question for Port experts

[DaveNJ]

What is the minimum amount of aging one should strive for with a Vintage Port? Does it vary by Vintage? Thanks for any advice

[MoTheMan]

Originally Posted by DaveNJ

What is the minimum amount of aging one should strive for with a Vintage Port? Does it vary by Vintage? Thanks for any advice

Try to contact Veek. He works in the wine & spirit industry and might be helpful.

[RICigar]

92, 94 and 97 were considered to be some of the best vintages in the Port industry...1994 considered to be the finest year they were produced/aged. I actually just picked up a 1994 Borges Porto and a Cockburn Tawny Porto. I have had a few different brands....some expensive, the two I purchased are slightly less so. I am a big fan of port with a cigar, and am looking forward to opening these.

[mr.c]

No port expert but around 20 years. Amazing how many of the older wines you can get for just a few bucks more than the newer stuff.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by RICigar

92, 94 and 97 were considered to be some of the best vintages in the Port industry...1994 considered to be the finest year they were produced/aged. I actually just picked up a 1994 Borges Porto and a Cockburn Tawny Porto. I have had a few different brands....some expensive, the two I purchased are slightly less so. I am a big fan of port with a cigar, and am looking forward to opening these.

lol, that's what i'm drinking now (not from '94 though, from about a week ago, class six store on post, ft. wainright, alaska)...

i love port (now that i've found out what the hell it is), but i've found it a little overpowering for some cigars.

[Heartpumper]

Designation of vintage is indicative of grape crop quality. Older vintages can be less expensive than more recent ones, depending on the grape rating for that year, and rarity. FYI- Vintage ports are unfiltered, I believe.

Tawny ports are a mixture of grapes, not related to a specific year. Tawnys are filtered, usually less expensive. My preference is Warre's 10 year old, and Sandemann's- good and cold.

Ports are interesting companions to cigars. Lots of sugar. We've had good and bad luck combining the two.

[morningsmiler]

Originally Posted by Heartpumper

Designation of vintage is indicative of grape crop quality.

This is true...any declared vintage will be excellent...however, the quality varies as compared to other vintages. Also, as a general rule, vintage ports begin to come into their own after about 20years...

See http://www.intowine.com/port.html for more info......in particular they have a vintage chart that's very informative.

I just finished a bottle of '85 Dow that was amazing....

[Navydoc]

Finally, a thread I can get my teeth into. Obviously I enjoy Port and have for many years. As has been mentioned, Vintage designated port typically requires 20+ yrs and in most cases 50+ yrs. A much less expensive sneek preview of what the Vintage port will taste like is the LBV designated ports. LBV = Late Bottled Vintage ports. The designated Vintage ports have to be bottled after two years in barrel whereas LBV ports can go as long as 4 years in barrel. The LBV's typically cost 1/3 the price of Vintage ports. My recommendations are: 94/97/2000 LBV's from Quinto Do Noval, Taylor, and Fonseca. The LBV's taste so much more like Vintage ports than do the tawnys and ruby's, much less sweet, although they are all fortified. I just drank a bottle of '77 Fonseca with a cuban SAN CRISTOBAL: LA FUERZA
....just heavan. I also enjoy the Havana Club Anejo 7yr Rum with ice and a '97 VEGAS ROBAINA: DON ALEJANDRO. Hope this helps.

Paul

[magno]

Great post. Coincidentally, I just decided to pick up a bottle of port today after being reintroduced to the beverage a month or so ago. I was shocked at the prices for Vintage ports and was pleasantly surprised when the Shop owner told me to avoid them unless I was planning on holding them for a while. He turned me onto a LBV for under 20 bucks. I'll be trying it tonight with a Bolivar Corona gigante.

Originally Posted by Navydoc

Finally, a thread I can get my teeth into. Obviously I enjoy Port and have for many years. As has been mentioned, Vintage designated port typically requires 20+ yrs and in most cases 50+ yrs. A much less expensive sneek preview of what the Vintage port will taste like is the LBV designated ports. LBV = Late Bottled Vintage ports. The designated Vintage ports have to be bottled after two years in barrel whereas LBV ports can go as long as 4 years in barrel. The LBV's typically cost 1/3 the price of Vintage ports. My recommendations are: 94/97/2000 LBV's from Quinto Do Noval, Taylor, and Fonseca. The LBV's taste so much more like Vintage ports than do the tawnys and ruby's, much less sweet, although they are all fortified. I just drank a bottle of '77 Fonseca with a cuban SAN CRISTOBAL: LA FUERZA
....just heavan. I also enjoy the Havana Club Anejo 7yr Rum with ice and a '97 VEGAS ROBAINA: DON ALEJANDRO. Hope this helps.

Paul

[IHT]

thanks for the info on LBV's guys. will have to try some when i get home..

a question for you wine-o's.
after i open a bottle, how long can i keep it? i mean, if it's kept in a chiller with the cork put back in after a glass (or three)?
is there something that will stand out to let me know if it's gone "off" or will it at all?

[morningsmiler]

Originally Posted by IHT

thanks for the info on LBV's guys. will have to try some when i get home..

a question for you wine-o's.
after i open a bottle, how long can i keep it? i mean, if it's kept in a chiller with the cork put back in after a glass (or three)?
is there something that will stand out to let me know if it's gone "off" or will it at all?

Good question....

It varies with the type of port (i.e. Ruby, LBV, Vintage etc.) but under ideal circumstances (vacu-vin'd and refrigerated) you could realistically get about 2 weeks out of it.

Here's the thing, though. The degradation of taste is gradual. So, if you had a glass every night until it was gone, you might think it was really good the whole time. But if you had a glass, waited a week and had another, it would clearly taste different, but not "bad."

As for going "off" I've had Vintage port with a glass or so left in the bottom of the bottle sit in for about 3 months in the fridge. It didn't taste bad..as in spoiled..it just lost ALOT of complexity and flavor. So much so that it didn't have much taste at all.....so if it tastes good to you, it should be fine to drink.

[Light-Up Time]

no expert but I'm a big fan of the 10 and 20 year old Taylor Fladgate...that's my usual drink with a smoke... I also love the 94 Dow.. great stuff.
I have a bottle of 85 Dow I'm saving for a special occasion... or maybe the next herf!
g

[pinokio]

Originally Posted by Navydoc

Finally, a thread I can get my teeth into. Obviously I enjoy Port and have for many years. As has been mentioned, Vintage designated port typically requires 20+ yrs and in most cases 50+ yrs. A much less expensive sneek preview of what the Vintage port will taste like is the LBV designated ports. LBV = Late Bottled Vintage ports. The designated Vintage ports have to be bottled after two years in barrel whereas LBV ports can go as long as 4 years in barrel. The LBV's typically cost 1/3 the price of Vintage ports. My recommendations are: 94/97/2000 LBV's from Quinto Do Noval, Taylor, and Fonseca. The LBV's taste so much more like Vintage ports than do the tawnys and ruby's, much less sweet, although they are all fortified. I just drank a bottle of '77 Fonseca with a cuban SAN CRISTOBAL: LA FUERZA
....just heavan. I also enjoy the Havana Club Anejo 7yr Rum with ice and a '97 VEGAS ROBAINA: DON ALEJANDRO. Hope this helps.

Paul

Damn Doc, where you from? Vila Nova de Gaia(Douro)? Surely seems like it. I thought I had found a portuguese BOTL but....