ThePortForum.com

AHB wrote:(Yeatman 1991 @ €31 - and it's not Morgan since we bought it all).

Does its cork agree with your buying habits

(edit: for those not familiar a certain Somm there at the hotel who refused to admit it was a rebranded Morgan, until it was pointed out to her by fact and she couldn't dispute it any longer and finally admitted it was. Quite amusing conversation some years ago now).

Not a hotel, but for those staying in or visiting London this may be an alternative place to eat if you need a change from Davy's wine bars. Taberna in Spitalfields market serves petiscos and has an excellent list of Portuguese wines. On the dessert wine list are:

• NV Morgadio de Calcada dry white £3.60 (75ml pour) / £32 (bottle)
• NV Casa de Santa Eufemia white tawny £9.90 / £89
• NV Niepoort Ruby £4 / £36
• 2007 Morgadio de Calcada £7.70 / £69
• 2001 Niepoort Secundum £9 / £72
• 2007 Quinta do Portal £48 (half)

Mrs B and I lunched at the Beetle & Wedge in Moulsford yesterday. Out of curiosity I looked through their wine list. I was exceedingly impressed when I came across:
Smith Woodhouse Fine Ruby - £6.50 for a 100ml pour
Dow 2009 LBV - £7.00 for 100ml
Sandeman 10 year old tawny - I failed to note the price
Offley 20 year old tawny - £12.50 for 100ml
Graham Malvedos 1995 - £16 for 100ml
Graham Malvedos 1987 - £70 per bottle
Graham Malvedos 1968 - £150 per bottle

I must make sure to return when I am not driving!

In March, Mrs B and I had the opportunity to take afternoon tea at Stoke Park. Sadly, despite the tea being very fine, it's not somewhere I can recommend a port lover to visit. Port on the list comprised:
Sandeman LBV (year not specified) - £9 for 75ml
Sandeman 10 year old - £10.50 for 75ml
Sandeman 20 year old - £15.00 for 75ml

The Horse and Groom in Upper Oddington in the Cotswolds has behind the bar:
Tesco Own Label Ruby Port (SFE)
Cockburn Special Reserve
Tesco Finest 2011 LBV (bottled 2016) (SFE)
Quinta do Infantado 10YO Tawny

I didn't make a note of prices other than that the Infantado was £5 for 50ml.

One too many d's in the village Alex!

Did you pop around to Lady Bamford's for some lovely but overpriced food?

Justin K wrote: ↑15:58 Sun 30 Apr 2017 One too many d's in the village Alex!

Did you pop around to Lady Bamford's for some lovely but overpriced food?

Village name corrected! Thank you.

We did pop round to see Lady B. She wasn't in but some of her staff were. I bought some cheese from the cheese room and we left - we were not loud enough or well enough groomed to stay.

CMAG and I visited Bar Douro in Flat Iron Square, London, last night. As might be expected, they had a good wine list featuring a wide range of Portuguese wines including Barca Velha 2008 (@ £390 per bottle) and Quinta da Leda 2011 (@ £90 per bottle).

Other than the Churchill 1997 (@ £14) I didn't make a note of the ports which were available by the glass, but by the bottle the choice was:
Churchill Estate Reserve @ £34
Churchill Estate White @ £40
Churchill Estate 10YO Tawny @ £45
Churchill 20YO Tawny @ £62
Churchill 2008 LBV @ £46
Churchill Gricha 2012 @ £86
Churchill 1997 @ £125
Cockburn 1977 @ £135
Dow 1985 @ £140
Quinta do Noval 1982 @ £150
Warre 1980 @ £155
Warre 1975 @ £185

Not a cheap selection but the food was good and it was surprisingly busy from opening at 6pm through to around 10pm when I left.

For the sake of good order, I’m posting here in case anyone not familiar with the Boot & Flogger is visiting London and wants a glass of Port. The B&F currently offer Graham 10 and 20 YO, Dow 1994, Taylor 1997 and Offley 2000 by the glass and have a fine wine list which includes Graham 1966 and Taylor 1963.

