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Hi Phil, Vintage Port has had very little exposure to oxygen during the ageing process, so when you open the bottle, its character will change with exposure to air.  This is good up to a point - hence the need to decant and let the wine breath for a little time before enjoying - but prolonged exposure to air over several days will cause the wine to lose its aromas and flavours.  This is true for any bottle-aged wine, not just Vintage Port. 

You could close the bottle after serving with its original cork or use a vacuum-style stopper, and the wine will hold for a day or two if kept in a cool place, but any longer than that you will notice a distinct degradation in quality.  We would suggest that you invite friends or family around to share this wonderful Vintage Port with you when you open it, so it can be thoroughly enjoyed at its best.  You might want to look at our articles about Decanting and Serving Vintage Port for more information about handling the wine once it has been opened.

For every day, more leisured drinking, you might consider half bottles of Vintage Port - speak with your wine merchant about sourcing those - or look at Port styles that have had more wood ageing, and so keep better in bottle after opening - up to a month or six weeks if re-corked promptly and kept in a cool cellar or fridge.  Look at either a Late Bottled Vintage if you enjoy the younger, more fresh-fruit driven flavour profile, or Tawny or Colheita styles if you prefer the flavours typical of an aged Vintage Port, such as dried fruit, nuts, caramel, spice and citrus. Dow's, Graham's, and Warre's all make these styles of Port.

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Hi Wendy, The 1983 wines are wonderful, powerful wines with all the characteristics needed to age very well for a very long time.  Whilst this wine is drinking well now, it certainly has the quality and structure to age longer, if well cellared.  Read more about the 1983 wines generally and harvest conditions in the 1983 Vintage Report,

Vintage Port changes character as it ages in bottle - when to drink it is a matter of personal preference for one flavour profile or another.  You may want to read our article about the Lifecyle of Vintage Port to learn more about the flavour trajectory as the wine ages.  Recent tasting notes indicate the Graham's 1983 is still drinking young for its age, with lots of fruit character still to the fore.  Remember that the life and quality of Vintage Port is dependent on good storage conditions:  the bottle should be kept in a cool, dark place and lying on its side.

Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for wines, so cannot advise you on the value of your bottle.   Your best bet for good advice is to contact a specialist wine merchant that will know the market in your area, or one of the major auction houses that routinely handle vintage wines.  Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's all have offices in Belgium.

Be aware, any one who might broker or purchase your wines will want more information about when and where the bottles were acquired and most importantly, how they have been cellared since acquisition. To learn a bit more about this, you may want to consult two other articles on The Vintage Port Site: one about Storing Vintage Port, and the other about Purchasing Vintage Port which gives the buyer's perspective on the risks of buying wine in the secondary market or at auction.

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Hi Bob, First of all, the words "Vintage Port" - whether brand or Quinta - tell you the wine was made according to the ageing and bottling regime defined by the regulating body, the IVDP, namely:  grapes from a single harvest are vinified as Port, aged in cask and blended and bottled between two and three years after harvest.  At Symington Family Estates we use large wooden casks of tens of thousands of litres for the cask ageing, and we bottle our Vintage Ports the second summer after harvest - e.g. the 2007 Vintage Ports were bottled in May to June of 2009. 

The only difference is in the subsequent sales process:  our declared Vintage Ports are always offered for sale en-primeur at the time of bottling, whereas most of the Quinta Vintage Ports will be laid down and begin their bottle ageing in our own cellars here in Vila Nova de Gaia, and will not be released for sale until roughly 10 years after harvest, when we think it will ready for enjoyment.  For example, the current release of Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos is the 1999 Vintage Port.  Only exceptionally is a Quinta Vintage offered en-primeur - Dow's Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira is one of those exceptions.

Traditionally - for a couple hundred years - Port Vintages were declared only in those years when the crop and the quality of the wines was truly extraordinary.  That tradition continues with the formal declaration of Vintages for our leading brand names - Graham's, Dow's and Warre's to name the most widely known three.  The conditions for making this kind of exceptional port - a port which has the structure and complexity to age magnificently over decades, even a century - occur, typically, only two or three times in a decade.  We cannot control this - it's in the hands of Mother Nature how often all the climactic conditions come together to produce grapes that give us the opportunity to make this kind of Vintage Port!  Each of our brand name Vintage Ports are blended from wines which come from several different quintas, which gives us the opportunity to balance all the flavours and structural qualities needed to produce these legendarily long-lived wines.

But the wines made in undeclared years aren't all bad either!  Of course those wines have always been aged and bottled by various regimens to produce other styles of port, such as Tawnies, Ruby or Late Bottled Vintage.  Since the mid-20th century, however, we began experimenting with making Vintage Ports from the grapes of just one quinta, typically the quinta which has always defined the style of the brand - hence Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha, and Smith Woodhouse occasionally produces a Madalena.  Dow's has two extraordinary quintas, each of which may make a Quinta Vintage - Dow's Quinta do Bomfim and Dow's Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira.

These Quinta Vintage Ports are typically marketed at a more modest price point than declared Vintages, as the expectation was that they would not have the structure to last a century - they might only make it a modest thirty or forty years or so - though that is quite long enough for most modern consumers!

For more information, take a look at a couple articles here on the Vintage Port Site:  Under the Port Basics tab in the menu above, take a look at the article about Vintage Declarations and also the one about Quinta Vintage Port.

With increasing interest in terroir, the Quinta Vintage Ports have come into the limelight, and they do demonstrate the incredible diversity of the Douro terrain.  Paul Symington and his cousins Johnny and Charles took a range of our Quinta Vintage Ports on the road to London and Lisbon last autumn to show these wines.  Critics were impressed by the extraordinary quality of these wines, and by the story of terroir which they told.  They were also impressed that these supposedly "lesser" wines in fact age very very well - we showed wines from the 50s and 60s which were every bit as well structured and beautiful as declared Vintages of similar age.  You can read about the Quinta Vintage Port Tasting on the Graham's Blog.

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Hi Robert,  Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for Vintage Ports so are unable to advise you on the value of your wines.  Furthermore, only fortified wines made in Portugal and certified by the Instituto do Vinho do Douro e Porto can truly be called Ports - rather like sparkling wine from anywhere in the world except the Champagne region of France is not true Champagne. 

Your best bet is to discuss your wines with a top specialist wine merchant or auction house in your area who will be famliar with these wines and the commemorative sets and their value, if any, in the secondary market.  Another alternative is to approach one of the top auction houses that routinely handle fine wines worldwide.  Bonham's have several offices in Australia, Christies has one in Sydney, and Sotheby's have contacts in Melbourne and Sydney. 

Be aware, any one who might broker or purchase your wines will want more information about when and where the bottles were acquired and most importantly, how they have been cellared since acquisition. To learn a bit more about this, you may want to consult two other articles on The Vintage Port Site: one about Storing Vintage Port, and the other about Purchasing Vintage Port which gives the buyer's perspective on the risks of buying wine in the secondary market or at auction.

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Hi Ellis,   Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for Vintage Port, so we are unable to advise you on possible valuations for your bottles.  As regards the vintages, as you will see from our Viticultural reports, 1952 was generally not declared except a few quinta vintages.  Look again at that Niepoort 1952 - does the label say "Vintage Port" or could it possibly be one of their "Garrafeira" wines?  These are aged and bottled rather differently from true Vintage Ports.  1959 was a disappointing year in the Douro and no Vintage Ports were declared, so again, I doubt that your bottle is a true Vintage Port, but pehaps some other style.  Could it be a Colheita, which is a tawny style of port, a wine from a single harvest which has aged for years in small wooden casks before bottling?  1963 on the other hand, was a legendary year for Vintage Ports.

As far as valuing and possibly selling your wines, your best bet is to contact one of the major auction houses that routinely handle vintage wines, and ask their advice about the value and saleability of your ports, such as Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's.  Another option in the UK is to consult Berry Bros & Rudd who have the BBX wine exchange, an on-line trading service.  Whilst that service is for wines which have been held in bond with them, the listings will you give you a sense of pricing, and they may be able to advise you further if you contact them directly.

Be aware, any one who might broker or purchase your wines will want more information about when and where the bottles were acquired and most importantly, how they have been cellared since acquisition.  To learn a bit more about this, you may want to consult two other articles on The Vintage Port Site:  one about Storing Vintage Port, and the other about Purchasing Vintage Port which gives the buyer's perspective on the risks of buying wine in the secondary market or at auction.

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Hi Steven, There is a New Zealand producer of fortified wines which uses the name Old Masters on many of its products, you may have some of their bottles.  Look again at the bottle - if it doesn't have a numbered white IVDP label over the cork, under the capsule seal, and if it doesn't say Product of Portugal on the front label, then it isn't real Port.  Look at this photo of Graham's Vintage 2000 to see what we mean about the labelling.

The Instituto do Vinho do Douro e Porto (IVDP) is the regulating body of the Port trade - only wines produced in the Douro DOC region of Portugal, in accordance with their regulations, are true Port wines.

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Hi Daroyl, Thank you, we're glad you enjoy our website and Dow's Ports!  Symington Family Estates does not do any on line selling - though if you visit the Graham's Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia some day you could purchase a selection of wines from all our brands, including Dow's!  In North America our importer is Premium Port Wines - if you consult the Contact Page of their site, you can identify a distributor near you who will help you locate a retail outlet or assist in sourcing special bottles, such as Vintage Ports to lay down for your children.

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Hi Robin, Crusted port is a style of Port which is blended from wines from several years (so, non-Vintage), but is bottled unfiltered.  Because of this, it will age in bottle to some degree if well cellared, but is not generally expected to have the longevity of a classic Vintage Port.  For this reason, Crusted Port is less sought after in the secondary market.  We would suggest you contact a top specialist wine merchant in your area for more specific advice. 

Bear in mind any potential buyer will want to know more about the provenance of the wine, so any records you have about when and where it was purchased, and most importantly, some record of how it has been stored, will be critical. To learn more about the secondary market in Port, which will give you an idea of what's involved, you may want to read the article on this site about Purchasing Vintage Port.  You may also want to consult our guidelines about Storing Your Port, to ensure you keep the wine in good condition whilst it is in your own posession.

Another alternative is a private sale to a keen port lover. There are of course risks in this kind of private sale, but if you wish to explore this alternative, there are two internet chat forums devoted to Port: The Port Forum, which is UK based, and For The Love of Port, which is based in the USA. Both have a thoroughly international following, however. You can browse the forums as a non-member but will need to register - which is free on both sites - if you decide to post a thread about your Port.

On the Port Forum, post your query in the Port Conversations chat room. If you take a look, there are a number of threads like this already posted, with members offering advice re how the wines are drinking, price levels, etc. Interest in buying is usually expressed via the private mail function on the site, rather than publicly in the thread.

On For The Love of Port, go to the chat thread Port & Madeira Marketplace to post your message – and do read the Marketplace Disclaimer notice.

Post a full description of the bottles, including exact wording on label, describe the fill levels, and all the information you can about when and where the wine was acquired, and very importantly, how and where it has been stored. If you have photos, you can post them, or send an email to the moderator asking for assistance, and they will add the photo into the thread.

Both of these forums are very friendly and helpful places, and other members will be able to offer further advice. Good luck.

