For The Love Of Port

I express grave concern over the likelihood of paying $ 200 to $ 300 per bottle for new vintage port if China lands with both feet of purchasing power! Would force me to disregard all new ports and just drink from my cellar. Not a horrible problem but I like variety.

I don't know if it is different for a native but when I went to Canada I was only allowed four bottles of wine to take across the border. Since I had been tasting my way through Oregon and Washington I had to drink heavily and often before crossing into British Columbia. I know you can pay any dutie...

I am with Eric. If I have tasted the wine around the time of purchase I will wait a few years to let it develop in the cellar. I strongly believe that successive, periodic tastes as the wines age are the only ones that relate to Your storage conditions and thus make other written reviews (particular...

Absolutely if there is a verbal write-up provided. Then I can assess their comments and throw out the "hedonistic" ones when applied to table wines. I wish more write-ups contained the alc content but the vagueness of the labeling laws make most of those content numbers unreliable anyway. ...

I like the idea of a (slightly) lower alc content to hopefully avoid the high heat wines like the Martinez Quinta do Eira Velhas 1994 and 1995. I do not think the change to 18% from 20% would significantly lower the intoxication effects so it is a matter of taste and balance. I believe some of the p...

I am with Moses that I like at least 20 years on my vintages before opening. I buy more LBVP now because on my age (62) and no heirs to pick up the leftovers. I did buy some 2007s, particularly when in 375 ml. I buy much less now than I did five or ten years ago (combination of age, retirement budge...

I treat the wood with sealer and oil the outside to make it pretty and make planters out of them.

Folks, I thought I would tap the immense experience of this membership for any information on this wine. Here is the story. In the late 70s I wanted to buy a wine that would be a 100 years old when I drank it and I came across this one at Corti Brothers (a specialty market in Sacramento, CA). On the...

Two fifths of 2007 Kopke VP for $ 49.99 each.

Folks,I have been collecting wine for 40 years (yeah, I am older than the average bear) and I can definitely come down on the side of acidity then tannins and above all Balance! The pieces can stand out when young but if the other components for balance are there you will have a wonderful wine when ...

Interesting. This is on sale at Beltramos, Menlo Park, CA for $ 49.99. I think I will get a few. Thanks.

All the above comments are valid but I emphasize Balance! You need the tannins for aging but if they are so high that they overpower the taste of fruit and alcohol there is a real possibility that the wine will never be balanced. I believe this is more prevalent in table wines than ports but I have ...

Nick --Your madeira count is five higher than mine and I have been collecting port for 40 years (just getting to the big M now at this later date). Welcome, there are a great number of experienced collectors (and drinkers) here. Jim

Tasted 12/24/10, easily the best VP I have ever had, cork broke during extraction, garnet/orange color throughout On opening a light berry/mulberry nose, full sweet cassis and currant flavors, very integrated with some spirit in finish At 3 hours, fuller berry nose with huge cassis, caramel, mocha, ...

I also have used that term in a negative connotation. To me it means a wine that has not formed a clean or complex nose. I can see where it would be a pleasant descriptor for a younger wine.

My take the the order would be tawny-colheita-old VP-LBVP-young VP. regards

I am with Eric on this in that I have had several disappointing bottles obtained from retailers. One situation was a vintage port tasting where three of the six wines selected from their shelves showed very tired, as if they had been standing for years and perhaps in the sun. A problem with older co...

Tasted 11/25/2010, excellent cork, garnet with orange rim color, bottled 1999, on opening sweet cherry-currant nose, clean mulberry-mocha, raisin flavors. At 60 minutes sweet cherry, currant, mocha nose with mellow, integrated, sweet currant, cassis, mocha flavors with an oak accent, alcohol well in...

Claus--Please read Roy's article on decanting on the FTLOP home page. It certainly provides an easier method than I have used in the past. I agree with the time line and specifically suggest you do as others have suggested and taste the port in hourly stages after decanting (taste it just after deca...

Top shoulder fill, smell of vinegar under foil capsule from leakage, cork completely wet to top and beyond, red with orange rim On opening-light mulberry and mocha nose with clean mulberry flavors and strong acid acid finish, alcohol showing in finish with slight metallic note, no VA in nose D +1-li...