🍷 Vintage Port
The finest Port from a single outstanding year, which matures for years in the bottle.
Vintage Port is the best port of a single outstanding year. It is made only in years when the harvest is judged exceptional, and is called "vintage" (meaning the crop of the year). It is the rarest and most expensive type of port. Port comes from the Douro valley in Portugal. For Vintage Port, wine from the best plots is taken, grape spirit is added, and the wine is matured in oak for only about two to three years. It is then bottled, where it matures for decades. Such port can be kept for 30 to 50 years and longer. Because of the long bottle maturation, sediment forms in the bottle, so before serving the wine is decanted to separate it. Related types are LBV (late bottled vintage), crusted port and single quinta, vintage from one estate. All of these belong to the port group. The wine is dark, sweet and strong, about 20 percent alcohol. It is served in small portions with cheese and desserts.
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Vintage Port ← similar ← 🏷️ Vintage → kind of → 🏷️ Wine classifications → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Port
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Port, 🍷 Late Bottled Vintage Port, 🍷 Single Quinta Vintage Port, 🍷 Crusted Port, 🏷️ Bottle ageing, 🏷️ Vintage
Frequently asked questions
What is Vintage Port?
Port made from grapes of a single outstanding harvest, bottled after 2 to 3 years and left to mature in the bottle.
How long can Vintage Port be kept?
Usually 30 to 50 years and longer.
Why is it decanted?
To separate the sediment that forms over years of maturing in the bottle.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes, appellations.
- 🏷️ Bottle ageing — Wine quietly matures in the sealed bottle.
- 🍷 Late Bottled Vintage Port — Port from a single year, bottled later than Vintage Port.
- 🍷 Single Quinta Vintage Port — Vintage Port from a single estate, often in years when no general vintage is declared.
Similar
🍷 Ruby Port · 🍷 Rosé Port · 🍷 Crusted Port · 🍷 Garrafeira Port · 🍷 White Port · 🍷 Late Bottled Vintage Port
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.