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Hi George.  Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for fine wines, so we are unable to advise you on this.  Also, as makers of true Port in Portugal, we are not able to advise about fortified port-style wines made in Australia or elsewhere.  Your best bet would be to take your bottle to a top specialist wine merchant locally, or consult one of the big auction houses which regularly deal with fine wines, such as Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's.

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Hi Scarlett, Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for Ports, so we cannot advise you on this. Bear in mind, any potential buyer or broker will want evidence that the bottles have been cellared properly since purchase; you may want to read our article about Purchasing Vintage Port for more about the buyer's perspective on this type of transaction. For advice regarding your particular wine, we suggest you consult a local specialist wine merchant, or one of the auction houses that regularly sell top wines, such as Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's. You may also want to take a look at Berry Brothers & Rudd's BBX, which is an exchange for purchase and sale of privately owned bottles.

Of course, there is always the option of opening and enjoying the wine yourself, or offering it to a friend. Warre's 1977 is a wonderful wine, as you can see from the Tasting Notes in our Knowledge Base.

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Hi Margaret, Up until 1974 almost all Port was shipped in 550 litre wooden casks to merchants around the world who then bottled it locally for their customers.  Labelling was also at the merchants' discretion, so it is not uncommon for older bottles to be unmarked like this.  Some merchants would brand the corks, so when you open the bottle, you may learn more, or if the wax seal does not cover very much of the neck, it is possible you could shine a very strong light on the bottle neck and read the cork.  Without seeing the bottles it is difficult to advise you further.

It might be worth taking them to a specialist wine merchant or to one of the auction houses that handle wines, such as Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's - their experts may be able to tell you more based on an examination of the bottle or the character of the markings on the seal which you describe.  If your family have any records of when or where the bottles were purchased, or any kind of cellar book that might have information, that would also help the identification process. 

1960 was a declared year, and you can read more about it in our 1960 Viticultural Report.  if the wine has been well cellared it may be very enjoyable.  Good luck!

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Hi Phil,  Late Bottled Vintage Port is a style which is meant to be enjoyed on release or within a few years.  Although it will retain its quality and character if stored in cool, dark cellar conditions, this is not a style of Port that is meant to age for an extended period of time in bottle. As Graham's LBVs have been lightly filtered before bottling you will not need to decant it. Definitely one to crack open and enjoy!

Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port possesses attractive liquorice and floral aromas and fresh, ripe blackberry fruit flavours. It epitomizes Graham’s house style very effectively: great rich fruit concentration with spicy complexity and depth, held together by superb structure and balance.  You may want to serve it along side strong cheeses like Cheddar or Stilton, or even a soft ripe goat's cheese.  Alternatively, this style of Port is fantastic with rich dark chocolate desserts.  Enjoy!

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Hi Thomas, 1952 is tricky - no classic Vintages were declared.  Dow's Quinta do Bomfim and Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos both bottled Quinta Vintage ports in 1952, but those are likely to be very very difficult to find now.  Your best bet would be a 1955 - this was a superb vintage which is often underrated and should still be drinking well now if the wine has been well cellared.  Take a look at the 1955 Viticultural Report for an overview of the year; almost all our brands declared vintages, you can follow the links at the top of the Vintage Report to view the tasting notes and details for each Port.

If your local wine merchant is unable to source the Port you want, contact our US distributor, Premium Port Wine.  Their National Sales Director, Paul Mugnier, will be happy to advise you further and help you source that special bottle. He is based in San Francisco at 415-554-9920 ext. 842.

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Hi Jenny, This Vintage Port Site has summaries of viticultural conditions for every year since 1945 - you can select your year from the Knowledge Base drop down box in the top left margin, or follow this link directly to the 1982 Viticultural report.  1982 produced generally above average quality wines, though many shippers bottled Quinta vintages, rather than classic brand vintage ports. This site features details about the Vintage Ports declared or bottled each year - you will see the links to the wines and their tasting notes at the top of the Viticultural Report page. 

Late Bottled Vintage is a different style of Port.  Whereas a classic Vintage Port or Quinta Vintage Port is bottled roughly 18 months after harvest without filtering, LBVs are kept in cask for an average of 5 years before being filtered and bottled, and are ready to enjoy when released to market.  This style of Port is not meant for long term ageing, but if you have kept your bottle in cool, dark conditions it may still be enjoyable.  It certainly would be worth opening some time soon.  Take a look at the Graham's website page about Graham's Late Bottled Vintage for more information.

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Hi Sophie, Port makes a wonderful gift.  Vintage Ports from the 1980s and 1990s are drinking well now, but will continue to age gracefully in cool, dark cellar conditions for years to come, so this makes a superb gift your uncle can enjoy at any time.  A quick check on the UK sites for Vintage Marque and Berry Brothers & Rudd show vintages readily available from these decades for many of our brands.

If you know your uncle's taste preferences, this quick summary of our leading brand styles will guide your selection:

Graham’s – is the richest and sweetest of all our brands, very full bodied and luscious
Dow’s – has a drier profile, and a character dominated by fruit and peppery tannins, can be austere in youth but matures magnificently
Warre’s – is elegant, balanced, has wonderful finesse
Quinta do Vesuvio – produces concentrated, powerful wines characterised by ripe fruit
Cockburn’s – is drier, like the Dow’s, but its character is generally more developed than Dow’s due to a higher wood to wine ratio throughout the ageing process

If your uncle is a real connoisseur of Port who would appreciate something a little unusual, you might look for one of our niche brands - Smith Woodhouse is characterised by our head winemaker Charles Symington as quite concentrated and perhaps a bit more rustic than our other brands.  Smith Woodhouse, Quarles Harris and Gould Campbell are less widely known and distributed, but for just that reason are priced very well and often praised by critics as representing excellent value for money.  When you have found a Vintage Port you might like to buy, don't forget to use our Knowledge Base to review the Vintage Report for the year and wine specific tasting notes for more information!

You don't name a budget, but if you find Vintage Ports to be out of reach, then look at other Port styles:  Rubies are full of intense fresh red and black fruit, like a very young Vintage Port - in the UK Graham's Six Grapes and Cockburn's Special Reserve are particularly popular and widely available.  Late Bottled Vintage is another good value for money choice for something like a young Vintage - and Warre's Bottle Matured LBV is unique and highly praised by critics.  Finally, Tawny Ports offer a very different character profile:  these are blended from wines that have aged in small casks so the wine has oxidised.  The result is a flavour profile dominated by dried fruit, honey, citrus and almond or hazelnut in younger tawnies, with complex notes of cigar box, leather, caramel and more in the 30 and 40 Year Old Tawnies.  Graham's offers a full range of Tawnies, and Warre's Otima 10 and 20 Year Old Tawnies are also very popular.

Best wishes to your uncle on his birthday!

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Hi John, Whilst we are very excited about the quality of the wines made in 2011, no Declaration has been announced yet.  Traditionally the announcement is made in the spring of the second year after harvest - so look for news here on the Vintage Port Site in April or May of 2013.  The wine will then be bottled by end June and available for sale en primeur, and delivered later in the year, depending on the exact terms your wine merchant offers.  In the UK Vintage Marque (mail order) and Berry Brothers and Rudd (at their shops and mail order) can be counted on to carry a selection of Graham's, Dow's, Warre's and Quinta do Vesuvio ports, including the en-primeur Vintage offers.  They could also help you find any of our niche brands if you prefer.

For more information, you might be interested in the article on this site which explains the Declaration of a Vintage, under the Port Basics menu tab above.  For more about the 2011 Vintage, the Graham's Blog covered harvest activities on a daily basis, beginning in September and at the end of harvest in mid October Paul Symington wrapped up and summarised harvest conditions across the region in his 2011 Douro Harvest Report.

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Hi Nicholas, The 1986 viticultural season was a bit of a challenge as you can read in our 1986 Vintage Report.  No classic Vintage Ports were declared, and only a few quinta wines bottled - overall the year is considered to be one for early consumption rather than long ageing, so you may want to make plans to enjoy that bottle some time soon.  Symington Family Estates is not active in the secondary market for wines, so we cannot advise on valuations, least of all on a wine we did not make ourselves.  You might want to seek guidance from a top specialist retailer.  In the UK, Berry Brothers & Rudd have the BBX service which is a marketplace for privately owned wines held in bonded storage - their listings may give you some guidance.  Bear in mind, anyone buying or broking the wine will want evidence that it has been well cellared - look at our page about Buying Vintage Port (under the Enjoying Port menu item) for a bit more about the secondary market for Vintage Ports.

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Hi Fraser, Cockburn's, Dow's, Graham's and Warre's all make modern (that is, filtered) Late Bottled Vintage Ports, and Warre's also makes a Traditional Bottle Aged LBV (which is not filtered, and which we hold for ageing here in Gaia for four years after bottling before releasing to market).  All of these wines have been praised and recommended in the press and won awards at top competitions.  Here are some specific tasting notes and comments on each.  We are unable to advise you on pricing, as this is dependent on local taxes and retailers.  Be aware that in the next few months, as stocks of 2006 LBVs run out, the 2007s will be coming into the market.  In the case of the Warre's Bottle Aged LBV, the current offering is 2001, and later this year the 2002 will become available.

Cockburns 2006 LBV:  Gold Medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards, their tasting note:  Rich, dense layers of pure berry fruit flavours with a touthful nose. Very Vintage in style with soft, ripe fruit.

Dow's 2006 LBV:  Silver Medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards, their tasting note:  Rich berry fruit and ripe tannins in the mouth with a big, expansive finish. Elegant, sweet style that's well made and excellent quality.  Our own tasting notes point out: Dow’s LBV is full-bodied, rich but perfectly balanced with soft peppery tannins and with a fine acidity that ensures perfect balance on the palate. The classic Dow’s dry finish is always present in the house’s LBV.

Graham's 2006 LBV:  Gold Medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards, their tasting note: Lovely full fruity aroma and flavours with underlying richness and intensity. Ripe and round palate with notes of cassis and spice and an interesting finish.  Our own tasting notes: Graham’s 2006 Late Bottled Vintage has a dark, opaque ruby colour with a deep red rim. With a lovely complex nose packed with opulent and powerful aromas of freshly picked rich, dark, blackberries, black cherries and hints of chocolate. The palate has a velvety intensity and is backed with solid, structured, rich and intense black fruit flavours. A racy and firm tannic structure leads to a long, sweet and immensely seductive finish.

Warre's 2006 LBV:  Our own tasting notes:  Warre’s 2006 Late Bottled Vintage has a deep ruby colour with a reddish rim. On the nose very refined, elegant and complex, bursting with intense red fruit and fragrant floral scents of violets and esteva (rock rose). On the palate there is a marvellous balance and subtlety, where very fine, pure fresh red fruit flavours of raspberries and cherries combine with hints of freshly picked mountain flowers and mint. A solid core of silky tannins leads to a long and seductive finish.

Warre's 2001 Bottle Aged LBV:  Silver Medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards, their notes: Ripe fruit aromas and lovely rich, ripe, fleshy fruit on the palate with good purity of flavour.  Our own tasting notes:  Deep, rich ruby colour. On the nose is fresh, fragrant and floral with scents of rockrose, eucalyptus and (discreet) mint. On the palate Warre’s 2001 LBV is full, with ripe concentrated plummy fruit. In the mid-palate shows dark chocolate and sprinklings of spice and mocha. Long persistent aftertaste, with fresh acidity punctuating the finish.

