ThePortForum.com

Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Philadephia, PA
Port
Croft 1977 $239
Dow's 1977 $342
Graham's 1977 $461
Graham's 1983 $389
Graham's 1985 $327
Graham's 1970 $367
Smith Woodhouse 1985 $190
Warre's 1963 $791
Warre's 1977 $228

Tawny
Fonseca 20 Year Old $109
Fonseca 10 Year Old $79
Graham's 20 Year Old $142

They also had Graham's LBV (no year) and a Fonseca 10 by the glass, but i cut off the prices when i took the photo.

SushiNorth wrote:Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Philadephia, PA
Port

Warre's 1977 $228

The only "deal" on the list...

Had dinner in Gordon Ramsay's Verre Restaurant in Dubai last Thursday. There were three Vintage Ports on the list. Can't remember the exact price, but they were more or less:

- Fonseca 1985 @ £ 375
- Warre's 1977 @ £ 450
- Warre's 1970 @ £ 520

The good thing was that all were also avaible by the glass. Given the lack of availability of VP in restaurants here in Muscat and the sheer impossibility to find anything like it in the one shop where we are allowed to shop for alcohol, we ordered a glass of Warre 1970 each.

The bottle had been open for a month (!) but the sommelier and restaurant manager were happy to open a new one for us when we requested that. Good service.

Are those prices in GBP or in local money?

GBP

RonnieRoots wrote:GBP

What's the ? It's a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Dubai. I'd have been more shocked if the prices were even remotely reasonable.

You're right Glenn. Prices of wine here (in Muscat, Oman) are very high because of government taxes, but they are even higher in Dubai bacause it's Dubai and they don't do cheap there.

I'm with Jacob on this one - anything that is being sold for 10 times it's retail price is worthy of a

I thought there was an airplane version of this list, but couldn't find it.

JFK Airport - Vino Volo
Dow 1985 VP: $115
Niepoort 20yr Tawny: $80/$18 for a glass.

Sao Paulo Brazil (seen in a fancy wine shop)
Taylor Fladgate 1997 VP: br538, or about $270
Taylor Fladgate 2001 LBV: ~ $125
other insane prices also existed.

www.lythehill.co.uk

Noval 10 YO Tawny @ £6.50 per small glass. Seems a bit steep to me, but faced with the choice of that or a ruby what was I to do!

It was a very nice tawny and one I would buy if I see it on sale anywhere.

At Vue by Shannon Bennett (easily Muscat's best restaurant) there was a small offering of ports, among those:

- Fonseca 1985 @ 250 OMR (395 GBP / 450 EUR)
- Noval 2003 @ 135 OMR (215 GBP / 245 EUR)

They were also served per half glass (30ml). We chose half a glass of Fonseca 85 each at 15 OMR pp (24 GBP / 27 EUR).

And because it is unique enough to find such a thing on a wine list here, I am not going to think about the fact that I just paid more for one glass than I did for my full bottles.

"Do you have any Port?", I ask the barman in the Macdonald Berystede Hotel.

"Errmm...yes", he replies looking sheepishly and fumbles around to produce a bottle of Cockburn Ruby (the basic one, not the Special Reserve).

"Do you have anything else?"

"Usually yes, but not at the moment."

"Any Madeira?"

"We've been drunk out of Madeira, too."

I then proceed to order two glasses of Cockburn Ruby, for the cost of about £6 each...

"Out of interest, what sort of Port do you normally have?"

"I think at least the Cockburn Special Reserve, an LBV, the 1991 Vintage and some Fonseca..."

I almost forgot to post!

4 Seasons in Ireland
77 Grahams 200$ (i think)
75 warres too I believe for 250$

Not a hotel, but if we have a restaurant price list thread then I can't find it.

Highly recommended in Wokingham, Milton's restaurant has three ports on their wine list. These are Taylor's First Estate (£26 a bottle), Taylor 2002 LBV (£28 a bottle) and Croft Quinta da Roeda 1995 (£30 a bottle).

No difficulty deciding what to drink there.

