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barrkel 9 hours ago [-]
I've tasted madiera-style wine from Crimea IIRC from the 1800s. It was in an Enomatic machine in Hedonism Wines in London. I could not say it was appreciably better than something more modern.
On the other hand, I've had a glass of tawny port from the 1970s that Chez Bruce had on the menu at one point that kicked off a fruitless search into every barrel aged fortified wine I could get my hands on to recapture. It had a caramel taste that lingered for 30 minutes or more after the last sip. Amazing stuff.
jimnotgym 8 hours ago [-]
A couple of tangential comments
Firstly, even if you find fortified wines like port a little rich, please don't discount the other wines of the Douro Valley. They make some fabulous reds in particular and are good value.
Secondly, for history buffs, I hand you a rabbit hole. Why do so many of the great port brands have very British sounding names?
widdershins 3 hours ago [-]
Britain and Portugal have one of the world's oldest alliances, established in 1386.
At various times, especially starting in the 1700s, British wars with France meant that French wine and brandy became unavailable, or was even banned. In reponse, British merchants discovered that fortified wine from the Duoro valley could sate the British market's taste for strong wines, and could survive the long journey across the Bay of Biscay and the Channel. They began setting up port wine trading houses which became known as 'shippers'.
Fun fact: Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, started drinking port at 14 as a cure for gout. He apparently drank a bottle a day for most of his life. Port exacurbates gout. He died at age 46.
ericmay 8 hours ago [-]
Champagne has an interesting tie to the UK as well.
Agree with you about Douro Valley. Separately the oldest port I’ve had was something like a 1928 Seppeltsfield (don’t recall the exact year). The nose was incredible and at that age, not very sweet at all. How was it served? About a spoon’s worth, dip your finger in and rub on your lips haha. You can find the bottles though, it’s not super expensive. Really cool if you haven’t had something like that before.
jimnotgym 7 hours ago [-]
It is remarkable, as you say, how inexpensive a very old port can be, versus say a moderately old claret
M95D 7 hours ago [-]
> Despite the decline in sales that Port wine has experienced worldwide in recent years, Menin's policy is to invest in high-end Port labels.
Seems like the best way to make money today is to sell to the 0.1%.
sidpatil 9 hours ago [-]
Original title: 'Rubens Menin's "Very Very Old" Port wine'
quantdude 9 hours ago [-]
Not quite 150 years old, but I've got a bottle of Taylor's 1896 Single Harvest Port in a bonded warehouse in the UK. Not sure I'll ever find the right situation to justify partaking of its 130 year vintage.
On the other hand, I've had a glass of tawny port from the 1970s that Chez Bruce had on the menu at one point that kicked off a fruitless search into every barrel aged fortified wine I could get my hands on to recapture. It had a caramel taste that lingered for 30 minutes or more after the last sip. Amazing stuff.
Firstly, even if you find fortified wines like port a little rich, please don't discount the other wines of the Douro Valley. They make some fabulous reds in particular and are good value.
Secondly, for history buffs, I hand you a rabbit hole. Why do so many of the great port brands have very British sounding names?
At various times, especially starting in the 1700s, British wars with France meant that French wine and brandy became unavailable, or was even banned. In reponse, British merchants discovered that fortified wine from the Duoro valley could sate the British market's taste for strong wines, and could survive the long journey across the Bay of Biscay and the Channel. They began setting up port wine trading houses which became known as 'shippers'.
Fun fact: Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, started drinking port at 14 as a cure for gout. He apparently drank a bottle a day for most of his life. Port exacurbates gout. He died at age 46.
Agree with you about Douro Valley. Separately the oldest port I’ve had was something like a 1928 Seppeltsfield (don’t recall the exact year). The nose was incredible and at that age, not very sweet at all. How was it served? About a spoon’s worth, dip your finger in and rub on your lips haha. You can find the bottles though, it’s not super expensive. Really cool if you haven’t had something like that before.
Seems like the best way to make money today is to sell to the 0.1%.
https://www.taylor.pt/en/port-wine/1896-single-harvest