Port for Christmas

[whiskytime]

I always have a couple bottles of Hardys Whiskers Blake Tawny Port in my cabinet -(it's an 8 yo Australian). It's rich & delicious & also very reasonably priced. I think I'll have some tonight!

[marklittler]

Hi,

A great supermarket port at the moment is Tesco's finest. It is a 1994 vintage, and only costs £19 a bottle at my local store. http://www.tesco.com/wine/product/detai ... =250266878

1994 was a very good vintage, some say one of the best of the last 25 years. Port producers can only create a certain quota of port per year, and when they have reached their production limit they auction their remaining barrels. So it is a fair bet that the port in the Tesco bottle is actually from a very well known producer.

Other 1994 vintages average around £50 a bottle, so it will be a great buy. It does need decanting mind!

[Pete Smoke]

It states the winemaker is Peter Symington, which means it's Dow's i think.

[krakow]

My local supermarket has a single rogue bottle of a Late Bottled Vintage 1998 and one of 2003 amidst a shelf of current 2005s. I can't recall the brand now, but maybe Taylor's. The line is not discounted, so is £14 or so, but I'm wondering if the older ones might be worth picking up...

[The Third Dram]

The line is not discounted, so is £14 or so, but I'm wondering if the older ones might be worth picking up...

Late Bottled Vintage Ports represent something of a compromise, in that they're matured for slightly longer in oak casks than true Vintage Ports (nominally 4 years for LBVs - it could be slightly longer - versus only 2 years or so for Vintage Ports), and are often drawn from years when there weren't general declarations for Vintage Ports.

The whole idea of the exercise is to bring to market, in larger quantities, a Port that exhibits some of the characteristics of a Vintage Port, but that also offers greater value and drinkability upon release. These sorts of Ports rarely benefit from further bottle ageing. (Note that this qualification does not apply to Vintage Character Ports, which are usually unfiltered and can, on occasion, improve with further maturation.)

I'd say, therefore, that there is little to be gained by searching out older editions of LBVs, which will only possess the 'virtue' of having sat on the shelves for a longer period.

One more thing... Late Bottled Vintage Ports, in that they are rather fruit-driven as opposed to structured (i.e. not containing higher acidity and tannic levels that will further integrate with ageing) are meant to be consumed within a relatively short time-frame once opened. They will tend to deteriorate thereafter. So drink up!

[Drammed]

If you want to treat yourself buy anything from the 1994 vintage as Wine spectator rated the entire vintage 100 points! I have 6 bottles left and they have been great. I have tried the Grahams, Ware and smith woodhouse. the fonseca and taylor fladgate were the top picks of the year as both shared the wine of the year honors

[Exciseman]

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 2003 Vintage Port is still half-price and you get a further 25% off the reduced price if you buy six bottles.

That's just £78 (or thereabouts) for six bottles of Vintage Port!

[les taylor]

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 2003 Vintage Port is still half-price and you get a further 25% off the reduced price if you buy six bottles.

That's just £78 (or thereabouts) for six bottles of Vintage Port!

Cheers Tim good spot.

[The Third Dram]

We've been thoroughly enjoying Graham's 20 Year Old Tawny Port throughout the 2012-2013 Holiday Season... One of my favourites, in fact.

[C57]

Oh yum
I have a Taylor's 20 open.
No Otima unfortunately
Tawny is my favourite style