What are your 2012 buying plans?

[Andy Velebil]

The new year is almost upon us, so what are your Port/Madeira/Portuguese wine buying plans? Are they going to remain the same? Are you planning on buying more or less? Are you planning to focus on certain vintages or producers, etc.

[Glenn E.]

Detailed plan for 2012:

1. Drink Port.
2. Buy more Port.

Not necessarily in that order.

But seriously, I need to start drinking more out of my cellar. My problem is that I tend to buy VP and Colheita that I intend to store and drink later, then I also buy LBVs, 20-yr olds, and 40-yr olds to drink now. Unfortunately my cellar (read: 2 full-size wine fridges and 1 half-size wine fridge) is now full of Port for "later" but I keep buying more! "Later" needs to come sooner and I need to stop buying LBVs and 20-yr olds to drink now.

[Derek T.]

But seriously, I need to start drinking more out of my cellar. My problem is that I tend to buy VP and Colheita that I intend to store and drink later, then I also buy LBVs, 20-yr olds, and 40-yr olds to drink now. Unfortunately my cellar (read: 2 full-size wine fridges and 1 half-size wine fridge) is now full of Port for "later" but I keep buying more! "Later" needs to come sooner and I need to stop buying LBVs and 20-yr olds to drink now.

Glenn,

It is time to face an awful truth. At some point in their life, every port drinker goes through what you are going through now. It is just too hard for us to resist temptation and we eventually have to give in the the need and admit the problem, especially to ourselves. There is no escaping from the facts. You have to admit it to yourself first and then gradually break the news to those you love so that they can give you the support you need to get through the change in lifestyle. We are all with you, Glenn, but you need to admit it. You need off-site storage

Derek

[Tom Archer]

but you need to admit it. You need off-site storage

Just a week after my cellar #2 (max capacity, just under 6,000 bottles) went 'live'...

..I'm doodling sketches for cellar #3....

[Andreas Nielsen]

Great question Andy - it will be interesting to see what the dominating buying trends among the users of this forum are.

I hope and plan to buy more since I just started collecting port last year (after collecting normal red for some years).

Status is that I only have bought and stored VP (besides 2 bottles of 2005 Dow LBV), so need to figure out what profile I want for my PORTfolio and make a strategy. Probably will be buying 70-80% for the mid-long to long term (>15-25 years) but would also like to have a good amount of nice ports (and fair priced) to enjoying during the next couple of years. Any (good) advise will be received with open arms!

I plan (and hope) to have at least 60 port drinking years left - so need to stack up

Andreas

[Glenn E.]

but you need to admit it. You need off-site storage

Just a week after my cellar #2 (max capacity, just under 6,000 bottles) went 'live'...

..I'm doodling sketches for cellar #3....

You're not helping, Tom!

I should have put my foot down a couple of years ago and just converted the study. I had this great plan to turn it into a pass-through cellar out onto the front porch. The room is just about the perfect size to be a "small" cellar - probably about 12' of 2-deep racking on each side of the room up to the 8' ceiling. Having a door in each end would have reduced capacity, but I think that would have been an acceptable trade-off.

But then I'd have filled that and would probably now be eyeing the spare bedroom...

[Derek T.]

Glenn, perhaps you should contact your local help group?

[Eric Menchen]

In something of a priority/confidence order:

1. Finish out a mixed case of 2009 VP.
2. 1970 VP, possibly older but I have more confidence in this year
3. Colheitas
4. Other bargains as they arise
5. Maybe some 1977 or 1983 VP
6. Maybe some 2000 VP

[Paul Fountain]

I suspect I'll slow my purchasing down a little in 2012, but I'll continue to be opportunistic with what comes up. I'll be looking to acquire more 77s as well as some 83s and 85s as they are proving to be well priced at the moment. I'll a keep an eye out for some more 2000s and 94s as well but the price there is a lot higher. I'd like to pick up a few 07s and and 09s as well but there just isn't much of that around in my part of the world.

[Al B.]

I'm looking to buy a case or so of 1963, but the prices are starting to firm in advance of the 50th anniversary market so I might wait for 4-5 years before I start to buy these - trouble is, prices don't seem to come down after the anniversary hike any more!

I'll buy a handful of 2010 releases when they are announced in the Spring. Certainly some Vesuvio if there is any made, then a couple of half cases of whatever I think is the best of the wines on offer.

And I will take full advantage of the UK supermarkets if they are foolish enough to heavily discount vintage port of top quality to £13.12 per bottle again. I bought 53 bottles of the Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003 at that price but wish I had bought more now that I have tasted it twice - I should have bought a pallet load and made it my new Morgan 1991.

Apart from these, it will be the older or more unusual bottles that come up from time to time that I shall aim to buy.

[Ronald Wortel]

The plan is not to buy anything, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to live up to that.

[Chris G]

I would like to buy more 1970 - you cannot have enough of this vintage IMHO, I say this every year and then never do it!!
Fonseca 85 and then some of the 90's.
On the Douro wines will see what comes out of the early tastings but will be buying the 2010 Guru from Wine and Soul. The White wines coming out of the Douro at the moment are superb and in my view very good value. I would like to buy some more DOC 2005 if I can find them, the secondary market in the UK is very undeveloped for these wines but they do occasionally come up.
I will also buy some of the 2010 ports when released, but am saving up for 2011's!

[Chris R]

I would like to being gathering a fair amount of 2008's for my wife and I to drink on our anniversary date each year

That is my only Focused purchasing goal

[Andy Velebil]

I would like to being gathering a fair amount of 2008's for my wife and I to drink on our anniversary date each year

That is my only Focused purchasing goal

Chris,
to the Forum! 2008 wasn't a generally declared year, but there were some very nice Single Quinta Vintage Ports (SQVP's) produced from this year that have been released or, in the case of the Symington's (Graham's Malvedos, Dows Bomfim, etc), that will be released in about 10 years since they do the early aging for you in their cellars.

[Jeff G.]

welcome indeed chris

I need to start waiting for the 2011 vintage for the new born son.

i also have 1 full height rack that is only 2/3s filled with fonseca and I intend to completely fill it by end of this year.

I have another rack 4/5th filled with Symington family offerings and I intend to fill it completely by end of this year also.

There is also a third rack which is only 2/5s (mostly with croft) full on the other TFP offerings which isn't on my 2012 buying plans.

in case yer wondering I have a whopping 3 bottles of taylor. 2x 1994 mags and 1x 2007 mag that doesn't fit in the rack slot.

[Andy Velebil]

in case yer wondering I have a whopping 3 bottles of taylor. 2x 1994 mags and 1x 2007 mag that doesn't fit in the rack slot.

That's not a bad problem to have

[Glenn E.]

in case yer wondering I have a whopping 3 bottles of taylor. 2x 1994 mags and 1x 2007 mag that doesn't fit in the rack slot.

We can fix that problem for you in March.

[Jeff G.]

in case yer wondering I have a whopping 3 bottles of taylor. 2x 1994 mags and 1x 2007 mag that doesn't fit in the rack slot.

We can fix that problem for you in March.

magnum party?

[Anders]

Buy as much as possible..... Just ordered a box of Vesuvio 1991

[Al B.]

I would like to being gathering a fair amount of 2008's for my wife and I to drink on our anniversary date each year

That is my only Focused purchasing goal

Chris

The 2008 ports that I was most impressed by were the Noval, Quevedo and Vesuvio ports from that vintage.