Laying away Vintage Port for the next generation

[Roy Hersh]

I have always loved reading the stories (especially in old books on Port that recount this practice) about the British habit of putting away cases from a child's birth year or a bunch of Ports to enjoy with a son on his majority. How many here have had parents with the foresight to put Ports in the cellar for them. Please share the story.

Conversely, how many of you are intentionally laying down cases for your own children? Details please.

This is truly one of the great legacies of Port wine in a most civilized society.

[DRT]

I wasn't lucky enough to inherit any VP as my father is strictly a Malt Whisky man.

My son, Ross, was born in 1993 so is going to struggle to find VP from his birth year so I have put away 24 half bottles of the only VP that I know was released that year, Quinta das Liceiras. I will add to that stash whenever I can find more of it at a reasonable price and all of it will belong to Ross.

My partner, Jo, has a son, Lewis, who was born in 1998. I already have a few SQVPs from that vintage stashed away and some of those will be his.

Whilst I do not have the resources to follow the true tradition of laying down a pipe for each of the boys I will leave them a few bottles from their birth years to allow them to enjoy it in their old age.

Derek

[RonnieRoots]

Neither LadyR nor I come from wine collecting families, so nothing inherited there. But we do plan to buy some nice stuff of the 2010 vintage for our forthcoming child. Part of that will, of course, be drunk by us.

[KillerB]

Neither LadyR nor I come from wine collecting families, so nothing inherited there. But we do plan to buy some nice stuff of the 2010 vintage for our forthcoming child. Part of that will, of course, be drunk by us.

Errrmmm... I didn't know about this. Errrmmm...

Congratulations!!



I am now about to send you a stern e-mail about why I didn't know.

[RonnieRoots]

But I posted it! It's right below this post. Well, at the moment, so here's the link as well.

[KillerB]

That's no way to annoounce it!

[uncle tom]

The interest in birth year wines seems to be a fairly recent one - there is very little reference to it in classic literature.

The landed classes have a long tradition of laying down wines that gravitated from generation to generation, but there are fewer references to those living in urban environments maintaining large cellars. The urban rich seem more likely to have placed their faith in the stocks of merchants, or the cellars of their club.

On one side of my family, in my great grandparents generation, the imperative to maintain respectability, whilst having hoardes of mouths to feed; resulted in there never being any spare cash for such indulgences.

On the other side of the family, a considerable personal fortune and gothic mansion that doubtless had a well-stocked cellar, was left to the five daughters of the family, while the business that had generated the cash was left to the three sons (my grandfather being one of them) - a business that then failed to deliver the spectacular returns of previous years..

My grandparents' generation consumed copious quantities of sherry, gin, whisky and beer, and lesser quantities of port; but I cannot ever recall them opening a bottle of wine at home, other than a bottle of Champagne for Xmas dinner. They would certainly order wine in a restaurant, usually a hock, but only there.

- Strange how fashions change..!

Tom

[benread]

In answer to your question Roy, I was amongst the fortunate. My grandfather worked for a Liverpool trading company called J W Holt & Sons. I believe the Holt family are well known in Liverpool still. His career was based on evaluating coffee and cocoa crops in the Cameroons. We have some great video footage from pre war days. Indeed my father did not set foot in the UK until about 7 years old in 1946.

What makes J W Holt & Sons more interesting is that I am told they also imported wine from Portugal! My brother and I had 12 bottles each of Dow 1960 left for us, of which 1 bottle remains. My father did indeed drink quite a bit of it!

Not a stellar port, but one that I have always enjoyed.

Edward shall (hopefully) have some 2008 soon!

[g-man]

But what about the a comment one of the wine makers made about making port more readily available younger and not needing as much age.

I feel our kids may not have the ability to know what it's like to drink a 40+ yr old port in it's prime.

I do plan to leave a fully well stocked cellar to my children if they show interest in wine.

Otherwise, it'll be one massive hangover the day after I turn 80.

[uncle tom]

I do plan to leave a fully well stocked cellar to my children if they show interest in wine

I plan to leave a very well stocked cellar - for the benefit of those who will appreciate it..

Tom

[ajfeather]

Like most it was not something by family did. I suspect I will leave some wine to someone and like Tom I see more point in it being someone who will enjoy it. I have several ports from the years my kids were born and will use them to introduce them to port when they hit 18, who knows they may enjoy it too.

[DRT]

My grandfather worked for a Liverpool trading company called J W Holt & Sons.

Do the history pages of this website ring any bells?

[benread]

I am fairly certain that is the same company albeit it appears to have changed somewhat!

[gerwin.degraaf]

I have two young sons (2 and 4) from 2007 and 2005.

A large part of my (future) VP collectione therefore consists of bottles of these both vintages, which I am building together with my father.

