So I am trying to track down a '66 and I came across another post in commerce with '66 Graham's.
One was bottled by Hedges & Butler
One was bottled by Christopher & Co
Does it make much difference who the bottling is by?
Silly me...I assumed the port houses bottled them all! I guess I have much to learn yet!
Can anybody help me out here?
Thanks
Different Bottlings?
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Charles Kersten
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- Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States of America - USA
Charles,
Prior to 1975, it was perfectly legal for Port to be shipped out of Portugal and then bottled by the merchant who purchased it.
In some extreme cases, you even had wealthy families purchasing port in the barrel and then having it privately bottled, but this is pretty rare.
A very broad generalisation is that Oporto bottlings are more reliable than merchant bottlings (with exceptions for reliable merchants), and an equally broad generalisation is that all merchant bottlings are about the same - most merchants were competant, capable people who did not want their hard won reputations with their customers to be lost through careless bottling.
Since 1975, your assumption is true. All port has been shipped in bottles and has been bottled by the Port House in Portugal.
Alex
Prior to 1975, it was perfectly legal for Port to be shipped out of Portugal and then bottled by the merchant who purchased it.
In some extreme cases, you even had wealthy families purchasing port in the barrel and then having it privately bottled, but this is pretty rare.
A very broad generalisation is that Oporto bottlings are more reliable than merchant bottlings (with exceptions for reliable merchants), and an equally broad generalisation is that all merchant bottlings are about the same - most merchants were competant, capable people who did not want their hard won reputations with their customers to be lost through careless bottling.
Since 1975, your assumption is true. All port has been shipped in bottles and has been bottled by the Port House in Portugal.
Alex
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Charles Kersten
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:47 am
- Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States of America - USA
I agree with 99% of what Alex has written.
The retailers from the UK were a diverse group, with concentrations in London and other parts of the country. Some of the old retailers that did bottlings no longer exist. That said, some were great, while others very reliable and others did not have the greatest reputations including their bottling. Machinery was used by most, but some hand bottling did take place. Some retailers had VERY clean lines while a couple were known to have questionable hygiene and therefore had more "failures" than others. NO, I won't give names as I have been around that block before. But this is not the only place you'll read this if you do enough digging.
But this was a small minority, while the vast majority did a splendid job. There are sections in articles and books about past and present reputations of retailers/bottlers of Vintage Port in the UK.
The retailers from the UK were a diverse group, with concentrations in London and other parts of the country. Some of the old retailers that did bottlings no longer exist. That said, some were great, while others very reliable and others did not have the greatest reputations including their bottling. Machinery was used by most, but some hand bottling did take place. Some retailers had VERY clean lines while a couple were known to have questionable hygiene and therefore had more "failures" than others. NO, I won't give names as I have been around that block before. But this is not the only place you'll read this if you do enough digging.
But this was a small minority, while the vast majority did a splendid job. There are sections in articles and books about past and present reputations of retailers/bottlers of Vintage Port in the UK.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Charles Kersten
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- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:47 am
- Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States of America - USA
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Frederick Blais
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- Location: Porto, Portugal
The subject was debated in the early moments of this forum:
http://fortheloveofport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63
http://fortheloveofport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63
Living the dream and now working for a Port company