Question about a 1955 VP

[John E]

I was in a wine store today, and saw a bottle of 1955 VP (I think it was Quinto do Noval, but my memory on this is unreliable) that said, in small letters on the label, "bottled in 2005." This puzzled me, and I re-read it carefully to be sure. Can anyone explain to me why a 1955 VP would be bottled in '05? Could it be that it was transferred from the original bottle to a new one? And, if so, what would that do to the port?

Thanks.

[Eric Ifune]

Not a Vintage Port; but a Colheita, a Tawny Port of a single vintage. Check out Roy's article "Tenents of Tawny" on the Homepage. I've not had the Noval 55 Colheita, but would bet it's superb.

[Glenn E.]

I agree with Eric that it's most likely a Colheita, not a VP, and that in all probability it will be excellent. Of course you'd have to like tawnies to really appreciate its excellence, but even if you don't you'd probably still find it very good and very interesting.

[Gary Richardson]

Not sure if this is the one that you are referring to, but Schneider's of Capitol Hill has a 1958 Noval. It is a Colheita rather than a Vintage. At $299, I have managed to stay away from it as a little too expensive.

MacArthur has a 1955 Noval that they list as a Vintage, but if it was bottled in 2005 then it is most likely a Colheita. I have not seen that one personally (it is a fairly new addition to their inventory), but I will check it out as soon as I can. This one is also listed at $299. MacArthur also sometimes re-bottles/corks some older Vintages, so this could be a case where they re-bottled in 2005. I think it more likely that it is a Colheita, though, especially if the label is original.

-- Gary