Best Bottle of Port for a Christmas Present
Wine of the Week
Quinta De La Rosa – 20 year old Tawny Port – Duoro – Portugal
There is plenty of discussion about “how long will a bottle of port last once opened” but when buying a bottle of port as a gift the question you should really consider is what will the recipient want to do with it?
The answer to this question helps to define the Best Port for a Christmas present.
Port is made in a number of different ways and when opened offer different style and tastes. In addition, some are ready for drinking immediately and some will only deteriorate if stored for a long time, others can be laid down for a very long time and will become better with age.
Therefore, when choosing that gift ask yourself if the recipient will want to store the bottle for the 21st Birthday of that first grandchild or will they be tucking into it the minute the Christmas pudding is scoffed!
Secondly, are they likely to drink it with friends and demolish the bottle within a few hours or days or would they like to eke it out a month or so having a snifter or two once per week?
Here’s my quick guide to help you make your choice:
Ruby Port – Lower quality Port – drink within 2-3 days after opening – ready to drink immediately & will not improve with storing for long periods – only buy it if you’re on a limited budget.
Late Bottle Vintage Port (LBV) & Reserve Ruby Port – drink within 2-3 days after opening – ready to drink immediately & will not improve with storing for long periods – can be very good (especially the LBV’s) – always a welcomed gift.
Tawny Port – typically drink within 4-6 weeks after opening – ready to drink immediately will only deteriorate if stored for long periods – available in 10-20-30-40 year aged, the longer the ageing the more expensive they become and the more complex and delicious they become – ideal gift for a Port novice and connoisseur’s alike!
Vintage Port – drink within 2-3 days after opening – can be stored for decades to age and improve in the bottle (some people do choose to drink them immediately) – if stored correctly can become an investment – ideal for a dated gift to celebrate a particular year – can be moderately to very expensive and can make a superb gift.
Remember that no Port will last forever once opened, you cannot have a glass or two and then put it away until next Christmas, it will oxidise and become undrinkable.
My favorite is Tawny Port and this Quinta De La Rosa 20-year-old is the Best Wine for a Christmas Gift.
I buy this at the moment from Amazon, delivered at £33.95 and although it is only a 500ml bottle do remember that this has been carefully nurtured and stored for 20 years in monstrous 550 litre oak barrels for it’s creation….
A small price for such a thing of beauty.
Tasting Notes
Try this lightly chilled as they do in the cafes of Porto during August.
Deep warm amber brown in colour and to fully enjoy the stunning complexity of all the aromas and flavours I highly recommend pouring this into an appropriate small necked tasting glass.
Intoxicating smells of sweet figs and toffee and heady dried fruit keep you coming back again and again for another whiff!
Tasting continues along the same theme providing a luxurious viscous mouth feel, well balanced sweetness of deep plum and fig with spicy caramel eventually submitting to a pleasing dry finish that stays with good length of finish.
About the Producer
Quinta De La Rosa is located about a two and half hour drive from Porto and is perched in a slightly elevated position close to the banks of the river Duoro within walking distance of the small town of Pinhao. (you can also get there by train)
History dates its beginning’s back in 1815 and has a long history of both grape growing and wine production.
Seven generations of wine making exist however only as recently as 1988 did Port production begin again under the Quinta De La Rosa name.
Today the Quinta is a stunning destination for a Port and wine tasting experience, a luxury break or a fine dining experience, I am lucky enough to have visited and stayed a few nights so can hand on heart totally recommend.
The accommodation is excellent, the tour and tasting events interesting and the dining to die for. You also are located close enough to other Quinta’s to do a lot of research and tasting!
It is rated by Wine Spectator as one of the top 275 wineries in the world.
https://www.quintadelarosa.com/
One thought on “Best Bottle of Port for a Christmas Present”
Thanks for this piece of info Nick.
I was not aware of the differences in ports relating to laying-down or deteriorations after opening. The couple of ruby ports I have stored opened in the cupboard probably need to go!!
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