But I think the award for London’s most impressive vintage port list has got to go to Bar Douro, which offers:
Churchill Ruby Reserve @ £34
Churchill White Port (50cl) @ £40 - this is basically a 10YO white
Churchill 10YO Tawny (50cl) @ £45
Churchill 2011 LBV @ £46
Churchill 20YO Tawny (50cl) @ £62
Churchill Quinta da Gricha 2012 @ £86
Churchill 1997 @ £105
Morgan 1991 @ £115
Fonseca Guimaraens 1988 @ £185
Dow 1985 @ £155
Noval 1982 @ £145
Warre 1975 @ £140
Fonseca 1970 @ £300
Warre 1970 @ £210
Gould Campbell 1966 @ £250
Taylor 1966 @ £275
Taylor 1963 @ £310
Gonzalez Byass 1955 @ £380

Has anyone seen a better list in London?

Blackhouse on the Square in Leeds has three ports on their list, all available by the glass or bottle. They are:

• Quinto do Vallado 10YO Tawny @ £6.50 for a 100ml glass or £30 for a 500ml bottle
• Warre’s Warrior @ £5.00 for a glass or £31 for a 750ml bottle
• Warre 2013 Filtered LBV @ £5.50 or £36 for a 750ml bottle

The Mercure Hotel at Box Hill, Burford Bridge has the following to offer...

Cockburn's Fine Ruby - £4.95/70ml, £35 per bottle
Graham's LBV 2012 - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle
Graham's 10yr Tawny - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle

DRT wrote: ↑23:18 Tue 09 Oct 2018 The Mercure Hotel at Box Hill, Burford Bridge has the following to offer...

Cockburn's Fine Ruby - £4.95/70ml, £35 per bottle
Graham's LBV 2012 - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle
Graham's 10yr Tawny - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle

I didn’t realise under weights and measures in licensing that you could sell 70ml. When I was working in pubs, port and sherry were sold at a standard double measure or multiples of that. Over the years I have had to convince some pubs that a glass of port was 50ml as a standard and not 25ml... and then obviously order a double standard measure!

EDIT: I have looked it up on the licensing act and port, Sherry or fortified wine should be sold in 50ml, 70ml or multiples of. My mistake.

DRT wrote:The Mercure Hotel at Box Hill, Burford Bridge has the following to offer...

Cockburn's Fine Ruby - £4.95/70ml, £35 per bottle
Graham's LBV 2012 - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle
Graham's 10yr Tawny - £6.95/70ml, £55 per bottle

A hotel with an old fashioned outdoor pool. 5 miles down the road from me! And with a direct train from Reigate. You didn’t need to drink alone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

benread wrote: ↑20:38 Fri 12 Oct 2018A hotel with an old fashioned outdoor pool. 5 miles down the road from me! And with a direct train from Reigate. You didn’t need to drink alone!

I will remember that the next time I stay there!

Current Port offering at 67 Pall Mall:

Other
Pink, Croft 50cl £40.00

Tawny
Ramos Pinto Quinta do Bom Retiro 20 Year Old £82.00

Colheita
Barros 1978 £215.00
Kopke, 1967 £329.00

Vintage
'Vale do Inferno' Quinta de la Rosa 2011 £64.00
Nacional, Quinta do Noval 2003 £1,173.00
Nacional, Quinta do Noval 2000 £1,277.00
Madalena, Smith Woodhouse 1998 £47.00
Dow's 1997 £83.00
Ramos Pinto 1995 £73.00
Martinez 1994 £98.00
Niepoort 1994 £74.00
Warre's 1994 £92.00
Fonseca 1985 £102.00
Dow's 1977 £223.00
Fonseca 1977 £378.00
Grahams 1977 £223.00
Grahams 1970 £280.00
Taylor's 1970 £351.00
Cockburn's 1967 £179.00
Taylor's 1966 £312.00
Fonseca 1963 £391.00
Sandeman 1963 £247.00

125ml glasses of Madalena 98 (£8), Niepoort 97 (£11) and Fonseca 85 (£17) are available.

