ThePortForum.com

This is an Oporto bottled 1983 Dow I bought from WineConsigners.com. No offensive odors upon opening. Maybe 80% opaque with a lovely red color, with just a hint of brown. http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/leconspirateur/1839256f-e860-4276-a9dc-b83108d4c19c_zps81d65aed.jpg It was good upon ope...

This is a bottle of 1963 Dow labeled "Shipped & Bottled by Charles Kinloch" that I bought from WineConsigners,com. The bottle was in excellent condition, and I was shocked when he cork (which seemed very soft) came out easily and in one piece. I'd say at least 60% opaque. Reddish brown...

Now they're offering '63 Dow in magnums at $670 and '63 Warre at $295 for a bottle or $620 for a magnum. Oporto bottled, in their original wood cases, and never left the shipper's cellars, they say. On the other hand, they have a nice bottle of '63 Barbieto Bual for only $545. Is a magnum of 1963 Po...

What about a nice '77 Fonseca at $195 a bottle (from Rare Wine Company)? It seems like a lot, but what do I know?

Does anyone do this sort of thing anywhere between Houston and New Orleans, or is Port only drunk in groups in London and New York?

Inky purple in the decanter and dark red to purple in the glass. Near 100% opaque. Started seven hours after decant, and after five hours filled a half-bottle and put it up or the night. Very good the first day, sweet with a rich flavor of ripe fruit (although I can't identify what fruits), a hint b...

Bad reasons can include damage to the contents of the bottle through exposure to excessive heat or light. This tends to produce a pale coloured wine with little fruit. I think that was what happened to the Dow. I've had other bottles of Dow from the same years that had a much richer taste to go wit...

g-man wrote:Note this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6753

Noted. What does "baga-esque" mean?
It would be unhelpful to say "resembling or having properties of 'baga.'"

What causes port to lose opacity? Is it heat damage, or maybe a bad cork, or something else? A week or so ago I opened a bottle of '83 Dow that seemed relatively opaque compared to a '77 Dow that I had a month or so ago, but neither was anything close to the inky purple of the '83 Smith-Woodhouse th...

I have a bottle of '83 Dow that needs drinking. I am interested to know why you think it needs drinking? Is this for the very understandable reason that you need to drink it just because you want to or is there something about its condition that suggests it should not be kept much longer? This is n...

Decanted 6 hours. Reasonably opaque in the decanter. Good and hot. The flavor was pleasant, but seemingly lacking in complexity. It got sort of syrupy after about D+12, and was less syrupy but not better the next day. There were no unpleasant smells and nothing apparantly wrong with the bottle, but ...

I have a bottle of '83 Dow that needs drinking. Anyone have any thoughts on how long that should sit in the decanter?

This is my third bottle of 77 Dow. The first was a great disappointment, the cork having failed long ago, and the wine was a transparent amber. The second looked like vintage port, dark red and opaque, and it did not disappoint at all. I don't know how to assign a percentage opacity, but this one wa...

Sounds like a pass. Maybe I'll get myself a bottle or two of the '63 Barbeito Bual for my upcoming 50th birthday. I believe the price fo that at RWC is the same as it was four years ago.

The Rare Wine Company's newsletter has 1963 Cockburn, in what they describe as "some of the most perfect bottles we've seen in years," for $195 a bottle. Is this a good buy? They also have the 1983 Cockburn at $110 a bottle, but I gather from a fortheloveofport link in the tasting notes th...

AHB wrote: But well cellared Dow '63 is fabulous. When do you hope to open one?

I don't have plans yet. I'm waiting for an occasion.

DRT wrote:East Podunk is not one of our more frequent venues for Port tastings.

Do you travel with work? If so, where?

I don't get out much, but when I do, it's usually just Houston.

What sort of colour do you see if you shine a bright white light through each of your bottles? Red, about the same as a '96 Latour. Although the color looks the same in all of the bottles, the Charles Kinloch bottles seem to let more light through than the regular Dow bottles. For comparison, a 200...

An idea: We have occasionally discussed here the idea of having a tasting of different bottlings of the same wine. Yes, very geeky, but you will get used to it if you stick around here. You now have two tickets to that tasting. Perhaps someone would "adopt" one of your tickets by buying o...

Some of the bottles have the regular Dow label, and some are labeled "Shipped & Bottled by Charles Kinloch." Is there any reason why that would make a difference?

Anyone have any experience with "Taylors Port Wine Tongs" as seen here: http://www.portwine.com/products/product3-1.htm
Are there better options available online?

Thanks. Assuming it's a good bottle, how long could I expect it to keep after it's decanted before it starts to fade?

The Rare Wine Comapany's historic series Madeiras are quite good for the price, although availability in the UK might be a bit tricky.

I recently acquired a few bottles of 1963 Dow and was wondering how much longer they'll last. There are no signs of damage or seepage, but who knows what they've been through in the past 50 years? I have read reviews elsewhere that suggested this wine may be past its prime, but the ones I've read he...

This is my second bottle from a case of '77 Dow acquired from WineConsigners.com. One bottle from the case showed signs of seepage, and I figured it would be better to go ahead and drink that one that hang on to it for a few more years only to find that it was a bad bottle. You can read the tasting ...

I wouldn't argue with the 6 hour decant time, but keep in mind that this bottle showed signs of oxidation (it looked more like Madeira than vintage Port) and probably isn't a good guide on what to expect from a bottle in good condition.

Here's the label: http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/leconspirateur/77Dow5.jpg The cork did not cooperate: http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/leconspirateur/77Dow2.jpg Seepage? http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd229/leconspirateur/77Dow1.jpg Yeah. http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd2...

I opened the '77 Dow and started my first tasting note. ( http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3788 ) Unfortunately, after looking through Wikipedia's "wine fault" page, I think the word for this wine is "maderized." Which is not entirely unexpected. I opened this ...

This one's getting off to an inauspicious start. Obvious signs of seepage, and half of the cork ended up in the bottle. Decanted 14:00. Thin and medicinal. No noticeably unpleasant smells, but a noticeably unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. The color is more amber than red and surprisingly transparent. ...

I've been consulting your tasting notes for a couple months now, and I thought I might as well register in case I decide I want to post some of my own. And I got the "please introduce yourself" email, which I'm doing now. My name is John, and I live in Beaumont, Texas, which is on the Gulf...