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Hi Andrew,  Not at all!  Vintage Ports from 1963 were recognised from the start as monumental Ports, and they have proven worthy of our confidence, ageing very well indeed.  They are drinking well now, and have the potential to age further.  The key, as with any Vintage Port, is to look for wines from top producers that have been well cellared.  You can read the 1963 Vintage Report on the Knowledge Base on this site, and follow the links at the top of that page to see reviews for each wine individually.  All of our brands declared in 1963, as did nearly all Port produers.

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Hi Almerinda, Real Companhia Vinicola do Norte de Portugal is the full corporate name for what is usually known as Real Companhia Velha.  If the label does not prominently feature a year, or use the word "Vintage", then it probably is not a Vintage Port, but without seeing or having the full text of the label we cannot be certain or advise further.  As a general rule, non-vintage styles of Port are bottled for consumption in the short term and so these Port styles do not have a secondary market.  For further advice, you should take your bottle, or a good photo of the label, to a specialist wine retailer in your area, or contact the makers directly.

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Hi Cat, Johnny Symington tells us these "White Label" wines were produced as gifts for Warre's own staff at Christmas and Easter.  The No. 1 was a standard Ruby or Tawny, No. 2 a Late Bottled Vintage, and No. 3 an aged Tawny.  The wines were the same as produced and sold commercially for the brand, only bottled with special labels for employee gifts.  This practice was only discontinued in the 1980's - now the employee Christmas gift box includes branded wines in the usual commercial packaging.

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Hi Phil, Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for Ports, so we cannot advise you on this.  Bear in mind, any potential buyer or broker will want evidence that the bottles have been cellared properly since purchase; you may want to read our article about Buying Vintage Port for more about the buyer's perspective on this type of transaction.  For advice regarding your particular wine, we suggest you consult a local specialist wine merchant, or one of the auction houses that regularly sell top wines, such as Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's.  You may also want to take a look at Berry Brothers & Rudd's BBX, which is an exchange for purchase and sale of privately owned bottles. 

Of course, there is always the option of opening and enjoying the wine yourself, or offering it to a friend.  Warre's 1980 is a wonderful wine, as you can see from the Tasting Notes in our Knowledge Base.

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Hi Charles, Naturally we feel the only true "Port" wines come from the Douro here in Portugal, and legislation is in progress to protect the use of that name.  That said, fortified wines in the styles of Port and Sherry are made by many new world wineries, including in South Africa.  Your best starting point to learn more might be the website for the South African Port Producers Association at http://www.sappa.co.za/

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Hi Martin, Over the years, Port has been bottled in a wide range of bottles and glass types, some more opaque than others.  A quick survey of several empties here in my office:  a 1963 Warre's bottle appears black and is barely translucent, furthermore the neck is still mostly covered by the remains of the wax seal, a 1977 Warre's is nearly opaque - certainly candle light would not help but a strong table lamp does shine through the neck, and I have something that looks like a clear green bordeaux bottle which in fact held a brilliant 1970 Vintage Port that was made by the Symingtons and shipped in cask to England where it was bottled by Berry Brothers and Rudd. 

For this reason, we actually recommend several different possible tactics for decanting.  While candlelight is lovely, any strong light works - I've held a flashlight while a friend decanted during a power failure, and in an article about Decanting on the Graham's Blog you will see a photo of someone standing in the window at the Factory House to decant by strong sunlight!  If you mistrust your ability to spot the sediment in the neck of the bottle either shift to pour out the last bit of wine into a glass rather than the decanter, or decant using a funnel lined with a bit of thin cotton fabric - we use sterile surgical gauze pads at the Graham's Lodge, as you can see in the photo at the top of the Decanting article here on the VPS.

Finally, a litle sediment is completely harmless and will not throw off the flavour of the Port in your glass.  At the conclusion of The Vintage Port Site article about Decanting, Charles Symington, head winemaker at Symington Family Estates, explained that the sediment in Port is heavy enough to settle to the bottom of your glass and is not astringent, as it in dry table wines.  Not long after having that conversation with Charles, I had the opportunity to put it to the test:  friends were decanting a Port from the late 1950's, and I asked them to pour out the sediment into a glass.  They thought I was mad, but I tasted the sediment.  It had an unpleasant feel in the mouth, like gritty sand, but it actually had little to no flavour, so was not that disagreeable.

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Hi Andy, The decision to declare a classic Vintage or bottle a Quinta Vintage is made roughly 15 to 18 months after harvest - so for 2010, that decision will be made in the spring of 2012.  In January Charles Symington and the team from the Tasting Room will make some possible blends and then the entire Symington family will join them to taste and discuss the samples and come to a decision about declarations and bottlings.  There are a few articles here on the Vintage Port Site that describe the process more fully - under the Port Basics tab in the menu above you can read more about the Declaration of a Vintage and Quinta Vintage Port.

Watch the News page on this site (you can subscribe to an RSS news feed by clicking the icon at the foot of the page) for news of all our brands, also the Graham's Facebook page and Graham's Port Blog will announce our decisions in late April or early May.

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Hi Connie, The short answer is no. Late Bottled Vintage Ports are sold ready for immediate enjoyment, and Crusted Ports should be enjoyed within 5 to 10 years of the date bottled. That said, if your bottles have been kept in good storage conditions (laid down in steady cool temperatures and darkness) they may very well surprise you. Always worth opening a bottle, even if only to learn what effect poor storage can have on a wine.

Late Bottled Vintage Port is, as a rule, aged for 4 to 6 years in large wooden casks, then lightly filtered before bottling, ready for sale and enjoyment within a year or two of purchase, at most.  Because of the filtration, the wine will not mature any further in bottle.

One exception to this is Warre’s Bottle Aged LBV: after at least four years in cask, the wine is bottled without any filtration, and then we age it, in bottle, a further four years or more in our cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia before releasing for sale. Like other LBVs this is intended for consumption at or shortly after the time of purchase, but if it were well cellared, it may show some further maturation in bottle for a few more years after purchase. Because it has not been filtered, it will need to be decanted when served.

Crusted Port is a blend of ports from two or three harvests which has been bottled without any fining or filtration in the year shown on the label. We then age it a further three years in bottle in our own cellars before offering the wine for sale. The wine will be ready to drink at the time of purchase, but will age gracefully for several years in bottle, developing its bouquet and flavours over that time. We would recommend consumption up to ten years after the date on the label. Bear in mind Crusted Port should be properly stored and decanted like a Vintage port.
 

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Hi Sandy, Late Bottled Vintage Port is a style which is meant for enjoyment at the time of purchase or shortly thereafter.  A 1998 LBV would have aged in casks for 4 to 6 years before bottling, and probably have been released for sale in the mid 2000's.  If it has been stored in cool, dark cellar conditions it may have held its quality - but you should not hold it any longer. 

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Hi Darren.  Please, right now, go out to the kitchen and rescue that bottle!  Put it somewhere dark, cool (12ºC give or take is preferable) and lying on its side.  When you have done that, come back to the computer and read on.

Once the bottle is laid down, check it every fews days for signs of seepage - that is, wine oozing out from under the capsule which covers the cork.  With the bottle standing upright in the heat of a kitchen for a year, there is a danger that the cork will have dried out and shrunk enough to let air in.  If there is seepage, open the wine straight away - and I am afraid the Port would likely be oxidised in this case.  If there is no seepage, your chances of the wine still being in drinkable condition are greater, but you should plan to consume it sooner rather than later.  I am afraid the conditions in the kitchen, near the cooker, will have seriously compromised your wine.

Vintage Port, like any fine wine laid down for ageing, should be stored in a cool, dark place, and laid horizontally to keep the cork moist and in good condition, to maintain the airtight seal. The ideal temperature is around 12ºC (54º F), but there is some latitude in this - as long as the temperature is steady, and not subject to sharp swings, you should be ok. You can read more about storing you Port, including suggestions about locating a good place in your home, in our article about Storing Your Port under the Enjoying Port menu tab above.

The Dow's 1966 is a superb wine - that was a very good friend to give that to you! The 1966 Vintage Ports generally were excellent, with the structure and power of fruit to age very well - see our 1966 Viticultural Report for more about the conditions and vintage generally. The Dow's 1966 has matured particularly well, as you can read in the Tasting Notes. Whilst the wine is mature and drinking well now, it does have the structure to continue to age when properly stored.

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Hi Nancy, Lucky you!  1985 was a classic Vintage year, as you can read in our full 1985 Viticultural Report, and the 1985 Dow's is particularly well regarded - we won a Gold Medal at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in 2009 for this Port - see the IWC's tasting note as well as notes from many top critics on the Dow's 1985 Tasting Note page.  The wine is drinking well now but kept in good cellar conditions will last for decades more.  Under our Enjoying Port tab on the menu above are several articles you may want to consult as you decide what to do with your wine - one about Storing Your Port and another about The Lifecycle of Vintage Port in Bottle, which will help you understand how the flavour will develop over the years in your unopened bottles.

Naturally, we hope you will choose to enjoy your Dow's 1985, and with a full case you have the luxury of opening a bottle every year or two to observe for yourself the maturation of the Port.  If, on the other hand, you do wish to explore the possibility of selling your wine, you will want to consult a specialist wine merchant or an auction house that deals in fine wines - Symington Family Estates is not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on current values.  In the UK, contact Bonham's, Christie's or Sotheby's, or the London merchant Berry Brothers and Rudd who run BBX, a wine exchange for those looking to buy and sell fine wines.  Be aware that any buyer or broker will want evidence of the purchase and proper storage of the Port to assure its present quality.

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Hi Megan, 1969 was not a declared year for Vintage Port in Portugal.  As you will see from our 1969 Viticultural Report, we did not declare or bottle any Vintage ports that year.  Other sources such as the Port regulatory body, the IVDP , confirm that no Vintage Ports were declared by any producer that year.  I am also unable to find any record of a Port producer here in Portugal by the name Christian Brothers. 

Is it possible your bottle is not in fact true Port, from Portugal, but a fortified wine made in America or elsewhere?  If so, perhaps a local speciallist wine merchant could help you further.

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Hi Anthony, The 1975 vintage is known for its elegance, but was not anticipated to be as long-lived as the 1970 or 1977 - read the full 1975 Viticultural Report for more information.  That said, if the bottle has been well cellared in dark, cool conditions it should make very pleasant drinking.

Symington Family Estates is not active in the secondary market for Port wines, so we cannot advise you on the value of your bottle.  Bear in mind, the secondary market is strongest for top brand names in the really legendary years, and any potential buyer or broker will want to know how the wine has been stored.  In the UK your best bet for further guidance is to consult one of the big auction houses, such as Bonham's, Christies, or Sotheby's, or a specialist wine retailer.  Berry Brothers and Rudd have the BBX virtual marketplace for wines which have been stored in bond with them, but you may see prices there which give you a guideline. 