Thanks nac. Niepoort ‘97 is a strange one to offer. Almost all bottles are faulty I had thought.

flash_uk wrote: ↑19:37 Fri 23 Nov 2018 Thanks nac. Niepoort ‘97 is a strange one to offer. Almost all bottles are faulty I had thought.

Not tried it. If I do will report back...

At the Don Restaurant if you ask them nicely they will show you the original cellars, they even gave my wife and I a free glass of tawny each. As for Vintage Ports I saw last week a single opened bottle of Grahams 2000 in a High Holborn pub that specialises in beers, I asked the barman who advised me he had never seen anyone drinking a glass nor had he ever sold any. I didn't try risking it as they had already mugged us with £7.45 for a pint of a 4.2% keg beer.

Spotter Brown wrote: ↑16:58 Tue 11 Dec 2018 At the Don Restaurant if you ask them nicely they will show you the original cellars, they even gave my wife and I a free glass of tawny each. As for Vintage Ports I saw last week a single opened bottle of Grahams 2000 in a High Holborn pub that specialises in beers, I asked the barman who advised me he had never seen anyone drinking a glass nor had he ever sold any. I didn't try risking it as they had already mugged us with £7.45 for a pint of a 4.2% keg beer.

Please do name the pub! We used to frequent the Davy Holborn Wine Cellar (known as the Bung Hole when we used to visit) and drank in a few of the nearby pubs from time to time. Which is the pub that mugs you and then tries to cheer you up with a glass of ale?

If anyone has the opportunity to visit the Oxford & Cambridge club, their current Vintage Port list comprises of Dow 1997 @ £60, Graham 1997 @ £62, Taylor 1997 @ £63 and Taylor 1994 @ £65.

Update on current offering at 67 Pall Mall:

TAWNY & "OTHER"
Quinta da Gaivosa, 20 YO Tawny, Alves de Sousa 50cl,£66.00 
20 Year Old Tawny Port, Barros, £64.00 
Pink, Croft 50cl, £40.00 
10 Year Old White Port, Kopke Half Bottle (37.5cl), £40.00 
30 Year Old White Port, Kopke Half Bottle (37.5cl), £72.00 
Very Old Dry White Port, Kopke, £345.00 
Ten Year Old White Port, Niepoort, £62.00
30 Year Old Tawny Port, Kopke, £88.00 
Port, 20 Years Old Tawny, Quinta do Noval, £65.00 
Quinta do Bom Retiro 20 Year Old Tawny, Ramos Pinto, £82.00

COLHEITA
Colheita White Port, Kopke 2008 £ 57.00
Kopke 2004 £48.00 
Kopke 1999 £ 66.00 
Kopke 1998 £ 66.00 
Barros 1996 £ 64.00 
Kopke 1989 £ 124.00 
Kopke 1987 £ 99.00 
Kopke 1985 £ 102.00 
Kopke 1979 £ 147.00 
Barros 1978 £ 215.00 
Kopke 1976 £ 158.00 
Kopke 1975 £ 168.00 
Kopke 1967 £ 329.00 
Kopke 1966 £ 239.00 
Kopke 1958 £ 397.00 
Kopke 1941 £ 608.00 

