PORT (and Madeira), etc.

Port, as we know it today, has been around for less than two hundred years.   It's largely a British creation.  The British had a preference for the wines of France, but since they were often at odds with the French, the British government apparently had an allergy towards doing business with the French.



British traders traveled to Portugal in search of alternatives to "claret" (Bordeaux).  It's difficult to imagine how they ended up in such a remote and difficult region as the Douro Valley. 

From what I've read, the first wines of the region were typical dry reds.   They were probably a bit coarse and sharp.  The wines did not find an appreciative audience in Britain.  In an effort to "upgrade," shippers "fortified" the wines with brandy, making them (the wines) stronger.   Apparently some were fortified before they had finished fermenting and these sweet and fruity wines started to gain in favor with the wine-drinking public. 

Winemaking in Portugal has improved dramatically over the past decade.   While the idea of treading the grapes by foot is romantic (to a small degree...they used to play music and serenade those who were thigh-high in grapes), some may argue it's preferable to have mechanical crusher/stemmers and temperature-controlled fermentation tanks to the ancient and, shall we say, perhaps less sanitary, means of yesterday.   

Visiting various estates in the Douro, however, we found numerous producers who adhere to the foot-treaded lagares for their best wines, be these table wines or Port.   We found some wineries equipped with mechanical "treading" machines, while others have several people "dancing" on the grapes for several hours at a time to extract the maximum character and quality.



If you remember what the young Ports of the 1970 or 1977 vintages tasted like and can compare them to what the 1992s, 1994s or 1995s taste like today, you'll undoubtedly notice a significant improvement in vinification.  It is probably not the case that the sun is shining more brightly over the Douro Valley vines these days than a decade or two ago.

I'm not certain that most wine writers, especially The Wine Spectator, have made the same observation.   Their enthusiasm for 1994 Taylor and 1994 Fonseca (as well as these two houses' 1992s) may have been due to enhancements in winemaking more than to exceptional vintage conditions.  Not to take anything away from these wines, as they're all "excellent." 

The amazing dynamic is the influence these people have on the price of these wines.  While they were initially released in the $40-$60 neighborhood, the "beatification" of the 1994s caused prices to spiral to $200/bottle within a week or two. 

The Port houses used to release their young, recently "declared" wines at sensible prices.  It was customary for many British buyers to "invest" in Port. People would take a position and have the wines cellared for them.  At a time when the wines were mature (or getting along towards maturity), these would then be put on the market.

I suspect the various Port producers decided that they ought to profit from the fruit of their labors and recent vintages have often be offered at amazingly high prices.  It is, therefore, possible to find good, well-cellared wines with bottle age for the same price as the newly-released wines.

We have little interest in the 2007 vintage, for example.  These were brought to market at  high prices.  The 2003s, as well, are over-priced in general.  If you need to set some bottles aside for an anniversary or birthday, then go ahead and splurge.  If you're merely looking for something good to drink, stop by to see our current offerings.  We tend to have a nice array of immediately-drinkable bottles along with some youngish, cellar-worthy wines.

The head of one famous Port firm stopped by with the U.S. importer.  We tasted their 2003s and I told the fellow we had virtually no interest in wines which will be close to ready in 20 years.  He professed that their "campaign" had gone well and the "2003s have been well-received.  They've sold well." 
I pointed out "If they've sold so well, why has the importer enlisted you to come help them sing & dance to get the inventory out of the warehouse?"

Point made.

They had great campaigns for more recent vintages.  The 2011s came out at high prices.  And now you can find 2015s, 2016s and 2017s at prices close to or north of $100 a bottle.   
This has made good Late-Bottled Vintage Ports a bit more interesting to many consumers as those hit the market in the $25-$40 range.