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Hi Gordon, Your inquiry confuses me a little - you refer to a Ruby Port, with a date of 1965.  Because Ruby Ports are blends of wines from two or three years, they generally do not have any year indicated on the label.

if the label reads Warre's Heritage Ruby Port or Warre's Warrior Reserve, then these Ruby Ports are bottled ready for enjoyment, and should have been consumed within a year or two of purchase.  That said, If the bottle has been kept in good storage conditions - cool and dark - it would definitely be worth opening the bottle, it may surprise you, though it was never meant to age for 30 years after purchase.

On the other hand, if the label clearly says Warre's Vintage Port - with the date of 1965 - then we are puzzled - no Vintage was declared that year.  If you look at the 1965 Viticultural Report you will see we bottled Dow's Quinta do Bomfim and Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, but to the best of my knowledge no Quinta da Cavadinha from Warre's.  If in fact your bottle says Vintage, please take a photo and contact us again.

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Hi Suzy, It is too early to say whether 2010 will be a Vintage year declaration.  This announcement will only be made in the Spring of 2012 and if it is declared, or if we decide to relase some Quinta vintage ports, they will be bottled by June 2012 which means that only after this would it arrive in Australia, probably some time in the autumn.  See more information on Vintage Port Declarations and as well you may like to see what was said about the 2010 harvest. 

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Hi Dawn, I have consulted colleagues in Australia about this. Without seeing the full label, the best we can guess is that you may have a bottle of an Australian Port-style fortified wine. At one time it was very fashionable for private members' clubs to have wines bottled and labelled just for them in special editions - golf clubs, tennis clubs, even Rugby or other sporting clubs. Our guess is that you may have a bottle of one of those wines. Your best bet is to take the bottle or at least a good photo of the full label to a specialist wine merchant or auction house that deals in wines for further assistance - you really need someone with local knowledge to help you with this one.

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Hi Tim,  A 1977 or 1980 Vintage Port will be a wonderful addition to your Christmas festivities!  If you are enjoying this with family or friends, we would be surprised if you didn't finish the bottle!  Vintage Port does not keep well after opening - if tightly re-sealed and stored in the fridge it may keep for three or four days at the most, no more.  The wine has had very little exposure to oxygen in its life, so it will change after opening.  Your best bet is to invite more friends around!  You may want to consult our articles about  Decanting and Serving Vintage Ports. 

If you have only a small party, and cannot source a half bottle of Vintage, then you might consider purchasing a non vintage style. Graham's Six Grapes is a ruby reserve port known as the every day Port for the Vintage Port lover, and is a very rich, fruity port indeed, very like a young Vintage.  Six Grapes pairs excellently with either rich dark chocolate desserts or strong cheeses, particularly a Stilton. Learn more about Six Grapes on the Graham's Blog as well.  Once open it will keep for a couple of months if tightly stoppered and kept in the fridge.

Alternatively there is the style of Late Bottled Vintage, a Port from a single vintage year and which has been aged 4 to 6 years in large wooden casks before bottling, and is then aged in bottle a little longer before we release it to the market, ready for drinking. Both our brands of Graham's and Dow's produce the filtered version and which again means that once opened it will keep for a few months in the fridge.

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Hi Sophie!  Both of these are excellent vintages and there is no ‘drink by date’ for them.  The Dow's 1977 is drinking beautifully now but both will keep for decades as long as they are properly stored.  Under the menu tab above, Enjoying Port you may want to read our article about The Lifecycle of Vintage Port in Bottle, where Charles Symington, our head winemaker, discusses how the flavour profile of Vintage Port matures over the years.  In addition you can read up on the harvest and press comments for both of these vintage ports as follows: Graham’s 2000 Vintage / Dow’s 1977 Vintage.

Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on the value of this box. Your best bet is to approach the auction houses and top wine merchants in your area for advice on the market and possible value. In this case contacts are Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's, and you might also approach Berry Brothers and Rudd, who run BBX, an on-line trading service for their customers.
 

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Hi Liz,  This is not one of the Symington Family Estates' brands.  It was bottled by Niepoort.  We suggest you contact them for futher details.  Either way, you may be interested in reading up about the 1999 harvest.

Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on the value of this wine. Your best bet is to approach the auction houses and top wine merchants in your area for advice on the market and possible value. In the UK your best contacts are Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's, and you might also approach Berry Brothers and Rudd, who run BBX, an on-line trading service for their customers.
 

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Hi Scott, Firstly, as you probably know, neither of these wines are Vintage Ports and come under two different categories - Tawny style and Ruby style (for the LBV). 

Graham's produces several Tawnies: Graham’s Tawny (a standard tawny of around 3 yrs of age), The Tawny (7-9 yrs of age) as well as the magnificent 10, 20, 30 and 40 Year Old Tawnies, all of which are aged in small barrels called pipes or pipas (550 lts).  Ageing in small barrels means these wines have had a greater exposure to oxygen, which reduces and concentrates the wines, and changes the colour as well as the flavours quite dramatically.  A wood aged Tawny port will be characterised by aromas and flavours of dried fruit, citrus, honey and nuts, and as they age to 30 years or more, you will get woderful complex aromas such as saddle leather, herbs and tobacco, and the finish just goes on and on.  The Graham's Blog has an article comparing several of our Tawnies that might interest you.

Ruby ports are aged in large barrels, called balseiros, containing anything up to 75,000 litres, so the wine actually has very little exposure to oxygen during its ageing.  Late Bottled Vintage is aged five or six years in these balseiros before bottling.  As a result, the port retains its primary fruit flavours and Graham's LBV is has a dark, opaque ruby colour and a complex nose packed with opulent and powerful aromas of rich dark blackberries, black cherries and hints of chocolate.

As to which is better, naturally we think they are all very good!  Your choice will depend on your personal taste preferences, and the occasion.  Whilst both Tawny and LBV are appropriate to serve after a meal with a dessert or cheese course, Tawnies are very refreshing served chilled as an aperitif, or to accompany a first course such as foie gras.  If price is a consideration, LBV and younger Tawnies are quite accessible, with the older Tawnies being naturally more expensive.  Again, we can refer you to an article on the Graham's Blog which compares the LBV to two Tawny styles.

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Hi Andrew, this very special Quinta do Vesuvio Anniversary case (released in 1999)  you mention was made to commemorate 10 years of ownership of Quinta do Vesuvio and should contain eight Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Ports from the years 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997.  There should also be eight porcelain bin labels matching each of the years of these wines.  If you click on each of these years you can see the tasting notes from top critics for each of these wines.  The large card was signed by the various members of the Symington Family. 

Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on the value of this box. Your best bet is to consult the auction houses and top wine merchants in your area for advice on the market and possible value.  In the UK best contacts are Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's, and you might also approach Berry Brothers and Rudd, who run BBX, an on-line trading service for their customers. 

For information about the considerations in buying Vintage Port, particularly in the secondary market, check out our guidelines on Purchasing Vintage Port, under the Enjoying Port menu tab above.  Most importantly, find out how the wine has been stored - poor storage can compromise even the most magnificent wines.
 

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Hi Patricia, This brand is not one of ours and for further information we suggest you get in touch with the producer The Fladgate Partnership.  In the meantime if you would like to learn more about the viticultural side of this harvest please check out this link for the 2001 vintage.     

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Hi Evelyn,  1963 was considered one of the classic Port declarations and you can read more about it on our 1963 Viticultural Report.  

Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on the saleability or value of your wines. Your best bet is to approach the auction houses and top wine merchants in your area for advice on the market and possible value. In this case contacts are Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's, and you might also approach Berry Brothers and Rudd, who run BBX, an on-line trading service for their customers.
 

Also, Ferreira is not one of Symington's brands so therefore it would be best to contact Sogrape for any more information you may need.
 

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Hi Martin, Six Grapes is not a Vintage Port, but a wonderful Reserve Ruby with a character very like a young Vintage.  Reserve Ruby ports are not meant to be laid down, but enjoyed when purchased.  That said, if your bottle has been kept in cool, dark conditions it should be fine.  You can learn more about this extraordinary wine on this article on the Graham's Blog.

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Hi Ronald, 1946 was not a declared year, but you can read a little about the vintage in our Viticultural Report for 1946.  Even the Port Wine regulating body, the IVDP does not list it as a declared year.   As this is not a Symington Family Estate port, we suggest you contact the producer, C da Silva, directly for further guidance about this particular wine.

Regarding decanting:  under the menu item above, Enjoying Port, we have an article about Decanting Vintage Port which we enthusiastically recommend!  Our head winemaker, Charles Symington, advises decanting Vintage Ports older than 40 years just 30 minutes to an hour before you intend to enjoy them.

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Hi Steve, Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market so we cannot advise you on the saleability or value of your wines. In the UK your best resource is Berry Brothers and Rudd, in London, who manage BBX, an active on line service for private purchase and sale of fine wines. Contact them directly through the site with any questions.

For a single bottle of relatively young Quinta wine you best option may simply be to enjoy it yourself, or it would make a wonderful gift for a friend if you are not a port drinker yourself.   We suggest you have a look at James Suckling's tasting notes on the Bomfim 1979 where he quite liked it, calling it fairly exciting.  You can also read more about Quinta Vintage Port wines in another article under the Port Basics.

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Hi Tommy.  The white label over the neck which you describe is the IVDP selo - every bottle of Port sold must have this label, which is issued by the regulating body for the Port trade as evidence the wine has been registered with them and passed their quality controls.  The number on that label is unique to that bottle.  With no description of the commercial label, to tell us anything about the style of Port you have purchased, I cannot offer you any further information.  Sandeman's is part of Sogrape, not Symington Family Estates, so we can only suggest you contact Sandeman's directly and they should be able to identify your wine based on the number on the selo.

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Hi Suzie!  You have several choices - Quinta Vintage Ports which are bottled in the years we do not declare a brand vintage are excellent value for money and should be just around your price point - in England, look for Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos 1999.  This wine featured in a recent tasting event and was highly recommended by many critics - read more about it on the Graham's Blog and the Tasting Notes page here on the Vintage Port Site.  The Quinta dos Malvedos 1999 is drinking beautifully now, or can be laid down for the future.

If you have any trouble finding that, a Late Bottled Vintage is another excellent choice within your budget.  This is Port from a single vintage year which has been aged 4 to 6 years in large wooden casks before bottling, and is then aged in bottle a little longer before we release it to the market, ready for drinking.  Graham's, Dow's and Warre's all make LBVs.  To choose between them, bear in mind the house styles:  Graham's is characterised by rich concentrated fruit, Dow's is a spicier flavour profile with a drier finish, and Warre's is known for its elegance and balance of fruit and floral notes.

Finally, one more choice I would recommend you consider, is Graham's Six Grapes.  This is a ruby reserve port which is known as the every day Port for the Vintage Port lover, and is a very rich, fruity port indeed.  Six Grapes, or indeed any of the wines named above, pairs excellently with either rich dark chocolate desserts or strong cheeses, particularly a Stilton.  Learn more about Six Grapes on the Graham's Blog as well. 

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Hi Chris.  When selling wines, the most important thing is this:  Any auction house, merchant or buyer will want to know how the wine has been stored since purchase, as storage conditions can make or break the quality and saleability of an old wine.  If you can demonstrate (with receipts) that the wine has been in bonded storage, or are prepared to give a buyer a tour of your own cellar to show them the conditions the wine has enjoyed all these years, then you are in a good position. 

