82-year old bottle of VP
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/f ... nda08.html
Port news hits close to home
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
Port news hits close to home
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Mike Kerr
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:39 pm
- Location: Centreville, Virginia, United States of America - USA
Nice article, Roy's a celebrity!
Somehow I think the lady's not going to like the ultimate answer to her question though.
Just my $0.02.
Mike.
Somehow I think the lady's not going to like the ultimate answer to her question though.
It doesn't sound like she wants to drink it for the sake of drinking it (in which case, the above answer is a good one), but she wants to drink it on a specific date and occasion that has special meaning to her. An answer such as "doubtful" or "if you keep it properly it may not taste at its peak, but will still provide some enjoyment" is measureably better considering the context of her question than "maybe, by why wait to find out".Will it keep another 18 years? I'm not sure I would wait to find out!
Just my $0.02.
Mike.
You do realize that the "answer" which you quoted and commented on, were provided by the author of the article ... who is the Seattle Times' wine guy ... and not me, right?
In my original email to him about that wine, I told him: at this point, if the wine is holding well today ... there is no reason it shouldn't make it until 100 years old., as long as it is stored properly in temperature controlled environment.
In my original email to him about that wine, I told him: at this point, if the wine is holding well today ... there is no reason it shouldn't make it until 100 years old., as long as it is stored properly in temperature controlled environment.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Mike Kerr
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:39 pm
- Location: Centreville, Virginia, United States of America - USA
Sorry Roy, my response wasn't directed at you. The author probably won't see the response, but I just had to get it out. :) Many newbies including myself have asked similar questions and on occasion get similar answers. It's just a pet peeve of mine. I responded here I think in hopes that we don't answer questions that way.
It would have been nice had he responded with what you just said. To me, that was the most important quote you gave him for the article. Still, nice to see your name up in lights!
Mike.
It would have been nice had he responded with what you just said. To me, that was the most important quote you gave him for the article. Still, nice to see your name up in lights!
Mike.
The author probably won't see the response, but I just had to get it out. Many newbies including myself have asked similar questions and on occasion get similar answers. It's just a pet peeve of mine. I responded here I think in hopes that we don't answer questions that way.
I am biased, but that is why I come back here ... it is rare and refreshing to find that folks here can share their differences of opinions without things getting out of hand which happens in just about every wine bb I have ever visited (except one 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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Jennifer Hart
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:35 pm
- Location: Seattle
Mike,
I agree with your email -- thinking it was a Sherry and wondering if it would be "good" at 100 yrs. old, this woman has no appreciation of port and how to drink it. The Seattle wine guy failed to mention the fine qualities of Port and how to drink it. So I wonder, will she really find the Port any different if she drank it today and/or waited until 2024?
I agree with your email -- thinking it was a Sherry and wondering if it would be "good" at 100 yrs. old, this woman has no appreciation of port and how to drink it. The Seattle wine guy failed to mention the fine qualities of Port and how to drink it. So I wonder, will she really find the Port any different if she drank it today and/or waited until 2024?
In defense of Paul,
He listed this website, so if the reader still has any questions, the bonus is, we may have a new member here.
This is usually a weekly column where he takes 2-4 short questions and gives them a few sentence response. I believe that he forwarded her my original email response to him, so she has more information that what appears in the article.
Good points though.
Speaking of which, my buddy Mario made a great one, saying that the newspaper won't keep this on their site for long and that I should post a copy of the article here. Well it is just plain text, but for posterity sake.
Wednesday, February 8, 2006 -
Wine Q & A
When to uncork an 82-year-old port
A reader wrote to inquire about a 1924 Spanish sherry that had been a gift from her late father. Would it keep until 2024, she wondered, which would be his 100th birthday?
I wrote back to ask for more details and upon looking more closely at the bottle the reader, to her surprise, found that the "sherry" was actually a 1924 Taylor Fladgate Port from Berry Bros. & Co. in London!
I turned to my friend Roy Hersh, an authority on all things to do with port, to see what he could tell me about this bottle. Hersh (http://www.fortheloveofport.com) had this to say:
"As best I can tell from your description this is a 1924 Taylor's vintage port," he wrote. "This was an excellent vintage when young and sold well in an 'up' market in Europe. Small quantities were produced as there were three significant heat waves with extreme temperatures, early in the ripening season."
When he tasted it a few years ago, Hersh continued, "the 1924 Taylor had a graceful garnet hue and held its color very well, with an orangish tinge on the rim. It was incredibly lively given its age and held up well in the glass.
"The bottle was opened a few hours prior to the tasting but was not decanted. I felt that the 1924 had more grip and complexity than did the '27. It showed some dusty plum flavors and roasted chestnuts with a sweetness on the finish that reminded me of homemade toffee."
As to its value, Hersh found the same wine selling today at auction for $450. Two U.S. retailers currently have bottles priced at $700 and $850.
"If I were to buy a bottle of the 1924 in top condition," he concludes, "I would expect to pay $600-$750."
Will it keep another 18 years? I'm not sure I would wait to find out! In any event it should be treated very delicately and opened very carefully, by someone who knows how to extract old corks.
You, dear reader, have a true treasure on your hands.
Paul Gregutt answers questions weekly in the Wine section.
He listed this website, so if the reader still has any questions, the bonus is, we may have a new member here.
This is usually a weekly column where he takes 2-4 short questions and gives them a few sentence response. I believe that he forwarded her my original email response to him, so she has more information that what appears in the article.
Good points though.
Speaking of which, my buddy Mario made a great one, saying that the newspaper won't keep this on their site for long and that I should post a copy of the article here. Well it is just plain text, but for posterity sake.
Wednesday, February 8, 2006 -
Wine Q & A
When to uncork an 82-year-old port
A reader wrote to inquire about a 1924 Spanish sherry that had been a gift from her late father. Would it keep until 2024, she wondered, which would be his 100th birthday?
I wrote back to ask for more details and upon looking more closely at the bottle the reader, to her surprise, found that the "sherry" was actually a 1924 Taylor Fladgate Port from Berry Bros. & Co. in London!
I turned to my friend Roy Hersh, an authority on all things to do with port, to see what he could tell me about this bottle. Hersh (http://www.fortheloveofport.com) had this to say:
"As best I can tell from your description this is a 1924 Taylor's vintage port," he wrote. "This was an excellent vintage when young and sold well in an 'up' market in Europe. Small quantities were produced as there were three significant heat waves with extreme temperatures, early in the ripening season."
When he tasted it a few years ago, Hersh continued, "the 1924 Taylor had a graceful garnet hue and held its color very well, with an orangish tinge on the rim. It was incredibly lively given its age and held up well in the glass.
"The bottle was opened a few hours prior to the tasting but was not decanted. I felt that the 1924 had more grip and complexity than did the '27. It showed some dusty plum flavors and roasted chestnuts with a sweetness on the finish that reminded me of homemade toffee."
As to its value, Hersh found the same wine selling today at auction for $450. Two U.S. retailers currently have bottles priced at $700 and $850.
"If I were to buy a bottle of the 1924 in top condition," he concludes, "I would expect to pay $600-$750."
Will it keep another 18 years? I'm not sure I would wait to find out! In any event it should be treated very delicately and opened very carefully, by someone who knows how to extract old corks.
You, dear reader, have a true treasure on your hands.
Paul Gregutt answers questions weekly in the Wine section.
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com