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Questions and Answers
I have cases of Dow 1985 vintage port I was intending to give to my 1 year old godson. Will it still be ok in 20 or 30 years?
Submitted by Adrian Dodge (Sherborne, England)
I recently tasted the Dow 1985 and now at 23 years old it is drinking very well indeed. Vintage Ports are famous for their longevity and ability to age gracefully in the bottle for many, many years. Provided that it is stored in good conditions I see no reason why your Dow 1985 should not be drinking well for many years to come into the future.
I have a bottle of Sandemans 1962 (bottled 1964) Port. When you hold it up to the light you can see what looks to be sediment in the bottom. I am not sure how it has been kept. Is this a bad sign?
Submitted by David Huggins (Verwood, GB)
Over time it is completely normal for deposit to form - all Vintage Port that has had time to mature in its own bottle will require decanting. During aging the wine will form a deposit or crust, which, if not removed, would be similar to drinking a cup of tea with its tea leaves.
We have the following 4 unopened bottles of Port: Grahams Malvedos 1984 Vintage Port, Grahams 1963 Vintage Port, Dows 1985 Crusted Port bottled 1985 and Taylors 1983 Vintage Port.
Can you estimate value of each and whether we should keep or drink them
and if we were to drink them what quality to expect at this age?
Submitted by Graham Bell (Kelsall, Cheshire, UK)
Regarding their value please have a look at the following website which will give you a good idea – http://www.wine-searcher.com/
Graham’s Malvedos 1984 – Drink or keep. I had a Malvedos 1965 last year and it was still holding up beautifully.
Graham 1963 – Drink or keep. Now drinking beautifully but will last for years to come.
Dow Crusted 1985 – Drink now. Crusted Ports although bottle un-fined and un-filtered like Single Quinta and Vintage Ports are not made for such long ageing in bottle.
Taylors 1983 – Drink or keep. The 1985’s are now 23 years old and drinking sublimely well, but will last for many more in bottle if you leave them.
Once the bottle is open, how quickly should Port be consumed and what is the best method for conserving its flavor?
Submitted by Andreia (Sao Paulo , Brasil)
Wood-Aged Ports
Ruby, Reserve, Tawny, LBV (Late Bottle Vintage), Colheita and White Port. These wines are bottled when ready to drink and seldom continue to improve once bottled. They do not need decanting as they are either given a light fining or filtered. Having spent much longer in barrels before bottling, they will remain fresher after opening for much longer than bottle-matured Ports, which have been isolated from the air by the cork closure. As a general guide, White Port and Ruby last from one to three weeks, LBV from two to three weeks and Colheita and Tawny for four to six weeks, providing they are re-stoppered securely. A Vacuvin or similar process will keep these wines even better and longer after opening.
Bottle-Aged Ports
Crusted, Bottle Matured LBV, Single Quinta and Vintage Port. These wines spend only a short period of time maturing in barrels before they are bottled. Being unfiltered, they are more robust and often fruitier than filtered wood-aged Ports, but they do require decanting to remove the sediment. Bottle-aged Ports, particularly Vintage Ports, will continue to improve in bottle for many, many years. But once opened, they should be drunk within 4-5 days to be at their freshest, fruitiest, best (longer if a vacuvin is used).
I have a nephew born in 2008 and would like to buy a case or preferably cask of Port from this year and leave in storage. What would you recommend?
Submitted by Fred (Hampton, UK)
The 2008 harvest has only just finished and the young Ports are now resting over the winter before assessing the quality early next year. I would recommend that you buy your nephew a Vintage or Single Quinta Port from 2008 (It is still too early to tell which it will be). These Ports are bottled and released for sale in the second year after the harvest, so in this case 2010. I can confirm that 2008 was a good harvest so you should have plenty of good Ports to choose from!
I have a bottle of Cockburns 1967 vintage port - is it ok to drink?
Submitted by frank ralston (glasgow, strathclyde)
Now 41 years old this Vintage Port is mature and should be an excellent glass of Port!
I would like to buy a Vintage 2004 Port to lay down until the year 2025. This was to be a christening present for my son born in 2004 to be given to him on his 21st birthday. Could you please advise me how to go about this?
Submitted by maureen widdicombe (marlborough, england)
2004, although a good year for Port, was not a generally declared Vintage year. I would therefore suggest that you visit a reputable wine merchant in your area and ask them to recommend a Single Quinta Vintage Port from the 2004 harvest with good ageing potential. I can personally recommend the Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira and Quinta do Vesuvio 2004 Vintage Ports.
I have got a bottle Ferriera 1975 - is this still a good Port?
Submitted by Tommy (Sai Kung, Hong Kong)
1975 was a general declaration. Although a light Vintage the best wines are elegant and a pleasure to drink now. 1975s are now fully mature so I would suggest drinking soon.
I would like to build a collection of recent vintage Port wines that will age well. Can you suggest some of the young Port wines that are less expensive in their youth that you believe will improve over the next 5-10 years?
Submitted by Burton H. Milnor (Memphis, TN, USA)
If you are looking for young Vintage Ports to age for the long term, I would suggest that you look for wines from the last three declarations – 1997, 2000, and 2003. If you pick wines from a reputable shipper they should improve with age and also increase in value over time.
My son was born i 2005. Who declared this year as a vintage year? Which ports should I buy for him in your opinion?
Submitted by Kasper Hyllested (Frederiksberg, Denmark)
They years 2000 and 2003 were considered classic and generally declared by Port Shippers. 2005, although not a generally declared Vintage year, did produce some very good and interesting wines and there are many Single Quinta Vintage Ports to choose from. I would recommend Quinta do Vesuvio 2005 Vintage and/or Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2005 Vintage as a good bet for the future.