Port

[TimmyBoston]

Very recently I have found a spirit which I truly enjoy. I have discovered Port. Personally I don't enjoy all of it, some of it is too sweet, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fine spirit.

I have been drinking Jonesy Old Tawny Port all last week. It isn't a true Port by definition; it is Austrailian rather than from Portugal. But either way it is a very good and a great value at $9 a bottle.

The other night I also picked up a 99 Fonseca LVB Port and a 10 year old Churchhill.

I would like to encourage some general port discussion here and I have a few basic port questions if anyone has the answers I would really appreciate them:
How should an opened bottle of port be stored? How should an unopened bottle of port be stored? How long will a bottle of port (properly stored) last? In what style of glassware should port be enjoyed?

Thanks all and discuss

[Mama Bear]

At this moment I am enjoying a 20 year old Cockburn's Tawney Porto.. it is to die for, probably the smoothest port I have ever had and not sweet..

Unfortunately, I rarely have to worry about storage of these kinds of items once they have been opened.. I had some last night and will probably finish it tonight It tastes best in waterford crystal...

Be careful tho. Drinking Porto can cause you to lose all inhibitions and may lead to.. er, ummmm.... never mind...

[ouch]

For sheer mystique, nothing beats vintage port. It's one of the glories of the wine world.

You'll notice a splash of paint on the side of a bottle of true vintage port. Lay it on its side with the paint facing up. If kept cool, dark, and still, it can outlive you.

The best value in port is late bottled vintage port. It's a fraction of the price of its big brother, yet delivers a considerable portion of the real deal. For the price, it's hard to beat.

You owe it to yourself to try, at least once, a great vintage port. The top houses are Taylor, Fonseca, Dow, Graham, Quinto do Noval, and a few others. The very best vintages of recent memory are '63, '70, and '77. There have been a few very great vintages recently, but they're not ready to drink.

[etoin_shrdlu]

I love port. I have a bottle of 1970 Taylor I'm saving for my honeymoon.

[ravkesef]

some 20 years ago, I purchased two cases of Calem 77 Vintage Port. My wine dealer told me this was the wine to go into the next century with. We cracked the first bottle on the evening of May 23, 1997, at Micah's (my oldest son) Bar Mitzvah. and then several more over the next few years on special occasions such as graduations from high school, college, etc.. I paid $12 a bottle. These days, if you can find it, expect to pay around $210 a bottle.
We currently have 2 bottles left, saving for another special occasion or two. A truly magnificent wine that has matured wonderfully in the bottle but still retains a delightful fruitiness.

footnote: Micah learned to decant port at the ripe old age of 13. I trained him to appreciate good wine and spirits, and these days he can talk intelligently about wines, scotch, etc. He's 23, and an officer in the Army. When he was taking chemistry in high school, the teacher remarked: "Micah, you really decant better than anyone else in the class!" His comment: "I wasn't going to tell her how I learned, or we'd have the social worker at the house within the hour."

[ouch]

I love port. I have a bottle of 1970 Taylor I'm saving for my honeymoon.

That's one of the very best bottles I've ever tasted. It's almost perfect- huge and smooth.

BTW- love your screen name even though you mispelled it.

[Doc4]

There was an old english tradition of laying down a case of port upon the birth of a son, to be drunk at his 21st birthday. (Like many old english traditions, it may not have made it to the daughters.) Your story puts me in mind of that ... how appropriate!

some 20 years ago, I purchased two cases of Calem 77 Vintage Port. My wine dealer told me this was the wine to go into the next century with. We cracked the first bottle on the evening of May 23, 1997, at Micah's (my oldest son) Bar Mitzvah. and then several more over the next few years on special occasions such as graduations from high school, college, etc.. I paid $12 a bottle. These days, if you can find it, expect to pay around $210 a bottle.
We currently have 2 bottles left, saving for another special occasion or two. A truly magnificent wine that has matured wonderfully in the bottle but still retains a delightful fruitiness.

footnote: Micah learned to decant port at the ripe old age of 13. I trained him to appreciate good wine and spirits, and these days he can talk intelligently about wines, scotch, etc. He's 23, and an officer in the Army. When he was taking chemistry in high school, the teacher remarked: "Micah, you really decant better than anyone else in the class!" His comment: "I wasn't going to tell her how I learned, or we'd have the social worker at the house within the hour."

[Doc4]

I would like to encourage some general port discussion here and I have a few basic port questions if anyone has the answers I would really appreciate them:
How should an opened bottle of port be stored? How should an unopened bottle of port be stored? How long will a bottle of port (properly stored) last? In what style of glassware should port be enjoyed?

