Will the Port Industry Survive?

[Todd Pettinger]

I love the dirty bottles and it would be a good marketing idea for port in general.

I love this idea. I also like a return to the paint splash, and LOVE the painted on descriptions, such as with some older Niepoorts, Barros Colheitas (I am enjoying a 1977 bottled 2006 at the moment from one of these bottles.) Away with labels! Bring on the paint and the dirt!

I have avoided Otima due to the bottle shape and size. Seems like a gimmick to me. Port does not need gimmicks.

I tended to agree with you Moses. Further back in this thread someone (I think Fred) mentioned that Warre shipped out a bunch of Otima Tawny in "regular" bottles and the critic rating they received were better than in the new 'funky' bottles - I think those of us who enjoy the tradition and history of port are in the same mindset as you Moses - no gimmicks please!

Which is why I will disagree with part of the remainder of your post:

The port industry could do some product placement in movies and TV to promote their product in a proper fashion. Let see James Bond drinking a 70 Taylor, opening the bottle with tongs and then using the tongs to save the day… Perhaps Brad Pitt drinking port behind a Portofino sunset or 50 Cent drinking a 27 Croft port in his stretch Hummer limo?

No, no, no, and NO!!! :hoppingmad:
We get rappers extolling the virtues of Port in their songs and hunky actors swigging Port down in front of the masses, and it will become COOL. That means it will become EXPENSIVE! Please, don't make this happen!!!

Oh wait - you redeem yourself in your last paragraph of the post:

Port should market its own tradition, as that is what is special. The drink stands on its own, but people buy a lifestyle, not just a drink.

Todd

[Bill Crann]

Tons of great ideas in this thread. Of course Porto will survive, esp. at the VP end where it's more or less treated as Grand Cru classe wine and the scarcity is controlled not only by the whether or when to declare a vintage, but also cases produced and released by each house.

Where Oporto seems to have a problem is on the entry level, ruby port end. You can find ruby port for prices anywhere from $7 USD (many smaller houses) to $28 for Three Grapes or Bin 27. If Symington or Taylor complain about port sales, they need to examine their marketing strategy of ruby and premium-ruby port. When the sale price overlaps their LBV, colheitas, and approaches the price of new release SQVP's the price point is misplaced. I know some of this may be due to the 3 tier price structure and shop variation, but it the premium ruby's pricepoint from the big houses seems way high.

BC