Your best bet is to approach the auction houses and top wine merchants in your area for advice on the market and possible value.  Generally the interest is greatest in top vintages from top producers, but very often these people will know of collectors who will be interested in private purchases of off-beat wines, so do make the inquiries!  In the UK, the best auction houses for wines are Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's, and you might also approach Berry Brothers and Rudd, who run BBX, an on-line trading service for their customers.

Another alternative is a private sale to a keen port lover, though here of course you are dealing one on one with an individual, so proceed with caution. There are two internet chat forums devoted to Port: The Port Forum, which is UK based, and For The Love of Port, which is based in the USA. Both have a thoroughly international following, however. Registration is free on both sites

On the Port Forum, post your query in the Port Conversations chat room. If you take a look, there are a number of threads like this already posted, with members offering advice re how the wines are drinking, price levels, etc.

On For The Love of Port, go to the chat thread Port & Madeira Marketplace to post your message – and do read the Marketplace Disclaimer notice.

Whichever site you choose, post a full description of the wine, including the exact wording on the label, describe the fill level of the bottles, and include all the information you can about when and where the wine was acquired, and how and where it has been stored. If you have photos, you can post them, or send an email to the moderator asking for assistance, and they will add the photos into the thread.  Interest in buying is usually expressed via the private mail function on each site, rather than publicly in the thread.  Both of these forums are very friendly and helpful places.
 

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Hi Paulo, One classic pairing with a full-bodied, fruit-driven younger Vintage Port is a dark chocolate dessert of some kind - in fact Port is frequently cited as the only wine that pairs really well with chocolate.  At tastings and wine shows we often provide chocolate of 70% cocoa or more to enhance visitors' experience of young Vintage Ports and at Quinta dos Malvedos Branca, our cook, makes a wonderful dark chocolate mousse to serve with Vintage Port at the end of meals - most recently I have enjoyed this with the Malvedos 1999 Vintage Port.  If you prefer a savoury accompaniment, a strong blue cheese like an English Stilton is another classic accompaniment. 

With older ports in their prime - 20 to 40 years - where the red and black fruit character has transitioned to dried fruit, honey, caramel, even tea or cigar box notes, you may prefer to try another style of cheese, one which has character and full flavour but not so sharp or salty - a mature but not too sharp Cheddar, a Serra da Estrela, or some of the cured goat or sheep cheeses here in Portugal.  Creamier desserts like a crème brulée, or a natas pastry may work well. 

With very old Vintage Ports, which become incredibly elegant and complex, and often have an extraordinary finish, you may wish to skip accompaniments, and simply savour the Port itself without distraction.

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Hi Felice, Tawny Port is different from Vintage Port.  To answer your question very briefly, it is a non-vintage wine and is meant for consumption when bottled and sold.  That said, if it has been kept in reasonably cool, dark conditions, it should still be enjoyable - but do not hold it for ageing!  Invite friends round, and enjoy it. Tawny Port is excellent with fruit and nuts, also creamy desserts such as a crème brulée or fruit or nut based desserts.

Now to explain a little further:  Classic Vintage Port - what this site is all about - is wine made from a single year's harvest, aged in large wooden casks for about 18 months, then bottled.  Because this wine has had little exposure to oxygen, it retains a powerful red and black fruit-driven character in its early years.  It is a wine which is meant to age in bottle and its character will change as it matures - you can read all about that in our article about the Lifecycle of Vintage Port in Bottle, under the Enjoying Port menu tab above.

Tawny Ports with indication of age on the bottle - for example your Warre's 20 Year Old - are blended from several different wines from different vintages, which result in an average age in the blend of at least 20 years.  The wines which will be used to make Tawny Ports are aged in smaller casks of only 550 litres.  Because of this, the wine is subject to micro-oxygenation - the penetration of oxygen through the pores of the wooden cask - which rapidly changes and mellows the character of the wine away from that powerful red and black fruit taste profile, to something more redolent of dried fruit, perhaps with citrus notes, nutty flavours of almond or hazelnut, caramel and toffee, and in older wines tea and cigarbox and even occasionally a chocolate edge.  Charles Symington, our head winemaker, works with our vast stock of ageing tawny wines to blend a consistent style of 20 Year Old Tawny every time we bottle, so there is no "vintage variation".

If you want to know a bit more about the blending process, the Graham's Blog has an article about the experience of some visitors who were challenged to duplicate the blends in each a 20 Year Old and a 10 Year Tawny, given the component wines.

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Hi James, The 2004 Vintage ports that were released en primeur in 2006 include Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta de Roriz, and Dow's Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira.  Specialist wine merchants should be able to locate these Vintage Ports for you, if you wish.  For Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha, Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos and Dow's Quinta do Bomfim, you will have to wait.  Typically, for these quintas, we age the bottles in our own cellars here in Gaia until around ten years after harvest, or when we think they are ready to drink - so, they will not be released until around 2014.  Mark your calendar and watch The Vintage Port Site for news of the releases.

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Hi James, Lucky you to have enjoyed such a wonderful Port as Graham's 1983 for your first taste!  But prices on mature ports can be daunting, alas.  Here are some ideas for enjoying Vintage Port on a budget: 

For near term consumption, look at Quinta Vintage Ports - for example Graham's classic declared Vintages are built around the wines from Quinta dos Malvedos.  The Quinta dos Malvedos 1999 Vintage Port is currently available and should be within your budget for a single bottle.  Similarly look at Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira or Quinta do Bomfim to get an affordable taste of Dow's, or Quinta da Cavadinha from Warre's.  Most of these Quinta Ports are not released to market until they have around 10 years of age on them - we hold them in our own cellars here in Portugal and release them only when we think they are ready for drinking.

You might also look for our smaller niche brands - as they do not have the high profile in the marketplace, they do not command the same kinds of prices, even when a bit older - look for Smith Woodhouse, Quarles Harris and Gould Campbell.  When top critics review all the Ports declared in any given year, they frequently remark on the extraordinary value for money these brands represent.  These wines are made by the same winemaking team, led by Charles Symington and his father Peter before him, as the big brands so the quality is just as high.

For classic Vintage Port, the best thing to do is plan ahead:  buy Vintage Ports on release, and plan on laying them down.  The release price is usually the lowest price at which the wine will ever be available.  If you do not have suitable storage, many top wine merchants will offer bonded storage at a modest fee, to ensure your wines age in optimum conditions.  It is also possible to buy older Vintages at auction or through specialist wine merchants, read more about all these alternatives in our article about Purchasing Vintage Port.

Finally, there are also several other styles of Port you might try which have a taste profile similar to a young vintage, but are widely available at prices well within your budget.  Look for Crusted Port - which is a blend of wines from two or three vintages which have been aged in wood for three years or more then bottled without filtration - just llike Vintage.  The bottles are then held and aged by us in Gaia for three years before being released to market.  Although ready to drink on purchase, Crusted Port will also mature in bottle for some years like a Vintage, and will throw a crust and need decanting when served.  Another choice is Late Bottled Vintage - or LBV - which is a wine from a single Vintage aged 4 to 6 years in casks and then bottled after a light filtration.  This will be ready to drink when purchased and does not need decanting.  Finally, a special word about Graham's Six Grapes, which is a reserve Ruby port blended from the wines left after our Vintage Ports have been blended, and has all the sweet, rich power of a very young top vintage port. 

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Hi Jeff.  Only bottle aged ports - namely Vintage and Crusted - need to be decanted.  Because these wines are bottled young and without filtration, they throw a natural, harmless sediment, sometimes referred to as a "crust".  Decanting is the process of gently pouring the wine from the original bottle into a decanter, and is intended to accomplish two things: 

1. If done carefully and perhaps with the help of a filter, the sediment will be left behind in the original bottle, you can be sure there will be no sediment served in your glass, and
2. The process of decanting will gently introduce air to the wine, allowing the aromas and flavours to open up.  Generally, if the Port is decanted 2 to 3 hours before serving, it will have had enough exposure to air to accomplish this.  The exception is very old Vintages - if more than 40 years old, decant only 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

These are the basics.  If you click on the Enjoying Port tab in the menu bar above, you will see a list of articles - one of which is just about Decanting Vintage Port, which has more detailed instructions about decanting, and more information about why we decant.  

One other tip to tell you whether or not to decant your Port:  look at the cork.  If it is a classic driven cork that is wholly within the neck of the bottle and requires a corkscrew to remove - decant the Port.  If it is a t-stopper cork, no need to decant.  Even with the capsule in place, you can see clearly the ridged, roughly 1/4 inch deep top of a T-stopper sitting atop the neck of the bottle.  Hope this has helped, and you enjoy your Port whether Vintage or Tawny! 

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Hi Jules, Yes, Gould Campbell did declare in 1927, and 1927 is generally considered one of the great 20th century vintages, and was very widely declared.  Up until 1974 almost all Port was bottled by the merchant, not the shipper, so my guess is C.S. & Co. Ltd would refer to the wine merchant, or possibly the bottle manufacturer.

Maurice Symington made notes in the guest books at Quinta do Bomfim about the quality of the grapes and wines as follows:

In the Quintas and other good districts, grapes were exceptionally far advanced at the end of July; during August they ripened more slowly, but without any serious check, and they are today just about correct for the time of year.  Vintage on 3rd Oct?  Quantity is not abundant, but condition so far is excellent, promising good wine, but less than average yield.  (Sept 7-9, 1927)  Saw the samples at Pinhão.  1927s and Quinta wines excellent (Dec 1927).

Do take a look at Charles Symington's comments about Decanting Vintage Ports particularly his comments about opening very old Vintages.  Enjoy your Port!

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Hi Marino, What a lovely gift to have received!   1988 was a difficult year in the Douro - see our 1988 Vintage Overview.  Generally these wines are not considered likely to be very long lived - so at 20 odd years of age, this would certainly be a candidate for opening when next you have family or friends around with whom to share it.  You needn't rush, but you needn't plan on cellaring it many more years, either.  You might be interested in our article about how Vintage Port ages in bottle, and the change in flavour profile over the lifetime of the wine.  As you will see, Charles thinks wines from the 80s and very early 90's are generally drinking well now.  Enjoy!

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Hi David, Port wine, both before and after opening, should be stored in a cool dark place.  If you wish to keep some leftover Port after opening, re-cork the bottle securely or use a vacuum-sealed closure to minimise exposure to air.  You can keep the bottle in the fridge, but do plan to take it out and let it come back up to a cool room temperature before serving - if the Port is too cold, the aromas don't show well, which will affect your taste perceptions as well.

As to how long you can keep Port after opening, the answer is in the cork:  bottle aged Ports, such as Vintage and Crusted, will have a classic cork sunk in the neck which requires a corkscrew to remove - this is your signal that the wine should be enjoyed within a day or two of opening.  Because these wines have had very little exposure to oxygen in their life, they will change noticeably after exposure to air.  This is good up to a point - hence the need for Decanting - but too long exposure will cause a deterioration in quality.

If the bottle has a T-stopper cork (whites, tawnies, rubies and LBV) this is your sign that the Port can be kept a bit longer:  with care, up to a couple months, but best within just a few weeks. 

Best to get family and friends around and share on opening!

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Hi J, What a nice pair of wines to have on hand.  Both of these wines are bottled when ready to drink - they are not intended to age in bottle the way a Vintage Port will do.  Whilst a year or two in a cool dark place won't harm them, they will not improve by ageing, so do gather family and friends around and enjoy them in the coming months. 