VINTAGE
Quinta do Vesuvio 2007 £ 89.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 2005 £ 96.00 
Fonseca 2003 £ 102.00 
Quinta do Noval Nacional 2003 £ 1,173.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 2003 £ 100.00 
Grahams 2000 £ 101.00 
Quinta do Noval Nacional 2000 £ 1,277.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 2000 £ 96.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 1999 £ 89.00 
Fonseca Guimaraens 1998 £ 53.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 1998 £ 100.00 
Fonseca 1997 £ 86.00 
Quinta do Noval 1997 £ 319.00 
Ramos Pinto 1995 £ 73.00 
Grahams 1994 £ 126.00 
Martinez 1994 £ 98.00 
Smith Woodhouse 1994 £ 71.00 
Cockburn's 1991 £ 92.00 
Dow's 1991 £ 95.00 
Warre's 1991 £ 109.00 
Fonseca 1983 £ 137.00 
Warre's 1983 £ 110.00 
Dow's 1977 £ 223.00 
Fonseca 1977 £ 378.00 
Grahams 1977 £ 223.00 
Taylor's 1977 £ 303.00 
Fonseca 1970 £ 319.00 
Grahams 1970 £ 280.00 
Taylor's 1970 £ 351.00 
Cockburn's 1967 £ 179.00 
Taylor's Very Old Single Harvest Port 1965 £ 348.00 
Croft 1963 £ 265.00 
Fonseca 1963 £ 391.00 
Sandeman 1963 £ 280.00 
Taylor's 1963 £ 413.00 
Warre's 1963 £ 258.00

With the following by the glass (125ml):

Barros, Colheita 1996 £ 11.00
Fonseca Guimaraens 1998 £ 9.00 
Fonseca 1997 £ 14.50
Smith Woodhouse 1994 £ 12.00
Dow's 1991 £ 16.00
Grahams 1991 £ 16.00
Warre's 1985 £ 19.50

Interesting Port list. How did you manage to get to know what they had available?

AHB wrote: ↑22:14 Fri 05 Apr 2019 Interesting Port list. How did you manage to get to know what they had available?

I'm a member so have online access to the live winelist. Just did a cut & paste.

Hawksmoor Air Street have a good selection of Port:

• Quinta do Valladolid 10YO Tawny @ £5 per glass or £35 per 50cl bottle
• Quinta de la Rosa 2014 LBV @ £6.50 or £57
• Quinta de la Rosa 2005 @ £7.50 / £80
• Quinta da Pacheca 20YO Tawny @ £9.00 / £85
• Taylor 1970 @ - / £335

The Oxford & Cambridge Club have updated their Port list. It now offers

• Graham 2011 LBV
• Taylor 10yo Tawny
• Graham 1997 @ £62
• Taylor 1997 @ £63
• Fonseca 1985 @ £62
• Taylor 1985 @ £70
• Graham 1972 colheita (only by the glass from a 4.5 litre bottle

AHB wrote: ↑19:33 Thu 29 Mar 2018 But I think the award for London’s most impressive vintage port list has got to go to Bar Douro, which offers:
Churchill Ruby Reserve @ £34
Churchill White Port (50cl) @ £40 - this is basically a 10YO white
Churchill 10YO Tawny (50cl) @ £45
Churchill 2011 LBV @ £46
Churchill 20YO Tawny (50cl) @ £62
Churchill Quinta da Gricha 2012 @ £86
Churchill 1997 @ £105
Morgan 1991 @ £115
Fonseca Guimaraens 1988 @ £185
Dow 1985 @ £155
Noval 1982 @ £145
Warre 1975 @ £140
Fonseca 1970 @ £300
Warre 1970 @ £210
Gould Campbell 1966 @ £250
Taylor 1966 @ £275
Taylor 1963 @ £310
Gonzalez Byass 1955 @ £380

Has anyone seen a better list in London?

Had a lovely lunch there last week, a real gem of a place with a very good selection of wines by the glass as well.

Last week I had the chance to visit three different hotels / restaurants in Devon and Cornwall.

Gidleigh Park has a magnificent wine list but a very uninspiring offering of Port - this consisting of:

• Alves de Sousa Caldas Branco @ £9 / 50ml
• Barros LBV 2013 @ £10 or £75 for the bottle
• Quinta de Roriz 2004 @ £150 for the bottle
• Barros Colheita 1978 @ £18 or £195
• Barros 10YO Tawny @ £138 for the bottle
• Quinta da Gaivosa 20YO Tawny @ £19

Bin Two in Padstow is a bottle shop with a drink-in option (for a £10 surcharge on the take-away price). I don’t remember the entire Port offering because I was so taken by the bottle of Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux 1993 that we bought and drank. I do remember Fonseca 2004 and Krohn 1977 colheita and there were 2 or 3 other bottles of younger wines, one of which was an LBV.

