What will be the Christmas Port?

[KillerB]

It's only two weeks left and the bottles need to be put upright. Can't sacrifice anything too good, as it may not be appreciated, but must be drinkable as I will be drinking it. I am declaring Fonseca Guimaraens 1988 for several reasons:

1. I like it;
2. I have several bottles;
3. It was relatively cheap;
4. I can get hold of more;
5. It is not overtly young;
6. It is not too old;
7. It will hold up against cheeses;
8. It will go nicely with chocolates;
9. Christmas Pudding and trifle are good accompaniments
10. I will not be upset if people slug it;
11. I will not be disappointed if there is any left at the end.

It is, in fact, perfect - 11/10

[benread]

4. I can get hold of more;

Please tell from where! I love this port too - I can only ever find it in silly wooden boxes with a cheap funnel though!

[angeleyes]

I have a bottle of Graham Crusted ('01). Will open that for mainly reason 10, but also haven't had it before. It does come in a wooden box, which will impress the others who have it , and be a useful box-to-put-things-in afterwards (though I can't work out what!). Reason 11 won't be a problem, so there's also Lustau Anada '90 sherry, and homemade bramble brandy from last year; also a really sticky black-treacle-in-a-bottle PX to go with Christmas Pudding (homemade a few months ago of course), or to pour on some, er, Arctic Roll ... And a Musar '00 with Boxing Day lunch, provided the food is appropriate.

[KillerB]

4. I can get hold of more;

Please tell from where! I love this port too - I can only ever find it in silly wooden boxes with a cheap funnel though!

Correct. My Sainsbury's keeps putting the odd bottle of 88 out, which I snaffle each time. It may come to an end but I am an eternal optimist.

[Tsunami]

since i did not have any vintageport this year
(i will finish my studys on dez. 18.)

- if i'm going to meet, my two friends, rainer and david (from switzerland) i'm willing to open a great bottle like a 1955 graham or similar

- if i will be seeing my family, i think i'm going to open someting like a 1991 niepoort vp

time will tell

[Zelandakh]

Like most of the reasons. Tesco put that Fonseca out at £25 most of the time and drop it to £20 periodically.

I hear that I'll be getting as much port as I like (to drink) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day however I am given to understand it will be LBV. Boxing Day should be Smith Woodhouse 87 or the Tesco 94. That's the day I give the old man a bottle of Martinez 63 in readiness for his birthday (that I'll be attending - I'm not stupid!).

Since I'm going to other people over the period, I won't complain about the port. With the exception of a £6 bottle from Lidl of unbranded tawny, I've yet to find a bottle I can't enjoy. Or at least drink...

[KillerB]

Nick,

Sainsbury's are knocking the 1996 version of FG out at £20.49 pretty much all the time. When the 25% deal was on it came down to just over £15 and had got some for the same price a couple of years ago from Waitrose. Tom got them even cheaper by some form of jiggery pokery.

[Zelandakh]

Ooh - then I shall watch out for those offers. Cheers KB.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Like every year, I shall not be drinking (alcohol) at all on Christmas Day since I will be the designated driver for the day - I might squeeze in a glass of claret over lunch, but nothing more.

Boxing Day will be our annual trip to the pantomime, and I will be driving again.

So my Christmas port doesn't get opened until after Boxing Day - but when it is, it will be Vesuvio 2007 (courtesy of Axel, who brought a bottle over to the UK for me). New Year will probably be a bottle of Warre 1958.

[WS1]

Hi,

I love the systematic approach to this important question ! I however fall unfortunately into the emmotional section. Guess I will go into my cellar at my mothers place in Germany and pick a bt. Love doing this!!!
It will be highly likely a Croft 1955 recently aquired at auction since it started leaking shortly after it arrived (typical transport issues of old bts of wine ;-((()
The port will be great (had bts of this lot before), but the emmotional act picking the bt is not as great as usual because I know I will not let this bt continue to leak. ;-((( or )) as you like it. Good news is knowing my mother and sister they will help emptying the bt quicker and I can go back into the cellar on boxing day ))))

regards

WS1

[smisse]

Dow's 1978

First year that I have the entire family over for X-mas dinner so I do hope they will not drink it entirely while I'm cooking/cleaning

[RonnieRoots]

My parents are visiting this Christmas. They do enjoy a glass of port, but the really special stuff is wasted on them. At the moment I'm thinking of opening a bottle of Kopke 1985. That should be good to drink now.

[furrybug]

I will be hosting a party of 15-20 who know nothing about port so I am doing a house tasting from Offleys, its the only thing I could get a whole run of. I have a white, ruby, tawny, 10 year, 97 colheita and the vintage will be a '94 Dows, all we have is 2000 Boa Vista, no thanks. Hopefully I can turn some of my friends on and have someone to drink with, or bum a sip from. I'll report back.

[KillerB]

Furrybug - welcome to the Port Forum. Nice idea for a tasting event, hope it goes well for you.

[Axel P]

For Christmas I will do a little Warre re- or aftertasting. Since I could manage to acquire a bottle of 45 very cheap, I will combine this with a bottle of W 70 and 91 (since this bottle was bad in October).

Axel

[RonnieRoots]

For Christmas I will do a little Warre re- or aftertasting. Since I could manage to acquire a bottle of 45 very cheap, I will combine this with a bottle of W 70 and 91 (since this bottle was bad in October).

Axel

So a very modest, nothing really special, middle of the road Christmas for you then eh?
Very cool. Looking forward to hearing about the ports, especially 1945 and 1970.

[Axel P]

I know that this is a real special tasting, but the 45 needs to be drunk soon.

Axel

[raul_alex]

Guys,

Xmas is a family time, and my family deserves the best. And as i'm having 14 people at the table my choice will be:

A Graham's Vtg 1975 Magnum.

It is one my favourite VP and it was not expensive.

[jdaw1]

A Graham's Vtg 1975 Magnum.

I didn’t know that the ’75 was bottled in mag. Did you mean ’85?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Would you believe that my Christmas port to date has consisted of two half bottles of Croft 2004 unfiltered LBV (bottled 2009) and a single bottle of Cockburn 2000 LBV (which must have been savagely chilled and filtered as even after 4 years in the bottle it went through a coffee filter paper without a single piece of sediment).

Thank goodness for the excesses of the Christmas Offline!

[RonnieRoots]

We did indeed open the 1985 Kopke. It was lovely, and I'll post notes sometime soon.

[Axel P]

Due to the bad weather in Germany the Warre re-tasting could not take place, so postponed until Feb. Instead I will have a 70 Graham tomorrow as the last port before my 4 weeks without port in jan.

Axel

[Portman]

I had a lovely bottle of 1995 Fonseca Guimaraens at Christmas. This one was surprisingly evolved, smooth, and balanced.

[angeleyes]

None consumed until this evening (Delaforce Corte '91). Not a bad thing really as I'm a bit selfish when it comes to sharing good wine with people who aren't interested in it!

[ac-fast]

Burmester LBV 03

Seara D Ordens LBV 03

[jdaw1]

1977 Quarles Harris and 1977 Taylor.

[Glenn E.]

Due to being in Kansas City visiting my family, I did not have access to my cellar. Thus the only Port available was a 2003 Noval LBV, which was completely wonderful.