As to holding them after opening - if securely re-corked and kept in a cool dark place - cellar conditions or even a refrigerator - these should hold their character for a couple weeks. If refrigerated, do take them out an hour or so before serving, so the wine can warm up a bit - if it is too cold, the aromatics do not come up as well as if served at a cool room temperature (15 to 19ºC).

A tip for future reference:  you will find both of these wines, as well as other White, Tawny and non-vintage Ruby and LBV, have a T- shaped cork that can be easily removed and re-inserted by hand - that cork tells you the wine can be kept for a few weeks after opening if stored properly.  If the wine has a classic cork, sunk into the bottle neck and only removable with a corkscrew, that tells you the wine should be enjoyed when opened, or not more than a day or two afterwards if securely re-corked and kept cool. 

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Hi Len.  I admit I am glad to hear you have forbidden drinking this Vintage Port with lemonade!  If the storage conditions were cool and the temperature fairly stable, it should be in good condition, and I hope you will enjoy it some evening with family and friends.  To learn more about this wine, take a look at the 1987 Vintage Report and click on the Quinta do Bomfim icon at the top of the page to read more about the 1987 Quinta do Bomfim Vintage Port specifically.  If you are not familiar with serving Vintage Ports, take a look at the articles under the Enjoying Port tab on the menu above particularly the one about Serving Vintage Port.  Enjoy!

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Hi Jack,  Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market, so we cannot advise you on current saleability or value of your wines. In the UK one of your best resources is Berry Brothers and Rudd, in London, who manage BBX, an active on line service for private purchase and sale of fine wines. Contact them directly through the site with any questions. You might also consider contacting the London offices of either Christie's or Sotheby's who regularly hold auctions of fine old wines. Be aware that any broker or buyer will want to know more about when and where the wines was purchased, and how it has been stored since then. It may be helpful if you read the article on this site about Purchasing Vintage Port, to give you an idea of some of the issues you will encounter as a seller.  To learn more about the Martinez 1987, consult our Knowledge Base for both the overview of the 1987 Vintage year, and more information about the Martinez 1987 specifically.  By the way, your case is probably 6 bottles of 750 ml each, it should say on one of the end panels.

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Hi Carson, Most of us don't have tradtional cellars any more, but it is not difficult to find another suitable place to store your Vintage Ports.  Two key considerations are: store the bottles in a dark place, lying on their sides to keep the corks moist.  Finally, whilst a cool temperature around 14º is the ideal, the most important consideration is a stable temperature - do not expose your bottles to sudden dramatic changes in temperature.  More details can be found in our article Storing Your Port, under the Enjoying Port menu tab above.  If you want to learn more about Vintage Port wines generally, the articles under Port Basics will also be of interest, and you might take a look at the Graham's Port Blog, a year round insight to how a Port company goes about its business in the vineyards, cellars and tasting room.

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As Symington Family Estates are not engaged in the secondary market for Vintage Ports, we cannot comment on re-sale prices, least of all for Ports produced by other firms!  As a general guideline, only the wines of top producers from top years have significant re-sale markets, and you will be asked to provide evidence of storage conditions since the time of purchase.  For more about the secondary market in Vintage Ports, look at our article on Purchasing Vintage Port.   In Spain, both Christie's and Sotheby's have offices in Barcelona and Madrid (hyperlinks will take you to their contacts pages), and as top international auctioneers of Vintage Ports they would be best placed to advise you on the saleability of your wines.

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Hi Luis, Thank you for your kind words about our site.  The family have been in Portugal for 5 generations now, at least three of those generations have been born here, and all are fluent in Portuguese themselves, in fact it is the primary language in the Gaia office as well as in the Douro.  The Symington Family Estates (SFE) Port Wines are distributed in 70 markets around the globe, and as English is the most nearly universal language, and the one which is best handled by on-line translation tools, we have decided to keep all our channels of communication in English. 

That said, the SFE website and the basic reference sites for the Port brands most popular in Portugal, including Graham's, Dow's and Quinta do Vesuvio, are available in Portuguese and French as well as English.  You can find links for all of our sites under the Reference Menu tab above / Internet.  With a site like this one or the Graham's blog, however, with constantly updating content, it would be nearly impossible to maintain it in a timely fashion in two languages at once.

Looking offline, within Portugal, all our press releases and many other reference and marketing materials available at the Lodge or in shops are published in Portuguese.  We do not forget or neglect our roots here, promise!

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Hi Judy,  Symington do not make the Feueheerd wines, so we cannot help you directly.  If the bottle is in such poor condition we can only suggest you take it up with the shop or auction house where you acquired the wine.  You may want to review our guidelines for Purchasing Vintage Port under our Enjoying Port menu tab, to guide your future purchases.

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1989 was not a generally declared year, but there are three choices:  Quinta do Vesvuio - an interesting choice as this was their first year of production, so fitting to celebrate your daughter's birth year!  Dow's Quinta do Bomfim if you prefer a drier style of port, or Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha, generally a more elegant and refined style, often called feminine in style.  Look at our Knowledge Base, at the summary for the viticultural year 1989, and click on the icons at the top for each wine to see more details and tasting notes for the individual wines.  Any of these should be within your price range.  If you have trouble sourcing the wines in your area contact Premium Port Wines (PPW) our distributor in the USA, their National Sales Director, Paul Mugnier will be happy to advise you further. He is based in San Francisco at 415-554-9920 ext. 842.  Enjoy your celebration and your Vintage Port and congratulations to your daughter!

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1908 is rated by Michael Broadbent as a great vintage - he gives the vintage overall a five star rating.  We are not able to comment on Sandeman's wine specifically, but if this has been well cellared, you could be in for a treat.  I would suggest you review our articles about Decanting Port - with particular attention to the notes about wines older than 40 years.  If you are not accustomed to drinking very old Ports you also may want to read our article about the Lifecycle of Vintage Port in Bottle, which will give you an idea how the flavour profile of Vintage Port changes over time.  Enjoy your port!

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Like any investment, wine can fluctuate in perceived value in the marketplace.  As for drinking it, by all means, it would be worth opening one evening with some friends as such an old Port is a rare treat.  If the wine has been well cellared it could be very pleasant, though of course it will be very different from a young to mature port - expect something with a character more like a very old and elegant Tawny at this point, and plan to decant it just 30 minutes before enjoying.  A few resources:  on this site, look at our Enjoying Port articles about The Lifecycle of Vintage Port in Bottle and Decanting Vintage Port, especially Charles Symington's notes about serving wines older than 40 years of age.

About the 1934 Vintage season:  the IVDP (the governing body for the Port trade) summarises the year as follows:  Exceptional quality, mature and fruity, despite being a year of unstable weather. Dry winter, rainy spring. Late blooming and fructification. A very hot July. Some rain in September. 

The guest books from our own Quinta do Bomfim have this note written during the 1934 Harvest: 

The Vintage started on September 24th. Except for one day of rain its been perfect vintage weather and fairly warm most days. The grapes have all come in looking fresh and very healthy and in fact seemed in perfect condition though the grapes were small. It should prove good wine as there was an absolute absence of disease of any sort or kind up to the very last.

Unfortunately Paul, Dominic, Rupert and Johnny are all travelling right now, and Charles of course is in the vineyards preparing for this year's harvest, so I have not been able to get any family tasting notes for you.  For quite recent tasting notes from some Port devotées, follow these links to  The Port Forum and For The Love of Port.  Enjoy!

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The short answer is no, we do not have a consolidated list of simple numerical rankings of vintages, on any of Symington Family Estates's sites. Whilst of course some years produced generally superb or generally not so long-lived wines, the fact is every individual wine is different - one brand can far exceed the "standard" for a given year, or occasionally not live up to expectations.

Instead, on the Vintage Port Site through the Knowledge Base we offer a combination of overviews of the character of each year since 1945, and a broad range of tasting notes for each individual wine.

On the left hand bar of the site is a simple drop down where you can pick the year that interests you. Click GO! and you will get the summary report for the year, with a series of brand icons across the top, representing the wines that were made that year (if you dont see the brand listed, then they did not make a Vintage Port that year). Click on any brand icon to see the detailed notes for that particular wine - both our own notes and reviews from some of the world's top wine critics.

We also have an Advanced Search Function through which you can search, for example, by the name of a critic whose judgments you trust, and get a list of all his or her tasting notes in our database. Or you can search for all wines of a particular rating level.

We hope this will help you find and learn more about some enjoyable Vintage Ports!

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Hi Georgina, What a lovely gift!  Your budget is generous, and you will easily be able to purchase a top Vintage port in this range.  Right now, Warre's is your best bet as it is our most widely distributed brand in Australia, and you are most likely to find it in high end specialist wine retailers.  If you don't have luck near you, please feel free to contact our Warre's distributor in Australia, NEGOCIANTS AUSTRALIA  Contact.: David Caprioli – dcaprioli@negociants.com  They are based in Adelaide, but they can help you find the wine anywhere in Australia.  Happy birthday to your boyfriend!

Just a note to any readers in Australia:  we have just settled details and begun shipping, so in a couple months' time you will find many more of Symington's wines, both our Ports and our Douro DOC wines, available at the Dan Murphy's wiine and liquor shops, which are part of the Woolworth's group.

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Symington Family Estates are producers of Port in Portugal. We are not active in the secondary market for Port or other fortified wines, so are unable to advise you on the value of your wines.  Your best bet is to contact either Sotheby's or Christie's, as they regularly have wine auctions and are active in the secondary market. Alternatively, there may be a major wine retailer in Australia who buys and sells wine privately, and may be able to assess the value of your wines.

Another possibility would be to search the Port discussion forums, For The Love of Port (USA based)  and The Port Forum (UK based).  Both sites have a global audience and discuss fortified wines generally, not just Port.  You may find tasting notes in their databases of member notes, or other discussion of these wines on their discussion boards, and if not, you can register for free and post your question there to see if any members are familiar with these wines.  Both forums are very friendly and helpful.

Be aware anyone looking to buy or re-sell your wines on your behalf will need to know how the wine has been stored. For more information about buying wines in the secondary market (which will help understand the sell side too) look at our article about Purchasing Vintage Port. 

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Hi Ed, Since this is not one of our brands, we are unable to tell you anything about the wine or maker.  One note on the label: up until 1986 all Port, by law, had to be shipped through Vila Nova de Gaia, so that is in order.  I have checked Michael Broadbent's book Vintage Wine and under a list of "Other '70s that one might come across, mainly last noted in the early 1990s" he lists "Cabral" with a single star (he rates from one to five stars, five being the top end of the scale), but no tasting note.  It also appears this is the only mention of the maker in this book.   Two suggestions:  1970 was an outstanding Vintage, and you can read an overview of the vintage and viticultural year in our Knowledge Base report for 1970 here.  You might also try posing your question on the discussion boards at either or both The Port Forum (UK based) or For The Love of Port (USA based).  Many of the members there have tasted widely across a range of small brands and all vintages, and people on both forums are incredibly friendly and helpful.