Finally The Sea Kitchen, the restaurant at the Hannafore Point Hotel in West Looe, has Cockburn Special Reserve and Bulas 2013 LBV on the wine list. The Bulas is offered at £4 per 50ml pour, so £60 per bottle, but is positively delicious.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑19:40 Sun 27 Jun 2021I don’t remember

It’s why phone cameras were invented.

I may be missing something but why would anyone order the Quinta da Gaivosa 20 YOT rather than the 1978 Barros Colheita when the latter is cheaper than the former? (Ditto for two glasses for AdS white rather than one of either of these!)

JacobH wrote: ↑20:49 Sun 27 Jun 2021 I may be missing something but why would anyone order the Quinta da Gaivosa 20 YOT rather than the 1978 Barros Colheita when the latter is cheaper than the former? (Ditto for two glasses for AdS white rather than one of either of these!)

I did have a very similar conversation with the sommelier. I felt their pricing policy was out and that their Port list was unbalanced, really needing something bottle aged and significantly older than 2004. Perhaps this was why Warre bottle aged LBV was invented - that's what's missing from their list. Warre LBV from the 1980s.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑20:46 Sun 27 Jun 2021

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑19:40 Sun 27 Jun 2021I don’t remember

It’s why phone cameras were invented.

Like I said, I was so taken by the Le Haut-Lieu Moelluex 1993 that the rest of the world disappeared from my perception. Phones were irrelevant. Port was irrelevant. All that was important was the colour and smell of the wine in my glass...

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑10:55 Tue 29 Jun 2021 All that was important was the colour and smell of the wine in my glass...

I've tried Vouvray a few times now and never been mightily impressed. That being said, the colour of that is just a sight to behold. Will give it a hunt - cheers Alex.

Updated 67 Pall Mall list - by the glass:

Updated 67 Pall Mall list - by the bottle:

A lot of the 67 PM list seems reasonable within the context of the establishment, but although the range is impressive, I would question how many bottles of Croft Pink 50cls are sold at £40. The flip side of that being the Noval 40YO and the Nacional 2011 among others are very good value at their prices… if your funds allow

Curiously, I can’t see that we have ever discussed The Port House. If I am describing it correctly, it is a small Irish chain of Spanish restaurants / bars with a Port theme (!). I’ve only been to the one in London which is on the Strand.

Save for one aspect, I think it is hard to fault their selection of Ports: they have 15 available by the glass covering a really nice range of producers, types and prices. That one aspect is how little Vintage Port they have. I’m really surprised they don’t have both a young SQ(VP) and full VP by the glass and a few older ones by the bottle, too.

Prices are for 10cl, 25cl and the bottle.

White

Kopke Fine White			£6.20 / £15.50/ £46.50 
Nieeport White Rabbit – Dry 		£6.95/ £17.25 / £51.75 
Churchills Dry White (50cl) 		£7.50 / £18.75 / £37.50 
Kopke 10 year old White (37.5cl) 	£11.00 / £27.50 / £46.00 
Kopke White Colheita 2008 		£11.50 / £28.35 / £85.00
Kopke 30 year old White (37.5cl) 	£21.35 / £53.35 / £80.00 

Tawny

Niepoort Tawny Dee 			£6.95 / £17.25 / £51.75
Kopke 10 year old Tawny 		£7.20 / £18.00 / £54.00 
Quinta do Noval 10 year old Tawny 	£8.75 / £21.90 / £65.00 
Barros Colheita 2005 			£10.90 / £27.25 / £81.50 
Dows Fine Tawny 			£32.00
Grahams 20 years old Tawny 		£95.00