My 2007 VP orders (so far, combined with the ones that my father ordered) are:

Dow's (case of 6)
Fonseca (case of 6)
Graham's (2 cases of 6)
Kopke (2 cases of 6)
Quarles Harris (case of 6)
Quevedo (2 cases of 6)
Smith Woodhouse (case of 6)
Taylor's (case of 6)
Warre (case of 6)

From the 2005 Vintages, my dad and I have the following VP's:

Burmester (case of 6)
Croft Q. de Roeda (case of 6)
Dow's Q. Senhora de Ribeira (case of 6)
Fonseca Q. do Panascal (case of 6)
Kopke (2 cases of 6)
Q. do Noval Silval (case of 6)
Quevedo (case of 6)
Q. de Roriz (case of 6)
Taylor's Q. Terra Feita (2 cases of 6)
Taylor's Q. de Vargellas (3 cases of 6)

These cases make up quite a large percentage of my total VP collection (not to say almost my total collection), but I think fo a very good reason. I am hoping to enjoy a good part lot of these ports when they've matured (as long as I'm still around of course) preferably together with my boys on nice occasions (they will not be hard to find I imagine ). And of coursed I am planning hoping to leave some wonderful bottles (or maybe a even a couple of full cases) to them both to enjoy during the rest of this century!

[Portman]

I am a first generation oenophile and so was not fortunate enough to have any wine left to me.

My three children do not have auspicious wine birth years (1999,2001,2006) but I have a few treats for each one, such as a few bottles of 2001 Rieussec Sauternes. I also have 3 liter bottles of Bordeaux for each that I plan to open at their weddings or just before.

In general I am building my cellar for enjoying in my lifetime, but time and resources permitting I plan to leave them a few hundred bottles to enjoy. I am teaching them even now about different wines and letting them smell and appreciate them.

I can think of no better legacy than to have one's children enjoy an aged bottle of excellent port while fondly remembering their parents.

[Axel P]

My father in law collected some Bordeaux from 1970, mostly Mouton, since my wife was born this year, too.

I planned my kids portwise very poorly, they were born in 99 and 02. From 99 I put away a Nacional (from a very generous friend), some Taylors Terra Feita and some Vesuvios. From 02 I bought a case of Vale Meao VP, but would be very happy for any inputs or TNs from these years

Axel

[KillerB]

My Father was a real wine-bluff. If anybody with no clue were to listen then he would sound like an expert, actually he could do this on a lot of subjects he knew absolutely nothing about. Consequently, when he died there wasn't a single drop of wine to be found even to toast him with.

Personally, I have no children but my brothers have sprogged in 1985, 1994 and 2007 - jammy gits. I'll hold some stuff back for them.

[VJR]

I specially timed my daughter for 1997 and laid back some Noval, Taylor and Fonseca.
She better appreciate the stuff otherwise ...
Cheers, victor

[Zelandakh]

I'm a 1970 so my parents could afford that. My boy is a 99 so rather limited on my choices. Nothing laid down there either...

[Andy Velebil]

I have no kids at present, and if I don't have any by the time I die, my port is being left to my close Port drinking pals. My only request is that at my funeral they open some really nice bottles from my cellar to drink.

[Roy Hersh]

My boy is a 99 so rather limited on my choices. Nothing laid down there either...

Here is a handful to choose from, some you should seriously consider laying down for your son and I'd do so in this particular order, but that's just me, your mileage may vary:

Quinta do Portal - great now and for another 20 years.
Quinta do Crasto (one of their best VP's, ever)
Churchill's Quinta da Gricha (a bargain and very solid)
Quinta do Vesuvio - another in a lineup of really fine vintages for this SQVP
Casa de Santa Eufemia - lush and structured

[Alex Bridgeman]

I was lucky enough to be given 13 bottles of Taylor 1963 by my grandparents on my 21st birthday - with the extra bottle being opened at dinner. That was what hooked me on vintage port and I still have one of those original bottles left.

While I would love to buy a pipe of port for each of the children, there are other priorities for my money. Instead, I have made sure that I am adequately stocked with various ports from each of their birth year vintages (1994 and 1995). If either show interest in port (which they are certainly not doing so at the moment), then I will be generous but if they remain ambivalent theb they will each get a 6 pack of port from their birth year on their 21st birthday and the rest will remain in the cellar for my benefit - and theirs if any remains undrunk when I am gone.

[raul_alex]

Roy,

you're going to be mad at me, but i'm a kind of a selfish bar steward!
I always say to my guests and friends: "It is good to have a collection, but the wines were made to be enjoyed, to give pleasure with your friends and family. Please enjoy them in this life before you go to next one where you don't have any chance to taste this liquid made in heaven!"

Regards

[Axel P]

I have no kids at present, and if I don't have any by the time I die, my port is being left to my close Port drinking pals. My only request is that at my funeral they open some really nice bottles from my cellar to drink.

That's a word. Now I definitely have to work on becoming one of your drinking pals. At least we are flying pals so far.

Axel

[benread]

In answer to your question Roy, I was amongst the fortunate. My grandfather worked for a Liverpool trading company called J W Holt & Sons. I believe the Holt family are well known in Liverpool still. His career was based on evaluating coffee and cocoa crops in the Cameroons. We have some great video footage from pre war days. Indeed my father did not set foot in the UK until about 7 years old in 1946.

What makes J W Holt & Sons more interesting is that I am told they also imported wine from Portugal! My brother and I had 12 bottles each of Dow 1960 left for us, of which 1 bottle remains. My father did indeed drink quite a bit of it!

Not a stellar port, but one that I have always enjoyed.

Edward shall (hopefully) have some 2008 soon!

By way of update to the above, I was presented with another of the bottles by my father at Christmas, who also mentioned he has another 5 of them lurking in his cellar!