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We are not ourselves active in the secondary market for old Ports, so cannot advise you re saleability or value of any wine, least of all a wine made by one of our competitors. If you consult our Knowledge Base you will see from the Viticultural Report for 1945 that the year is generally very highly regarded.  In the Netherlands we suggest you contact the wine merchant Wijnkoperij Luuc van Boort http://www.vanboort.nl/ or Christies or Sothebys, both of whom have fine wine departments and offices in Amsterdam; any of these could advise you if you wish to sell. Bear in mind any potential buyer will want to know more about the provenance of the wine, so any records you have about when and where it was purchased, and most importantly, some record of how it has been stored, will be critical.  Alternatively, if you decide to enjoy the wine yourself, take a look at our series of articles about Enjoying Port (see menu bar above) particularly our suggestions in this article about decanting very old Ports.

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Hi, Absolutely!  The wine is actually a Warre's 2009 (not the single quinta).  In the UK your best bet is Berry Brothers & Rudd, who have an excellent mail order service if you are not near London.  I have hyperlinked their name to take you to their website. 

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Hi Deirdre.  A Colheita is a type of Tawny Port, the difference from other Tawny styles being that the wine derives from a single vintage, in the case of this Warre's 1940.  However the wine was aged in small wooden casks to maximise the effects of micro-oxygenation (which is one of the defining characteristics of Tawnies) and bottled at a time when it was judged fine for drinking - in 1988 after 48 years in cask.  Contrast this with classic Vintage Port which is aged in large casks of thousands of litres, and bottled after only two years.

Colheitas, like other Tawnies, are meant to be enjoyed within just a few years of bottling, and are not intended for ageing for an extended period in bottle.  Most tawnies and colheitas will be bottled with a T-stopper type of cork, rather than the usual full length cork that requires a corkscrew to remove, which is another indication it is not meant for extended ageing in bottle.  That said, if the bottle has been well cellared (kept undisturbed in a cool, dark place with a bit of humidity), there is a fair chance it will still be enjoyable, though be prepared to decant, as after 23 years in bottle it may have thrown some deposit.  We cannot recommend holding it any longer.

1940 seems to have been a good year, though there were almost no declarations during the war.  Notes from our records at Bomfim say  The Vintage at the three Quintas (Bomfim, Zimbro and Senhora da Ribeira) started on 18th September and the weather kept fine throughout... The grapes generally were free of disease and there was little or no escolha (need for selection)... The wines should turn out well and in any case much better than was expected.

Regarding your Sandeman's, "30 Years Old Tawny Port" would be a blend of cask-aged ports from various years, which work out to an average age of 30 years or more.  Again, as a Tawny style, this was never meant to be aged in bottle for 20 odd years, but if it has been well cellared, it may still be enjoyable.

I would suggest you invite some friends round to try them with you, and have ready some creamy cheese or a creamy dessert (crème brulée for example), orchard fruit and nuts to enjoy with the wine.

As neither of these wines were meant for bottle ageing, it is not likely they will have value except possibly as collector's items, however we are not active in the secondary market ourselves, so are not your best source of advice on this.  In the UK, you might consult Berry Brothers & Rudd in London, or Christie's or Sotheby's, both of which have fine wine departments and hold regular auctions of old wines.

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Hi Luuk, Your friend is very lucky - Graham's 1994 is lovely wine, I just enjoyed it recently myself.  For the story behind the wine, of course I trust you have looked up the 1994 Vintage Report in our Knowledge Base, as well as the detailed tasting notes which you will reach by clicking the Graham's icon at the top of the Vintage Report page.  For more information about Graham's generally and our quintas, the Graham's website is an excellent resource, as is our Graham's Blog - besides the Home Page which contains our ongoing feed of blog stories, there are a number of static pages with information and photos about the quintas, the terroir and how the wine is made. 

Regarding the 1994 production, I do not have exact figures, but a typical Graham's Vintage, under reasonable conditions, would produce around 6,000 cases (12 x 75cl).  Finally, regarding the value of the wine:  fine wines such as Vintage Port, if well cellared, do typically increase in value over the years, but as with any commodity market, there are no promises of how much it might increase in value, or how quickly.  We do not engage in the secondary market ourselves, if you wished to get a valuation for this or any wine you would do best to consult a major wine merchant or auction house.  In the Netherlands we suggest you contact the wine merchant Wijnkoperij Luuc van Boort  or auctioneers Christies or Sothebys, both of whom have fine wine departments and offices in Amsterdam.  We hope your friend enjoys the wine!

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Hi Carl, Our Knowledge Base here on the Vintage Port Site has several tasting notes for this wine - at the top of the left sidebar pick 1983 from the drop down list and click on Go! to see the Vintage Report for 1983, which includes general comments about the character of the wines produced that year, as well as a Viticultural overview and notes from our own wine makers on the progress of the vines and winemaking.  At the top of the Vintage Report you will see icons for all the wines made that year - click on the Smith Woodhouse icon to see the tasting notes for the 1983 Vintage Port.  To learn more about Smith Woodhouse generally, consult the dedicated website here.  For future reference, if you go to the Resources menu tab at the top of the Vintage Port Site, and click on Internet in the drop down list, you will get a full list of links to all our dedicated brand sites, as well as many more sites we think will be of interest to Port lovers.

In the USA our nation-wide distributor for all our brands is Premium Port Wines (PPW).  Check their website for local distribution contacts across the country.  If by any chance you are in the greater New York area, see our reply to an earlier question below, "Recommendation for Port as a Gift." which cites some merchants who can help with locating older wines, also for more information about Premium Port Wines.  Enjoy your Smith Woodhouse 1983!

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Hi John, I am sure you can understand, it would not be appropriate for us here at Symington Family Estates to comment on the quality of our competitors' wines!  What I can suggest is this:  If you go into our Knowledge Base, you can read our general overviews of the quality of the wines and viticultural conditions for each of these years.  At the top of the left hand side bar of this site you will see the Knowledge Base drop down box, from which you can pick a year - pick either 1960 or 1957 and click "Go" to read more.  If you want to see what the critics said about Symington wines, clicking the brand icons at the top of the Viticultural report will take you to the tasting notes for our own wines.

To learn more about Feuerheerd, you might search The Port Forum and For The Love of Port, which are discussion-board sites where you are very likely to learn more, or post a thread with your questions.

Finally, as far as any resale value of your bottles, Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market, so we cannot advise you on saleability or value of your wines.  In the UK your best resources are Berry Brothers and Rudd, in London, who manage BBX, an active on line service for private purchase and sale of fine wines.  Contact them directly through the site with any questions.  You might also consider contacting either Christie's or Sotheby's who regularly hold auctions of fine old wines.  Be aware that any broker or buyer will want to know more about when and where the wines were purchased, and how they have been stored since then.  It may be helpful if you read the article on this site about Purchasing Vintage Port, to give you an idea of some of the issues you will encounter as a seller. 

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Hello Cathy.  Vintage Port is properly bottled in the second year after harvest, so this 1963 "Bottled in 1965" is correct.  1963 was one of the great vintages of the 20th century, and the Graham's is particularly well regarded - you can see the critics' notes in our Knowledge base, click here.  If you choose to enjoy this with friends and famly, you are in for a treat.  If you do not care to drink it yourself, it would be an amazing gift to a Port-loving friend.  Alternatively, if you wish to explore the possibility of selling your bottle, take a look at our recommendations in the Q&A below about Selling Old Bottles. 

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Hi Mitchell, You should not have to worry.  In 1977 we did have several different importers for Dow's in the USA, in California, Florida, Maryland, Illinois and Georgia at least, if not more.  Additionally, while I am unable to confirm this for the 1977 Vintage specifically, I am told that for some other vintages we did in fact run out of the custom Vintage Year embossed bottles and finish bottling runs with the plain bottles.  In 1977 we bottled in Magnums and Half Bottles for Dow's as well as the standard 75 cl bottles.  If you read the critics' notes in our Knowledge Base, you will see they all consider this an excellent wine that will age very well, and should be drinking superbly now.  Enjoy your wine!

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Hi Vicki, This site is actually devoted to Vintage Port, however we can make two general comments.  First, tawny ports are bottled when ready to drink, and whilst they will hold their quality for some years if well cellared, they are not intended for long term ageing in bottle.  Second, as far as the value of the bottle as a commemorative item, or for any kind of resale, Symington Family Estates are not active in the secondary market for old Ports of any kind, so we cannot advise you re saleability or value of your wines. We suggest you contact either a local wine dealer who handles private purchases and sales, or an auction house that deals in wine for further advice.  Sotheby's and Christie's are of course the most well known wine auctioneers, but you may be able to find others in New Zealand or Australia who can help you.  Good luck!

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Hello Ben,   Your son timed his arrival well - 1991 was a year in which many of our brands declared Vintage Ports.  If you use the Knowledge Base widget on the left side bar to look up 1991 you will be able to read a general review of the year, and see icons at the top of the page for all the brands which declared or bottled Vintage Ports that year.  Graham's, Dow's and Warre's are all renowned for their long life in bottle, and cellared properly, your son will be able to enjoy them at any time during his life (after attaining legal age, of course!).  Click on any brand icon to see a range of tasting notes about that wine to help guide you in your selection.  If you want to know more about how to store the Vintage Port to ensure a long life, read our guidelines about Storing Port, under the Enjoying Port tab at the top of the page. 

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Hello Bryan,  We are not ourselves buyers in the secondary market for old Ports, so cannot advise you re saleability or value of your wines.  We suggest you contact an auction house that deals in old wines to get an appraisal of your wines and advice on how or if to proceed.  Sotheby's has a Boston office, as does Christie's and both have periodic sales of fine wines.

Bear in mind any potential buyer will want to know more about the provenance of the wine, so any records you have about when and where it was purchased, and most importantly, some record of how it has been stored, will be critical.  To learn more about buying wine at auction, which will give you an idea of what's involved, you may want to read the article on this site about Buying Vintage Port.

Update:  Another alternative to the auction house route is a private sale to a keen port lover. There are two internet chat forums devoted to Port: The Port Forum, which is UK based, and For The Love of Port, which is based in the USA. Both have a thoroughly international following, however. Registration is free on both sites

On the Port Forum, post your query in the Port Conversations chat room. If you take a look, there are a number of threads like this already posted, with members offering advice re how the wines are drinking, price levels, etc. Interest in buying is usually expressed via the private mail function on each site, rather than publicly in the thread.

On For The Love of Port, go to the chat thread Port & Madeira Marketplace to post your message – and do read the Marketplace Disclaimer notice.

Post a full description of each wine, including exact wording on label, describe the fill level of the bottle, and all the information you can about when and where the wine was acquired, and very importantly, how and where it has been stored. If you have photos, you can post them, or send an email to the moderator asking for assistance, and they will add the photo into the thread.

Both of these forums are very friendly and helpful places. Good luck.
Thanks for your inquiry!

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Vintage Port is best consumed within a day or so of opening - this wine has been aged in a bottle, and therefore the exposure to oxygen changes the character of the wine - this is why we decant a vintage port - but too much oxygen, e.g. leaving the bottle open a few days, will cause the wine to lose its aromas and flavours.  If you are unable to enjoy the full bottle with your friends the first night, re-cork it securely and keep it in a dark cool place.  Using a system like a Vacu-Vin (tm) will help, but the wine really should be enjoyed within a day or two at most.