Hilton Waikoloa Hawaii -- Kamuela Provision Company Restaurant
Warres 10y Otima $20
Smith Woodhouse LBV 1990 $13
Sandeman Founders Reserve $10
Graham's Malvedos 1987 $16
Graham's 20y Tawny $18
Dow Vintage Port 1970 $72

---
I asked at the bar about the Dow70, apparently they stopped offering it because of low demand. I had none of these, as I couldn't imagine they were recently opened. I did, however, tote a bottle of that Sandeman Founders Reserve around with me for the week on the Big Island. The whole bottle cost 16.

Quinta do Nova, Douro Valley: The mini-bar in my room had a 50cl bottle of Quinta do Nova Reserva Port for €8,50

Not a hotel, but the French Laundry's wine list. FL is a very expensive high-end restaurant in the Napa area.


Vintage Port
Cockburn 1927 $2,000
Dow's (375ml) 1985 $215
Fonseca 1970 $910
Fonseca 1992 $500
Graham's 1983 $410
Graham's 2003 $295
Taylor Fladgate 1948 $3,995
Taylor Fladgate 1963 $1,125
Warres 1963 $1,100

Here's their by the glass prices

Dows, Tawny 20 Year $20
Graham's, Vintage 1977 $59
Smith-Woodhouse, Late-Bottled Vintage 1995 $17
Taylor-Fladgate, Vintage 1983 $38

When I was flying through Oporto, I noticed that the ever-cheap duty-free shop in the airport had half-bottles of Dow’s 2007 for €99 each which must be a new record for their mark-up!

Andy Velebil wrote:Not a hotel, but the French Laundry's wine list. FL is a very expensive high-end restaurant in the Napa area.


Vintage Port
Cockburn 1927 $2,000
Dow's (375ml) 1985 $215
Fonseca 1970 $910
Fonseca 1992 $500
Graham's 1983 $410
Graham's 2003 $295
Taylor Fladgate 1948 $3,995
Taylor Fladgate 1963 $1,125
Warres 1963 $1,100

Here's their by the glass prices

Dows, Tawny 20 Year $20
Graham's, Vintage 1977 $59
Smith-Woodhouse, Late-Bottled Vintage 1995 $17
Taylor-Fladgate, Vintage 1983 $38

Andy, I trust you ordered a bottle of the Taylor 1948, how was it?

Ronnie,
No, A freind was looking to go there during his honeymoon. At those prices, can't say I recommended buying any of those bottles to him.

Andy Velebil wrote:Ronnie,
No, A freind was looking to go there during his honeymoon. At those prices, can't say I recommended buying any of those bottles to him.

Seeing those prices, and looking for some port after dinner, I would probably order a glass of Smith Woodhouse 1995 LBV. Very decent glass of port. Expensive of course, but in a restaurant such as this everything is.

Again, not a hotel but then I can't find the restaurant price list thread.

Rhodes 24 in Tower 42 in Central London has a very modest offering of port. I wasn't able to make notes of all that was offered, but as well as those listed below there were also a couple of tawnies, a filtered 2005 LBV and a 2003 vintage port.

Quinta do Vale de Dona Maria 2003 LBV £50
Warre 1966 £230
Noval Nacional 1987 £275

I bought a 5cl glass of Taylor 2007 LBV from the Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge. It cost me £9.40.

That makes a 75cl bottle £141

A restaurant rather than a hotel — No 32 The Old Town, London SW4 0JE.

jdaw1 wrote:A restaurant rather than a hotel — No 32 The Old Town, London SW4 0JE.

It might not be great, but I guess they'd sell more if they didn't call it Croft's "Tripe" Crown, which sounds very unappealling.

PhilW wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:A restaurant rather than a hotel — No 32 The Old Town, London SW4 0JE.

It might not be great, but I guess they'd sell more if they didn't call it Croft's "Tripe" Crown, which sounds very unappealling.

A tribute to the Tripe-eaters of Porto?

A tribute to Os Tripeiros, perhaps?

