Decanting
Vintage Port forms a natural deposit in the bottle and should be decanted. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle.
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Decanting
Vintage Port forms a natural deposit in the bottle and should be decanted. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle.
Storage
Continues to improve for decades after bottling. The bottle should be kept lain down in a cool place, ideally at a temperature below 16ºC.
Serving temperature
Serve at 16ºC to 18ºC. Vintage Port is best drunk one to two days after opening.
Pairing suggestions
Walnuts, blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses are excellent accompaniments to Vintage Port; so too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs.
About the Wine
An unseasonably hot spring resulted in early budding and by mid April the vines were showing good growth. Conditions for flowering in May were near perfect. A cool early summer was followed by very high temperatures in August.
Picking started at Quinta de Vargellas on 13th September, a week later than most of the region. Conditions were perfect and the highest sugar readings in years were recorded. Due to the cool temperatures the fermentation periods were longer than usual ensuring a great extraction of fruit, flavour and colour.
Tasting Notes
All Years
Quinta de Vargellas
Clive Coates MW, The Vine