For other styles of Port, e.g. Tawny, LBV, Six Grapes, Crusted, here's a reliable tip:  look at the cork.  If it is a classic cork that is removed with a corkscrew, the wine should be consumed within a couple days.  If the cork is a T-shaped stopper cork (all our Tawnies use this, for example) then the wine can be kept a few weeks.  Always store in a cool dark location to preserve colour, aroma and flavours.

Dominic Symington once commented to a group of visitors that he is puzzled by the desire to save opened wine for an extended period of time.  In his view, wine should be enjoyed at the peak of freshness with lots of friends and family. 

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Hi Lucas, This site is dedicated to Vintage Port only, so I am unable to answer your questions about Madeira.  You might look at the website for Blandy's, the flagship wine of the Madeira Wine Company:  http://www.blandys.com/   If the content of the site does not answer your questions, there is a contact form there where you could write for more information.  Thank you.

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Hi.  The most important things about storing wine are first, a stable, cool temperature, preferably around 14ºC, and second, no sunlight, as light is damaging to the wine, as well as possibly acting to warm the wine on a very sunny day.  If the wines are stored in a room where you may have a lot of artificial light, you could keep the bottles in their original wooden case, wrap individual bottles in paper, or cover the wine rack with a cloth to protect the wines from the light.  For much more information about storing wines, read the article on this site, under the Enjoying Port menu tab or follow this link.   Thank you for you question!

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Hello again Jacob!  Every wine made from our own quintas is certainly earmarked for a specific brand, and there would be no cross blending:  so for example all the wines made at Quinta dos Malvedos will find their way into one or another of Graham's wines, and never turn up in a Warre's.  Up until only about ten years ago the different brands were in fact legally separate entities, so there could not possibly have been any blending, and each brand also has its own dedicated armazens (cellars) for storing the wines in Vila Nova de Gaia.  Since the consolidation of the companies under the Symington Family Estates name we have continued that strict segregation.  The only flexibility may be with the wines made from grapes bought in from farmers, but even those have their traditional destinations, for example the wines from the Riba Longa (just east of Tua) going into Graham's or wines from certain farmers in the Rio Torto going into Quarles Harris.

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Hello.  A colheita is a single-vintage tawny port, which has aged for a minimum of seven years in cask, and often longer than that.   We routinely taste our wines from cask and bottle colheitas at a point when we feel they are ready to drink.  While this type of wine will hold for a few years, it is not meant to age and develop in bottle, as a classic Vintage Port would do.  Do store it carefully - in cool, dark conditions - and it should be fine for another couple years, but we cannot recommend holding it for an extended period of time.

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Hello Jacob! You are a mind reader! I am due to meet with Charles next week, and my own list of questions to discuss with him includes questions about house styles and post-harvest winemaking teams.

Until I have that fuller story, here’s a start at answering the second part of your question about house styles: fundamentally, yes, there is a house style for each brand which we do generally maintain across the product range, and yes, to a large extent that house style has been established at the Vintage level and defined by the vineyards dedicated to that brand.

I recently listened to Henry Shotton talking through a tasting of Graham’s Tawnies and comparing them to the Warre’s Otima Tawnies. As with the Vintage ports, Graham’s Tawnies are generally rich, sweet, full bodied, and characterised by fruit flavours, whereas the Warre’s Otimas are more elegant, very fresh and floral, and whilst they are sweet of course, they do not have the pronounced intense sweetness of the Graham’s.

If you think about the Vintage wines for a moment, Graham’s style is consistently rich, intense, sweet and full bodied. This in turn has been defined by the two quintas which have been at the heart of the wine for over 100 years: Quinta dos Malvedos which is a south facing river quinta in the heart of the Douro, and Quinta das Lages in the Rio Torto, a valley which has a particularly intense, hot microclimate. In both quintas we can pretty well count on full and balanced ripening of the grapes, most years. The three other quintas which have come into the blend more recently are also river quintas, from which we can expect broadly similar, compatible wines.

Now think about Warre’s: this Vintage Port is known for its elegance, its freshness and floral characteristics, and is often described as having a more feminine style than other brands. This is defined by Quinta da Cavadinha, in the Pinhão Valley, which rises from 150 to 320 metres of altitude, and is largely south-east facing. The altitude and exposure both make for a cooler, airier environment and ripening is a longer, slower process - Cavadinha is generally the last to start harvesting. These wines are blended with and balanced by those from Quinta do Retiro Antigo in the Rio Torto (see comments re Rio Torto’s microclimate above). Also contributing to the blend are some vineyards adjacent to Cavadinha, from 350 to 480 metres of altitude – so again, freshness and elegance characterise the wines.

Stay tuned for more on this subject, after I have had a chance to discuss it with Charles. Thank you!
 

A:

Hello Hans,  First of all, lucky you! 1934 has always been recognised as an outstanding year, Michael Broadbent adding the note only 12 shippers declared, so a bit rare.

We are not ourselves buyers in the secondary market for old Ports, so cannot advise you re saleability or value of the wine.  In the Netherlands we suggest you contact the wine merchant Wijnkoperij Luuc van Boort  http://www.vanboort.nl/  or Christies or Sothebys, both of whom have fine wine departments and offices in Amsterdam; any of these could advise you if you wish to sell.  Bear in mind any potential buyer will want to know more about the provenance of the wine, so any records you have about when and where it was purchased, and most importantly, some record of how it has been stored, will be critical.

On the other hand, if you wish to enjoy this wine yourself, do read our articles about Enjoying Port (see menu tab above) particularly about Decanting, but I will highlight some key points here.

• With such an old wine, allow it to stand upgright for an hour, and then open and decant no more than an hour before you plan to enjoy it.
• Chances are the bottle has a wax seal over the cork and upper neck, you should be able to tap this off with gentle glancing blows with the back of your corkscrew or some other blunt instrument.
• With very old corks and bottles, chances are the cork will have fanned out into a bulge in the neck and you will probably get crumbs of cork in the wine, just no avoiding it. Be prepared with a funnel and clean muslin for your decanting.
• Your chances of a clean pull will be improved if your corkscrew has a very sharp end, is relatively fine, and long enough that it will get through the full length of the cork, or as close to it as possible.
• If the cork breaks part way, remove the partial cork from off the screw, and try again with the corkscrew to pull the remaining piece out of the bottle. If the bottom of the cork is in that wider section of the neck, sometimes the cork just won't compress to allow it to come up and out the narrower upper neck, and you may have no choice but to push it down into the bottle. If you must go that route, try to push it down with something blunt so that it stays in one piece, rather than breaking up.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do with your bottle of Vintage Port. 

A:

Hi Joy, Your friend is very fortunate!  With your generous budget you would be able to select two or three bottles.  Here are a few suggestions:

A gift of two or three bottles of an older Vintage that would be drinking well now, such as 1970, 1977 or 1980, would be marvellous.  If your friend entertains large groups, it is very special to be able to share an old wine like this, or it is also fascinating to be able to open a single bottle of the same vintage every few years with a few close friends to observe and enjoy how the wine is developing.

Alternatively, if your friend enjoys the full ripe fruit flavours and power of young Vintage Port, or is looking to build his or her cellar, the combination of a bottle of each the 2007 Dow's, Graham's and Warre's is a stunning gift:  between them these three wines earned 291 out of a possible 300 points from the highly regarded Wine Spectator magazine, with Dow's scoring a perfect 100!

Another thought is to give your friend a mini-vertical tasting of a benchmark wine such as Graham's, Dow's or Warre's.  A range of years such as 1970, 1980, 1994 and/or 2000 would give a nice demonstration of how Vintage Port matures.

In the USA our nation-wide distributor is Premium Port Wines (PPW), and they have suggested the following shops in the greater NYC area as likely to have a good range of wines in stock, and also able to assist you in sourcing bottles of older wines if they do not currently have stock.

Sherry Lehmann
http://www.sherry-lehmann.com/
505 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
(212) 838-7500

Wine Library
http://winelibrary.com/
586 Morris Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081
973-376-0005

Astor Wine
http://www.astorwines.com/
399 LafayetteStreet, New York, NY 10003
212-674-7500

Finally, if you are unable to source the wines you want from these merchants, contact PPW's National Sales Director, Paul Mugnier, and he will be happy to advise you further.  He is based in San Francisco at 415-554-9920 ext. 842.

A:

Hi.  The answer is yes - shortly!  In fact we are just now settling the details of timing and distribution, and I should have a more detailed answer for you in a week or two.  I know our shop at the Lodge will have the Vesuvio and Warre's very soon, but I will post more information about availability in Lisboa as soon as I have it.

For general reference, for anyone anywhere in the world, under the Resources menu tab there is a page of Distributors - you can pick a brand and a country to get the name and contact details of our distributors globally.  Contact them, and they will help you find a retail or on-line source for your country.

Update 7 June:

Hello again.  Orders and shipping dates are not yet fully confirmed, but the following three shops in Lisboa are certain to have the wines.  I would suggest you contact them directly about your interest, they are best positioned to tell you when they will have these wines available for sale in their shops:

Garrafeira Campo de Ourique  Rua Tomás Da Anunciação Nº29 A - 1350-322 Lisboa Telefone: 21 397 34 94  E-mail:  Garrafeiracourique@Mail.Telepac.Pt  Their blog is at http://garrafeiracampodeourique.blogspot.com/

Garrafeira Nacional  Rua de Santa Justa, 18, 1100 – 485 Lisboa Tel: 218879080 218879004 E-mail: info@garrafeiranacional.com   Their website is at https://www.garrafeiranacional.com/

El Corte Ingles – Gourmet  Entre as Avenidas António Augusto de Aguiar, Marquês da Fronteira e Sidónio Pais  Tel: 213 711 700  Their website is at http://www.elcorteingles.pt/

Thank you!

A:

Hello!  Thank you for visiting, and for your kind words.  Henri Sizaret, our VP of Marketing, describes the brand as a "confidential" brand, and says there are no plans at this time for a dedicated website.  We are planning to use this Vintage Port Site as a platform for providing more information on Quarles Harris, as well as for exploring our other niche brands and wines, and even digging into more details of our most well known brands.  I hope you will stay with us for the journey!

A:

To double decant a Vintage Port, you would first decant as usual into a clean decanter (see detailed guidelines in our article here). Next, carefully rinse out the original bottle to remove any remaining sediment, and be sure to drain off any excess water from the bottle. Then, carefully transfer the wine from the decanter back into the original bottle.

There are two good reasons to double decant: the first is simply for presentation: you wish to serve the wine at table from the original bottle so your guests can see the label - always a conversation starter, especially with an older or more unusual wines.

The second reason would be if, having decanted once, you approach serving time and on tasting the wine feel it is still a bit closed. In this case you may wish to decant a second time, whether into another decanter or the cleaned out original bottle, to help to open up the wine a bit further. For some younger ports, this may be helpful. Don't forget, however, that a big part of the pleasure of port is savouring how the wine opens up and develops in your glass over the course of the evening. If you are serving the port at a formal tasting when your guests may have a limited time to appreciate the wine, then double decanting can help to present the port fully open when served, but for more relaxed occasions, this shouldn't be necessary - or perhaps double decant half the bottle, and compare two glasses, as a way of learning more about your vintage port.