Burgh Island Hotel has available by the glass or bottle a small selection of ports:

• Sandeman Aptiv White @ £3.50 for a 75ml pour
• Sandeman Ruby @ £3.50
• Sandeman 2009 LBV @ £5.00
• Sandeman 10yo tawny @ £6.00
• Sandeman 20yo tawny @ £11.00

AHB wrote:Burgh Island Hotel has available by the glass or bottle a small selection of ports:

<OT>
Oh, I love Burgh Island; the wife and I had our wedding there a few years back. Gary the barman's quite a character.
</OT>

Morston Hall serves (only) a tasting menu in its restaurant every evening; Attendance at dinner is included in your overnight accommodation charge (though I believe you can eat without staying, just not the other way around). In addition to a matched wines offering to go with the tasting menu, they also have an extensive wine list currently including the following ports:

Niepoort 2007 LBV
Ramos Pinto 10yr tawny
Taylor 10yr tawny
Dow 1991 (~£150)
Warre 1985 (~£150)
Fonseca 1963 (~£350)

The prices in brackets are from memory as I did not photograph the list, so may not be quite correct but I think are close. The ports were available only by the bottle, not by the glass (except perhaps the LBV, I am not sure) unless happening to be part of the matched wine selection for that evening.

Given the VPs listed I would have expected the list to include a 20/30yr tawny, and I was very surprised that (given their already-oxidised nature) the tawnies were not available by the glass. From discussion of condition, it sounded as though at least one bottle of the F63 might be a slow leaker, which would make it a very expensive risk.

Mrs B and I had dinner last night at the Mizen Head Hotel in Bamburgh. While the wine list was pretty impressive, chatting to Alex - son of the owner and a lover of wine - revealed that there is also a good collection of top wines in the cellar which do not appear on the wine list. Dinner (of lobster thermidor) was washed down with a bottle of Pocas 2000 with the sweetness of the port beautifully complimenting the sweetness of the lobster.

While Alex was reluctant to say exactly what port was hidden in the cellar, I did learn that the standard offering was Crasto 2007 LBV, that the Niepoort 1994 colheita was not for sale, that the Dow 1963 (English bottled) was for a special occasion (its pair having been opened earlier in the year for a dinner hosted by Chay Blyth) and that the most recent purchase was a case of Pocas 2011. With regards to table wines, the hotel receives an allocation every year of Maria Teresa and Vinha de Ponte from Crasto. Alex and I spent some time talking about Crasto and the Roquette brothers; he recommends a visit to Crasto to see the new winery so that's now on my to do list.

Oh yes, and the food was absolutely superb.

The Booking Office within the very fine Victorian building that is now the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, has a very decent wine list. That wine list also features some port:
Sandeman White Aptiv @ £35 per bottle or £5 for a 70ml glass
Sandeman 10 year old tawny @ £45 per bottle or £6.50 for a 70ml glass
Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2001 @ £60 per bottle
Sandeman Vintage Port 2003 @ £75 per bottle

AHB wrote: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2001 @ £60 per bottle

This is drinking really well at the moment, almost mature with some secondary notes and softness in the tannins. Don't know prices in your parts, but IIRC, I paid something like 30-40 Euros at the Vinum restaurant for a full bottle of this last year.

I am currently dining alone at the Kameha Grand hotel in Bonn (I caught the afternoon flight. My colleagues planned to catch the cancelled evening flight). On the wine list is a modest selection of port:
Quinta do Noval ruby NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €46 per bottle
Quinta do Noval white NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €46 per bottle
Quinta do Noval tawny NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €45 per bottle
Quinta do Noval LBV 2008 @ €12,50 per 5cl glass or €82 per bottle
Quinta do Noval 10yo tawny @ €11,50 per 5cl glass or €79 per bottle

I am drinking water.

AHB wrote:My colleagues planned to catch the cancelled evening flight

So you are alone? So nobody would know if you crept back into the UK, arriving not later than Wednesday afternoon? Behold, dear readers, at work a master of subtle manoeuvre.

You should have met André for dinner in the Vintage, down the road in Köln.

djewesbury wrote:You should have met André for dinner in the Vintage, down the road in Köln.

