What have you opened this week?

[Glenn E.]

1985 Gould Campbell decanted at noon for a late-ish dinner tonight at 8:30.

[Tom Archer]

Churchill 85

First bottle from a case bought ten years ago, the first time I've drunk this wine at home. The bottle was fast-tracked by the 'puter after I recorded slight seepage signs during inspection.

Despite the seepage, the cork was very stubborn, and more inclined to go in than come out.

And the wine.. - racked by VA. Barely drinkable on day one, a little more tolerable day two.

However, this wine confirmed a little hunch I've had that it's possible to tell if a port bottle has VA before smelling it. There are two little visual giveaways:

1) The colour of the wine is flat and lifeless as you decant it. Although the presence of VA tends to inhibit colour loss, there is no lustre to the wine as it fills the decanter.

2) The bubbles that form on the surface, both as you decant and serve the wine, hang around for far longer before bursting if the wine has a VA problem.

- So next time you spot these signs when someone is decanting a bottle on the other side of a room, you can pretend to have such a fabulous sense of smell that you can pick up on it from several feet away..

[Al B.]

How is that Delaforce '63? I have a Berry Bros. bottling of it from the same year and I'm curious.

I like my Ports a little older and more mature than many of my Port drinking buddies. I loved the bottle I drank, mature and just delicious. In general, the Berry Brothers bottlings are brilliant but I've not tried their bottling of the Delaforce 1963.

[Tom Archer]

I like my Ports a little older and more mature than many of my Port drinking buddies.

Hmm.. compared to US habits maybe..

By UK standards you seem to spend most of your time indulging the kindergarten, but with regular dalliances into '63, coupled to a ready willingness to open anything from the 19th century that has the misfortune to fall into your grasp..

[Thomas V]

Bulas 2017 VP
Quarles Harris 1977 VP

Fun comparison for some newbie friends what 40 years of bottle time can do to a wine.

[Moses Botbol]

Had a few on Saturday and Sunday. A friend was came over.

1966 Smith Woodhouse VP
1966 Fonseca VP
1970 Fonseca VP
1985 Sandeman VP
1987 Kopke Colheita (bottled in '92)
Maynards 20 year tawny (bottled in '18)

Everything showed well except for the Kopke which was a bit of VA and not much else going on. Got worse the next day. SW was the best of the weekend. Had better '70 Fonsecas. '66 Fonseca was really solid. '85 Sandeman was really good too. Solid VP for the Vintage. Was that their last good one until '94?

[Andy Velebil]

1995 Warres Quinta d. Cavadinha VP. Decanted with good color and the dregs tasted really good after decanting. Will report back later.

[Al B.]

Kopke 1999, bottled in 2000 and available in one of our local supermarkets. It's very impressive.

Somewhere I have a bottle of Kopke 1999 Vintage Port. Maybe I should try a side-by-side comparison.

[Tom Archer]

Kopke 1999, bottled in 2000 and available in one of our local supermarkets. It's very impressive.

Bottled when only one year old..??

[Andy Velebil]

Kopke 1999, bottled in 2000 and available in one of our local supermarkets. It's very impressive.

Bottled when only one year old..??

A new IVDP rule

[Glenn E.]

1964 Porto Rocha, bottled 2004. Part of my vast supply of birthday Ports... this one to celebrate turning 56!

[Al B.]

Kopke 1999, bottled in 2000 and available in one of our local supermarkets. It's very impressive.

Bottled when only one year old..??

OK. Bottled in 2020.

[Bram C]

I want to a Taylors 1992 next weekend. What do you guys recommend for the decanting time? I was thinking about 12 hours.

[Tom Archer]

I want to a Taylors 1992 next weekend. What do you guys recommend for the decanting time? I was thinking about 12 hours.

Ten years might be better!

Seriously though, this is a young wine that I tried earlier this year, and found to be in a really awkward phase - I'd wait awhile..

[Mike J. W.]

I want to a Taylors 1992 next weekend. What do you guys recommend for the decanting time? I was thinking about 12 hours.

Ten years might be better!

Seriously though, this is a young wine that I tried earlier this year, and found to be in a really awkward phase - I'd wait awhile..

Funny, I recently had a 375ml bottle and it was stunning. Not sure if it matured a little quicker than a full bottle would, but it was firing on
all cylinders. At this point in time, I feel it is better than the '94 Taylor's, but then again, that one's not quite ready for its coming put party.

[Bram C]

I want to a Taylors 1992 next weekend. What do you guys recommend for the decanting time? I was thinking about 12 hours.

Ten years might be better!

Seriously though, this is a young wine that I tried earlier this year, and found to be in a really awkward phase - I'd wait awhile..

I have a tasting together with Gerwin (als on ftlop) this weekend. Our theme is 1991 and 1992, so i will open one now. The other 11 i will keep closed for a while.

[John M.]

This weekend five of us are gathering for an informal outside Port tasting. Everyone brings a bottle (except one who is bringing bread and charcuterie items). So far

1982 Martinez VP
1985 Burmester VP
1997 Dalva Colheita
1994 Warres LBV

I have a 1983 Kopke as back-up.

[Tom Archer]

I have a 1983 Kopke as back-up.

The original corks on Kopke '83 are the worst I've seen on any VP. Another oddity is that after noticing slight seepage on one of mine earlier this year and fast tracking it for consumption, I found the the wine itself was slightly spritzy, with visible gas bubbles rising in the decanter after I decanted it.

Despite that, it was a sound middle road quaff and not obviously faulty..

[John M.]

I have a 1983 Kopke as back-up.

The original corks on Kopke '83 are the worst I've seen on any VP. Another oddity is that after noticing slight seepage on one of mine earlier this year and fast tracking it for consumption, I found the the wine itself was slightly spritzy, with visible gas bubbles rising in the decanter after I decanted it.

Despite that, it was a sound middle road quaff and not obviously faulty.

Thanks--I knew this wine is challenged from looking at FTLOP before purchasing....for $16 so well worth the risk at that price.

[Gary Richardson]

2003 Porto Rocha Vintage Port from a 375ml bottle. Pop-n-pour and drank over 2 days (yeah I know … why did it take 2 days to finish a half bottle?) A little better on the 2nd day. Very fruity and drinking quite nicely now.