day or two. When it arrived, it had become a "leaker". My feeling is that heat sometimes reveals the marginality of the state of the cork, and that in this situation the '92 Infantado re-sealed itself even better than before because the port had "filled in the cracks". It may sound as if I am trying to rationalize this, but it is because the bottle is special. It is my son's birthyear bottle of port (1992), and I would like to keep it for 20 years before opening it or giving it to him. Any worries on the seal? Best Regards, Kurt Wieneke Indianapolis, IN Dear Kurt, Good to hear from you again! Port an esoteric topic? Please don't share that with my wife, I have her totally fooled into believing Port is just an everyday good drink. As to your dilemma with the 1992 Infantado which I am a fan of, as well, I can not pass judgement on your bottle. It is impossible for me to know what temperature and the duration to which your bottle was exposed to the heat. So, I will just give you some off the cuff opinions on this topic. In older bottlings, when lead or other metal capsules were used for bottling VP as a rule, the cross contamination of "leakers" could hurt the wine. There is a chemical reaction between the metal and the acid in the wine that causes the corrosive action you notice on some leakers. Well that wine that seeps out of the cork, reacts and then can just as easily seep back into the bottle. Obviously, the longer you hold onto a bottle like this ... the more chances you take. That said, if the heat exposure was not high (below 80 degrees) and not long (only a few hours), then your bottle is probably fine. But for long term storage ... you really don't know unless you remember how long and at what temps. the bottle WAS subjected to. My advice is this. Your son's birthyear wines ARE special. But I would NOT count on that bottle to go the distance ... even though it possibly could. Just imagine when he turns 21 in 2013 and you have very special guests to share the bottle, and you open it and it is really foul. YIKES. For the $60-$75 that it will cost you to replace that bottle ... I strongly urge you to go out and purchase more bottles, tomorrow, to ensure you have these for any of his special celebrations! Why wait, you can open the "seepage" bottle on his birthday this year as he becomes a teenager. Now that is something to celebrate! Roy <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Roy I just picked up a bottle Kopke Colheita 1987 Port. I can't find a lot of
information on this particular vintage. Their home page indicated it did win
a Gold Medal for the 87', but can't find a value anywhere. Paid $25.97 for
the bottle. Any information you could give me about this bottle would be
appreciated. Drink or hold? Or is it worth holding? Thanks, Dear Randy, Absolutely an amazing coincidence. As you know, I had a bottle of this identical wine open in front of me when you first sent me the email. This bottle of Kopke is drinking beautifully nowadays and may still improve a bit, yet it is one that is also worthy of consuming today. It is rich, multi-layered and very enjoyable to say the least. It drinks as if it were quite a bit older, too. Two YUMS up! Enjoy it and let me know your thoughts. By the way, you can make the difference and get the locals to drink more Port and less beer! BEST REGARDS! Roy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Roy I just want to email you my question on Port and would appreciate your response: Does Port keep once it's opened, or is it like Red which will spoil in a couple of days?" I would be honored if you included and answered this question in any of your upcoming newsletters. Thanks, and looking forward to reading the next "For the Love of Port." SP Dear SP, Depending on the style, (Tawny, LBV, Vintage etc...) once a bottle of Port wine is opened, the shelf life varies. Red wine rarely is drinkable past the second day but then again, we are comparing a table wine with a "fortified" wine (Port has 20% brandy added to prematurely stop the fermentation process). In responding directly to your question though, assume that the my response includes recorking your bottle and storing it in the refrigerator until you drink it again. Obviously, the faster you consume the wine ... the fresher it will smell and taste. So, looking at some of the more popular styles of Port, here is a generalized guide: * Vintage Character (soon to be simply known as "Reserve")Port - a week is best, two if quality is less important. * 10, 20, 30, or 40 Year Old Tawny Port - drink as close to the date of bottling (on label) as possible. Can last for a couple of weeks if handled as mentioned. I have seen restaurants leave it open on their shelves for months, but that is a criminal offense! * LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) Port - a week is best, two if quality is less important. * Colheita (single vintage Tawny) Port - I believe that once opened these should be consumed like a Vintage Port, although they CAN last like a Tawny above (unlike VP). * Vintage (the king of) Port - Unless experimenting or analyzing, a VP should never see the light of the next day, although this is more of a personal "rule" than one of the official guidelines here! Since this is not about me, you can actually have a Vintage Port hold 1 -72 hours depending on the age of the bottle. An 1896 Quinta do Noval VP will most likely be heading downhill fast after an hour and at best two. Then again, you may find a pristine bottle of 1945 Taylor (mentioned above) which should easily drink well a 2nd day (how the heck would I know?), whereas a Graham 1963 could last 48 hours if the bottle had been properly stored. But most people are wondering about bottles from 1970 - 1985 for drinking today and I suggest that 48-72 hours is the outside for these bottles. Anything younger like a 1994 or even a 2000 could probably hold an extra day ... but what for. If you know that it is difficult for you to finish a full bottle of Vintage Port and you love them nonetheless, buy 375 (half bottles) and never have the issue arise. That is why this size is made. Personally, I would love to have 500 ml bottles of VP, but that would be very dangerous for my liver. Some folks claim that they keep vintage Ports around for a week and that they just keep getting better. I can only pontificate and would think it would be very difficult for that to happen as there is no question that if you compare a freshly opened bottle to one open for a week, most regular consumers of wine could tell the difference in freshness. Will it spoil and turn to vinegar? No. But after 3 days most folks can usually tell the difference unless the VP is very young and/or served cold. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Hi Roy, I was on vacation in Banff & ran across some Port with fine provenance at a shop I have done well with in the past. I ended up buying the '80 Taylor & the '85 Dow for a total of less than $130 US. I figured for that amount of money why not take the chance. Any thoughts on the 2 wines. I would think the '80 might be close to prime time. Thanks for any thoughts, David M. Bueker, Connecticut Howdy David, Both are good wines although I prefer the '85 Dow to the '80 Taylor (the latter of which I have not had in a few years though). Both will drink well now but certainly the '80 will show more maturity than the very youthful Dow. I think you received decent pricing too. Best regards, Roy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi Roy, I was wondering your opinion of this port. I haven't had it in a number of years but I remember being pretty impressed by it. I didn't think it was in the same class as the 1994 Vesuvio but that's tough company. Premier Cru has the 1995 for $40 for 750s and I was thinking of picking up a few. Best regards, Hal Blumberg Seattle, Washington Hal, I personally find the 1994 Quinta do Vesuvio one of the best made VPs of the vintage. I had one a few months ago and it was mind numbing with in your face, fruit forward dark chewy and dense berry pie. This is a beautiful baby with all the right stuffing to kick it into high gear in another 25 years when it starts becoming a bit more tame. The 1995 is a lot more approachable today, yet the structure is well suited for aging too. This is no shy flower and it seems that Vesuvio is on a serious roll since the early 1990s. The Symington's have done a great job with this property, and given the fact that Qd Vesuvio releases a VP just about every single year ... the quality in bottle has been very consistent. The house style has certainly emerged and I believe that within one more decade this will surpass many of the names that we now look at as very fine producers. Even their "off"vintage, VPs in 1996 and 1999 have been exceptional wines. So my suggestion is to buy anything with the name Vesuvio on the bottle. Roy _____________________________________________
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