You're quite right.

AHB wrote:I am currently dining alone at the Kameha Grand hotel in Bonn (I caught the afternoon flight. My colleagues planned to catch the cancelled evening flight). On the wine list is a modest selection of port:
Quinta do Noval ruby NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €46 per bottle
Quinta do Noval white NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €46 per bottle
Quinta do Noval tawny NV @ €7 per 5cl glass or €45 per bottle
Quinta do Noval LBV 2008 @ €12,50 per 5cl glass or €82 per bottle
Quinta do Noval 10yo tawny @ €11,50 per 5cl glass or €79 per bottle

I am drinking water.

Your experience is not unusual for Germany: rather bad port for quite a lot of money. But I guess it's a good reminder that you're quite blessed in the UK when it comes to port. Felix Britannica.

AHB wrote:Quinta do Noval LBV 2008 @ €12,50 per 5cl glass or €82 per bottle

They are expensive, but the Noval LBVs are well-made port, and this price is affordable. Could you have stretched the budget this far?

Again, a restaurant rather than a hotel, but I don't think Smith & Wollensky on John Adam Street will be selling much port to the likes of us. Fine steaks and seafood (it was always my favourite steakhouse in the days when I used to visit New York) but aggressive pricing on wine and port. This is what they offer from their dessert menu:

• Graham’s Six Grapes - £13 per 100 ml pour or £80 per bottle
• Graham’s LBV 2009 - £14 / £80
• Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira 10yr Tawny - £14 / £80
• Ramos Quinta do Bom Retiro 20yr Tawny - £20 / £119
• Delaforce His Eminence’s Choice, 10yr Tawny - £70 per bottle
• Graham’s Vintage 1983 - £295 per bottle

AHB wrote:Graham’s Six Grapes - £13 per 100 ml pour or £80 per bottle

Since it's roughly £13 per bottle in overpriced, highly-taxed Seattle, that's outrageous!

The Port Gaverne Hotel in Port Gaverne is a restaurant and hotel I have been visiting every two or three years since the late 1980s. During that time it has changed hands occasionally but this time the new owners have included a small but decent selection of Port on the wine list. This now includes:

• Fonseca Terra Prima
• Taylor LBV (currently 2008)
• Warre 1997 @ £95
• Graham 1985 @ £115
• Fonseca 2000 @ £115

The first three are available by the glass or the bottle.

In the Hintlesham Hall Hotel, just outside Ipswich they have some interesting ports on the wine list. These are:
Graham Ruby
Taylor 2008 LBV @ £58 per bottle
Graham 2008 LBV @ £95
Sandeman Vau 1999 @ £60.90
Warre 1970 @ £230
Croft 1963 @ £280

Sadly, none of these struck me as being value for money so I drank a glass of house Rioja.

Seen in a south-London pub:

That's a new one on me. Was this being offered for sale by the pub?

The pub port — which I didn’t try.

jdaw1 wrote:The pub port — which I didn’t try.

Price?

Andy Velebil wrote:Price?

Not asked. Assume cheap pub port, to be added to — ooh, don’t ask.

Available by the glass from the Yeatman Hotel in Oporto (90ml pour for the rubies, 50ml pour for the tawnies):
NV Romaneira 10yo @ €10
NV Noval 10 yo @€10
NV Ramos Pinto 20yo @ €15
NV Fonseca 20yo @ €15
2011 Taylor LBV @ €9
2010 Borges LBV @ €9
2008 Churchill LBV @ €9
2005 Panascal @ €15
2002 Dow colheita @ €12
2001 Malvedos @ €15
1995 Fonseca Guimaraens @ €18
1976 Wiese & Krohn colheita @ €26
1966 Croft @ €42
1885 Taylor Scion @ €100 (for 50ml pour)

There is also a very impressive port list going back to Taylor 1945, Taylor / Krohn 1863 and Scion. Some items on the list are being priced to sell (Croft 1966 is €157 per bottle) and others are very reasonable but a bit of a punt (Yeatman 1991 @ €31 - and it's not Morgan since we bought it all).