For The Love Of Port

International Wine Challenge 2005 - Prizes & Medals for Ports
Source: Wine International

Porto Trophy e Vintage Porto Trophy
• Offley Vintage Port 2003, Sogrape
Sogrape, Portugal’s largest producer, bought Offley in 1996. This trophy wine is from the most recently declared vintage.

LBV Porto Trophy
• Smith Woodhouse Bottle Matured LBV Port 1994, Symington
Smith Woodhouse is rewarded for being one of the very few shippers to continue making LBV by traditional methods.

Tawny Porto Trophy
• Graham's 30 Year Old Tawny Port NV, W&J Graham
A classic wine from a classic company, Graham’s demonstrates its continuing Port prowess.

Single Quinta Vintage Porto Trophy
• Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port 2000
The very first quinta port to be exported, Roriz is now owned by the van Zeller family, managed in association with Symingtons

Gold Medals
• C. da Silva Vinhos, Presidential Port Colheita Vintage Port 1975
• Casal dos Jordões Port 10 Anos NV, Arlindo Pinto e Cruz
• Croft Quinta da Roêda Vintage Port 1995, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman
• Dow's 30 Year Old Tawny Port NV, Silva & Cosens
• Dow's Crusted Port Bottled 1999 NV, Silva & Cosens
• Dow's Quinta do Bonfim Vintage Port 1996, Silva & Cosens
• Dow's Vintage Port 1980, Silva & Cosens
• Ferreira Vintage Port 2003, Sogrape
• Fonseca Vintage Port 1985, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman
• Graham's 20 Year Old Tawny Port, NV, W&J Graham
• Krohn Colheita Port 1967, Wiese & Krohn
• Pintas Vintage Port 2003, Wine & Soul
• Portal LBV Port 2000, Quinta do Portal
• Porto Rozés 10 Year Old Port NV, SPR
• Quinta do Bom Retiro 20 Year Old Port NV, Adriano Ramos Pinto
• Quinta do Noval Silval 2000, Cima Corgo
• Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage Port 2001, Symington
• Ramos Pinto LBV 2000, Adriano Ramos Pinto
• Taylor's 20 Years Old Tawny Port NV, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman
• Taylor's Vintage Port 1985, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman

Mario,

Thank you for the posting. interesting to see that Offley won the top VP trophy.

And very nice to see a post from someone at the front line...

Don't tell me the other shippers havn't got computers!

Thanks Mario! Really interesting info.

-Dave-

Hi Mario, is that challenge open to or includes every shippers? It is surprising to see Offley 2003 with this award. Not that they don't make good wines but we would expect others on the podium. This reminds me a lot of the Sociando Mallet who did beat the 1st growth for the 1995 harvest at the Grand Jury Européen Tasting. But the same tasting now would reveal completly different results.

Hi Fred_Quebec :)
I agree when you say that one would expect others on the podium instead of Offley VP 2003.
Answering your question: the IWC [International Wine Challenge] is open to every producer but there's a fee to submit each wine.

I've just noticed the Challenge takes place in May right before the LWSF - London Wine & Spirits Fair. Because the Prizes' list was posted on September 8, 2005 at the Wine International site, in the last couple days I've decided to do some additional research and have found out the following:

» a) the Challenge took place in early May right before the LWSF, that ran in May/2005.
» b) I was told the deadline (I do not know the specific day but let's consider it was in April/2005) to submit wines for the Challenge was a few weeks before the LWSF.
» c) However, for the approval of the 2003 VPs at the IVDP [The Douro and Port Wine Institute] the deadline was several months later - in July/2005.
» d) So, in conclusion, I guess by the time Offley got its 2003 VP approved by the IVDP (in very early 2005) and submitted its samples to the IWC (let's think they did it by March/2005), the majority of the Port Producers were still in the process of getting theirs 2003 VPs approved by the Port Institute since the deadline for this was July/2005 :!:

All this new information leads my thoughts that only next year, in May 2006, we'll see a 2003 VPs extensive representation at the LWSF. So, my suggestion is, let's wait and see how Prizes & Medals will be given then - in May 2006 :idea: