What Is Vintage Port Wine: A Guide for Collectors
Updated
What is Vintage Port wine? Vintage Port is a Portuguese fortified wine, produced in the Douro Valley. It stands apart for its exceptional aging potential and specific production method. Unlike other Port styles, it is made entirely from grapes harvested in a single, "declared" vintage year. Port houses, also known as "shippers," decide whether to declare a vintage early in the second year following the harvest. They send samples to the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto) for approval. Vintage Ports are high-craftsmanship Ruby Ports. They age for a maximum of two and a half years in barrels or stainless steel before bottling. They are designed to mature for another 10 to 40+ years in the bottle, sometimes even decades longer. Only then do they reach their optimal drinking age. This extended bottle aging develops their complex character.
How is Vintage Port made and declared?
Vintage Port production begins with grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region of northern Portugal. Over a hundred grape varieties are sanctioned for Port production. Only five are widely cultivated: Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional. Touriga Nacional is considered the most desirable. Touriga Francesa is the most widely planted, however. The reason is that Touriga Nacional is difficult to cultivate and gives small yields.
The winemaking process involves fortifying the wine with a neutral grape spirit, known as aguardente, to halt fermentation. This leaves residual sugar in the wine. It also boosts the alcohol content, typically to between 19% and 22% by volume. This fortification process is distinct from Sherry, where alcohol is added shortly before or after fermentation is complete. That timing gives initially dry wines.
The term vintage holds a distinct meaning for Port. A vintage generally refers to the year a wine is made. Most Vintage Port producers, however, restrict year-labelled bottlings to only the best years, typically a few per decade. Each individual Port house, or "shipper," makes the decision to declare a vintage. In very good years, almost all Port houses will declare their wines. In intermediate years, producers of blended Vintage Ports might not declare their flagship Port. They may instead declare the vintage of a single quinta, or estate. For example that Dow's Quinta do Bomfim and Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas were declared in 1996. In that year the main houses did not declare a general vintage. Quinta do Vesuvio, however, declares a vintage in all but the worst years, with exceptions like 1993, 2002, and 2014. Improved winemaking technologies and better weather forecasts have increased the number of declared vintage years. No year has had zero declarations for over thirty years. Recent widely declared vintage years include 2017, 2016, 2011, 2007, 2003, 2000, 1997, and 1994.
After declaration, Vintage Ports age in barrels or stainless steel for a maximum of two and a half years before bottling. They retain their dark ruby color and fresh fruit flavors. This short wood aging period contrasts sharply with other fortified wines. Madeira undergoes deliberate heating and oxidation during maturation. Tawny Ports age for much longer in wooden barrels.
How does Vintage Port compare to other Port styles?
Port wine comes in several styles. These fall broadly into wines matured in sealed glass bottles (reductive aging) and wines matured in wooden barrels (oxidative aging). Vintage Port falls into the former category, designed for extensive bottle aging. The IVDP further divides Ports into "normal ports" (standard ruby, three-year-old tawny, and white) and "Categorias Especiais" (special categories), which include Vintage Port.
Here is a comparison of Vintage Port with other notable Port styles:
| Feature | Vintage Port | Late Bottled Vintage | Tawny Port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vintage on the label | Grapes from a single declared vintage | A single vintage, bottled between four and six years after it | Usually a blend of several vintages, except Colheita, which carries a single harvest year |
| Time before bottling | A maximum of two and a half years in barrel or stainless steel | Four to six years after the vintage | At least three years in wood for a basic tawny, about seven years for a reserve tawny, and 10, 20, 30 or 40 years for a tawny with an indication of age |
| How it matures | Reductive, in the sealed bottle, designed to age another 10 to 40+ years | Filtered LBV is typically ready to drink when released; unfiltered LBV is usually improved by extra years in the bottle | Oxidative, in wooden barrels, mellowing to a golden-brown colour and picking up "nutty" flavours |
| Decanting | Needed, because it is bottled unfiltered and forms a crust | Needed for unfiltered bottlings, which are sealed with conventional driven corks | Not one of the unfiltered styles that throw a crust |
| Once opened | Old bottles are best consumed within several days | Young ruby styles can be kept open for several weeks | May keep for several months, because barrel ageing has already exposed the wine to significant oxidation |
Storage is the same whichever style you buy. Port should be kept in a cool but not cold, dark place at a steady temperature, laid on its side if it has a cork and standing up if it is stoppered, and served at between 15 and 20 °C, with tawny a little cooler.