Thanks all and discuss

Most of your questions depend on the type of port. Vintage and Late Bottled Vintage ("LBV") need to be decanted when opened; a tawnie or vintage character does not need this. As for 'storage while open', depending on the particular port you probably have a week to drink it, although the sooner the better. Keep it corkd and cool, but you're still losing to the clock.

How long will it last in the cellar? Vintage port should not be drunk until it has a couple of decades under it's belt, and potentially can be almost immortal. I'm working on some experiments with a few LBV bottles, but offhand I'd see most doing well for a decade before pettering out. Tawnie and Vintage Character are basically meant to be drunk 'now', and there's probably no point to trying to keep them ... although they're not like a Beaujolais Noveau that will die within the year.

Glassware? People might think I'm odd, but a brandy snifter (a small one, not the giant balloons) ain't too bad. Really, and wine glass can do okay, as long as it has a curved-in top and you don't fill it up more than half-full (one-third is ideal.) Some companies make some pretty spectacular stemware, and you can drop some serious coin ... but less than a silvertip brush!! A top choice would be Reidel, which makes several different quality levels, and has put some serious research into making differently shaped glasses designed to present different wines at their best. If you decide to stick with port, look at getting a couple (why drink alone?) of their port-specific glasses.

[ravkesef]

There was an old english tradition of laying down a case of port upon the birth of a son, to be drunk at his 21st birthday. (Like many old english traditions, it may not have made it to the daughters.) Your story puts me in mind of that ... how appropriate!

Thanks, Doc.

[rikrdo]

There was an old english tradition of laying down a case of port upon the birth of a son, to be drunk at his 21st birthday. (Like many old english traditions, it may not have made it to the daughters.) Your story puts me in mind of that ... how appropriate!

I wish my folks had done that when I was born.
1963.

[ouch]

I wish my folks had done that when I was born.
1963.

OW!!!

[Scotto]

Great advice already. If you don't like things too sweet, as you say, then I am sure you would love good aged tawny port. The 10, 20, etc. year tawnys from Taylor's (not of Old Bond Street ) are great

[qhsdoitall]

Yumm. 10 year + Tawny Port. Quit it. I'm working here trying not to think about a good port and a pipe full of Fanueil Hall.

[boboakalfb]

The 10, 20, etc. year tawnys from Taylor's are great.

I agree here. I always have a bottle of the 10 year Tawny on hand.

[SofaKing]

You owe it to yourself to try, at least once, a great vintage port. The top houses are Taylor, Fonseca, Dow, Graham, Quinto do Noval, and a few others. The very best vintages of recent memory are '63, '70, and '77. There have been a few very great vintages recently, but they're not ready to drink.

I have had the '77 Taylor (still have a split) and have a '63 Quinto do Noval waiting for an opportunity to open. Maybe my 50th birthday in 2 years, who knows.

[Bricktop]

I bought a case of the 85 Taylors on release that I began hammering about 5 years ago.
Immensely deep and rich, with a pretty good kick. I think I down to 2 now.
I wish I had bought some other years now.

[Doc4]

this Post is dedicated to the letter "P"

Port

Patience

Perfection

Passing the Port

Plastered

Phew!!

[Ken]

Ouch wrote:

"You'll notice a splash of paint on the side of a bottle of true vintage port."

Ouch,

It's my belief that most Port houses have given up the paint splash. Of the bottles of port I have in my cellar, going back into the 70s with one bottle from the 60s, only Taylor uses the splash. It is missing on Graham, Dow, Warre, Croft, Cockburn, etc. I have not bought port since the early 90s so it is possible that they have resumed the practice. But my experience has been that paint is not used. It is not really necessary given paper labels and indeed the Taylor splashes are directly below the label. Do you know whether there are other houses that still use the splash?

Ken

[Graham]

When I was in business, it was a custom in the London tailoring trade to bring a bottle of port when visiting fellow tailors, I accumulated a wonderful selection. I still have a corner in the cellar with some '55' fonseca, '61' '62' and '63' Taylor's and '70' Graham's, this last Christmas I decanted a '55' Fonseca. My goodness, it was wonderful.

[ouch]

When I was in business, it was a custom in the London tailoring trade to bring a bottle of port when visiting fellow tailors, I accumulated a wonderful selection. I still have a corner in the cellar with some '55' fonseca, '61' '62' and '63' Taylor's and '70' Graham's, this last Christmas I decanted a '55' Fonseca. My goodness, it was wonderful.

I would never argue about port with someone named "Graham".

I know the British are particularly fond of port, and you have quite a collection there.


The two best ports I've tried were the '48 Taylor and a '62 Quinta do Noval Nacional, both magnificent. From more recent and obtainable vintages, standouts were the '70 Taylor and '77 Fonseca, Graham, and Dow.