Tawny vs Vintage Port - How are they made?

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Chuck
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Tawny vs Vintage Port - How are they made?

Post by Chuck »

Recently on TV someone said vintage and tawny ports are made in the same fashion with the vintage bottle immediately after the brandy is added to kill off fermentation whereas the tawny is transferred to barrel to age. Is this true and if not how are they different.

I just love an aged vintage port and even a 30 - 40 year old tawny. Currently buying very old Yalumba Galway Pipes (label states volume in pints and fluid ounces) at auction for $11.00 + BP which confirms tawnys can improve with age. These and old Chateau Reynella VP's are a real treat.

Chuck

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Wizz
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Post by Wizz »

Chuck, thats a pretty good description of the difference in making. Vintage then ages in bottle, tawny ages in barrel, picks up more oxidative characters and the tawny colour.

I'm interested in the idea that tawnies age well in bottle. I've only had a coupel and they just tasted stale. Have the old Galway Pipes been good?

Andrew

Chuck
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Post by Chuck »

Wizz wrote:I'm interested in the idea that tawnies age well in bottle. I've only had a coupel and they just tasted stale. Have the old Galway Pipes been good?

Andrew


Andrew,

I was surprised as well. First night they are unremarkable but next 2 - 5 nights are just lovely after which they slip into nothingness. Sounds like decanting on night one may be the go for a group. All have displayed the same characteristics. Check out Oddbins.com.au site as they have had a regular supply probably from the same cellar as all have been in superb condition. However labels have been damaged but at least this means they have been stored horizontally and who ever drinks labels. Corks are saturated thru and crumble during extraction but levels are well into the neck. A lot of sediment too. Still, not a patch on aged VP's but at $10 - $15 who cares.

Chuck

707
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Post by 707 »

Here's a blurb I posted on Weekly Drinking this week.

Vintage Ports - it great that a few producers are starting to make this style again after two decades of inactivity. I've seen excellent young examples from Rockford and three unreleased VPs from Kalleske, Kaesler and Glaymond, the latter two made from Touriga.

We had half a dozen VPs from the 70s blind on Friday night. 1975 Chateau Reynella was a standout and not far behind were 1972 Stanton & Killen, 1977 Chateau Reynella (still young) and 1978 Hardy's.

Blurb over

Vintage Ports are great value at most auctions, the Yalumba Horse Ports are all very good drinking and around $8-10 a bottle, stunning value. Just share them round ok, don't go bidding them up!
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!

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Wizz
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Post by Wizz »

For a while I bought up bigon the St Hallett Cup Winners VPs too. never paid more than $8 (incl auction fees and freight) for one. They were a bit hit and miss, but the good ones were very good.

AB

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