Ruby

Churchills Reserve 			£43.50
Grahams Six Grapes Reserve 		£6.60 / £16.50 / £49.50

LBV

Kopke LBV 2014 				£6.90 / £17.25 / £51.75
Churchills LBV 2015 			£52.00
Quinta do Crasto LBV 2014 		£6.50 / £16.25 / £48.00
Quinta de la Rosa LBV 2014 (50cl)	£52.00

Crusted

Nieeport Crusted Port 2014 		£8.75 / £21.90 / £65.00
Churchills Crusted Port 2005 		£63.00 

Vintage

Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha 2004	£10.50/ £26.25 / £78.00 
Quinta do Vesuvio 2003 Vintage 		£145.00 
Nieeport Bioma 2013 Vintage  		£152.00 

There’s a shorter but decent range of sherry, too, and a few Madeiras. The table wine is mostly Spanish.

PS. The idiosyncratic spelling of Niepoort is their’s not mine!

JacobH wrote: ↑09:08 Fri 23 Jul 2021 a small Irish chain of Spanish restaurants / bars with a Port theme

JacobH wrote: ↑09:08 Fri 23 Jul 2021 Save for one aspect, I think it is hard to fault their selection of Ports: they have 15 available by the glass covering a really nice range of producers, types and prices. That one aspect is how little Vintage Port they have. I’m really surprised they don’t have both a young SQ(VP) and full VP by the glass and a few older ones by the bottle, too.

I've been to the one on the Strand and enjoyed it each time.

As to your quibble, I suspect there are two reasons.

First, the place is fairly small as I recall so they likely don't have much of a cellar and can't store/age Vintage Port. With the kind of volume they do (it has always seemed busy when I've been there) they likely have to purchase regularly, which would limit them to only current releases.

Since one would assume that a business with a name like "The Port House" would know proper Port, only having new releases available for drinking would seem very wrong to me.

And second, as you already noted it's a Spanish-themed place. Tawny Port is much more analogous to Sherry so more proper for the theme.

Someone took me, very generously, to lunch at Hide on Piccadilly recently.

Their assistant Sommelier, Martin Kleveta, is described as the first-ever UK Master of Port. I did think this might be a Port-specific version of the MW qualification but perhaps thankfully for my bank balance, it seems to be more like a competition run by the IVDP for professionals.

(Apparently the first time the competition was first run, it was for French wine professionals, on the basis that France is the largest Port market, although anyone who has looked at the IVDP’s own data for what gets sold there will realise that doesn’t tell the whole story...)

Anyway, in addition to a fairly deep list of sweet wines by the glass, they now also offer the following Port flights:

“Tawny vs White” — £39

Sandeman 20 YOT
Kopke 30 YO White
Graham 40 YOT
Kopke 50 YO White

“Vinha Velha” — £49

Taylor VVV 2017
Qd Vesuvio Capela 2016
Niepoort Bioma 2015
Graham Stone Terraces 2015

“Fladgate vs Symington” — £59

Taylor 2017
Fonseca 1980
Dow 1975
Graham 1955

The flights were described as being 100ml, although I think i got a touch more. They had been Coravin’ed into decent glasses.

A long time since I have seen a Port tasting suggestion which I could not fault. I’d have been more than happy to try the lot. The price is, obviously, high but it’s quite a pricey place generally (the 5 course set menu is £120 with wine options being £90, £245, £475 & £1,795!)

I went for the Vinha Velha on the basis that I’ve never had a chance to try four super-premium Ports from different shippers together before. I didn’t take notes but the best for me was probably the Qd Vesuvio Capela by a whisker over the Graham’s ST. The Niepoort is a bit sulky and tannic: really does need another 30 years. The Taylor VVV was also a bit young but didn’t quite have the complexity that I think the Niepoort will grow into.

100 ml pours seem quite generous to me - that's comfortably over 3 oz! I'm used to 2.5 oz over here or 70-75 ml. Quevedo's 90 ml bottles from the Advent calendar seemed very healthy, so 100 ml would be excellent.

I'd have probably gone with the VV tasting as well. The oddball (to me) in that tasting is the Bioma. I realize that the Pisca vineyard is old vines, but the wine made from it is not on the same level as the other 3 super cuvees in that flight.

I read this as 4 x 25 ml pours! Happy to be corrected though.
400 mL of VVV for £49 is about £90 per bottle, so less than retail?

Sorry: should have been clearer: it was 100ml over the 4 glasses so 25ml each. (Although in fairness to me I was merely transposing what the menu said!). I think £49 for 400ml of this wines would be less than their retail price and probably their wholesale price, too!

I see what you mean about the Niepoort but at least it is conceptually similar as a “super-premium” vintage port. Not sure what you’d add instead. Qd Noval Nacional would be the obvious one but that’s in a different price category altogether. The Croft Sērikos? Then we’d be into another Symington v Taylor tasting. Does anyone else make one?

I dare say there are quite a few other shippers whose standard vintage blends are made from old vines (whether or not that has an official definition), although really this was a super-premium rather than vinha velha tasting.

Could Sandeman Seixo work? It’s probably also not in the same premium category like the others either.

Still - delighted to see such a good selection on offer.

SCP wrote: ↑20:11 Sun 05 Feb 2023 Could Sandeman Seixo work? It’s probably also not in the same premium category like the others either.

I’ve only tried the 2013 which, from taste alone, didn’t seem to me to be more than a standard SQVP. Is it a premium over the classic Sandeman VP blend?

It is not. But the last couple of ones have been very very good. Still a 'regular' (SQ)VP, though.

Glenn E. wrote: ↑21:49 Sat 04 Feb 2023 The oddball (to me) in that tasting is the Bioma. I realize that the Pisca vineyard is old vines, but the wine made from it is not on the same level as the other 3 super cuvees in that flight.

Dirk has always made the Bioma as a super-selected, super-special super-cuvée with the intention that’s its quality would be at least as good as the other wines in this flight. Recently Niepoort have changed its pricing and market positioning to better reflect its quality and rarity. New releases of Bioma are sitting more in line with - or markedly above - the other super-cuvée Ports.

Have a look at the Bioma prices in the Niepoort lodge next time you’re in Oporto to see what I mean.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑08:09 Mon 06 Feb 2023 Dirk has always made the Bioma as a super-selected, super-special super-cuvée with the intention that’s its quality would be at least as good as the other wines in this flight. Recently Niepoort have changed its pricing and market positioning to better reflect its quality and rarity. New releases of Bioma are sitting more in line with - or markedly above - the other super-cuvée Ports.

Have a look at the Bioma prices in the Niepoort lodge next time you’re in Oporto to see what I mean.

I can’t see anyone selling a decent range of Niepoort recent releases to get a good feel for prices, but I’m generally getting c.£80 for the 2016 Bioma and c.£70 for the 2019 VP. I think that was the sort of price difference I paid when I bought the 2011. Have they made any since 2016? What sorts of prices are they going for now?

One of the differences I thought between the Bioma and the other super-premiums was that the Bioma was aimed at being a return to a more traditional style of Port. I think it is matured in smaller barrels than the standard blend and is also bottled much later (maybe at the 3 year maximum). I thought the aim was to produce something more similar to an old-fashioned Vintage Port which had been bottled abroad after being shipped in pipe and, as a result, the aim was to make something that was quite late maturing.

My impression of the super-premiums is that there is a huge effort to get them to be approachable whilst young, perhaps even more so than the classic blends. But I may be wrong since I don’t have much experience of them. I just think they are a bit expensive for my tastes.

Bioma 2017 £3,000 a bottle from Portugal Vineyards.

It is entirely up to Dirk whether he undertakes radical repricing but I will not be buying any.

No other vintage of Bioma (16,15,13,11,9,8) is more than about £120.