Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting an old fortified for a relative who is about to turn 80 - so something about that old would be nice. Not knowing much about old fortifieds (they not lasting too long at our place), are there any that forumites might recommend. Is there somewhere that specialises in these kind of wines?
As the relative is a bit distant I was hoping to keep the cost sensible - say less than $500 (much less if possible). Appreciate any advice.
Regards,
Allan
Old Fortified for 80th Birthday
Re: Old Fortified for 80th Birthday
bigkid wrote:Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting an old fortified for a relative who is about to turn 80 - so something about that old would be nice. Not knowing much about old fortifieds (they not lasting too long at our place), are there any that forumites might recommend. Is there somewhere that specialises in these kind of wines?
As the relative is a bit distant I was hoping to keep the cost sensible - say less than $500 (much less if possible). Appreciate any advice.
Regards,
Allan
Depends on the time you have. You could wait for a Seppelt Para to turn up at auction.
If you go international maybe there might be a couple of Madeiras about but that is a seriously different proposition to the previous suggestion.
cheers
Carl
Bartenders are supposed to have people skills. Or was it people are supposed to have bartending skills?
Not a vintage port but a good low cost option might be the Alvear Pedro Ximinez 1927. The wine is based on a solera started in 1927.
I tried it a few weeks ago at the end of a meal and thought it was very good.
Apparently it retails for around $40 per 375 ml bottle.
I tried it a few weeks ago at the end of a meal and thought it was very good.
Apparently it retails for around $40 per 375 ml bottle.
Premierships and great wine... that is what life is all about
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Ratcatcher
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There's a couple of 1927 Para Liqueur Ports at the current Langtons auction finishing March 19th (expected price $160-$220 +15% commission).
http://www.langtons.com.au/Home/Default.aspx
If Gavin did have the 1927 I would have recommended you pay the extra to get it through him. If you're not quite so fussy of the vintage he does have the 1947 though for the same sort of price, and without the risk of buying it at auction.
Their prices are ridiculous and they offer absolutely no guarantees against tainted/oxidised bottles, despite being an online store with many set buy-it-now prices (personally I suspect this must violate the Trade Practices Act because these items are not really auctions).
It's a pretty fair bet the older fortifieds come via the major auction houses anyway - you might as well beat them to it there if you can and get it much cheaper for the same risk. Be prepared to bid high though (maybe even well over the expected bidding range), but it will still be far less than the typical 300% mark-up by eBay traders like this one.
Cheers,
Ian
http://www.langtons.com.au/Home/Default.aspx
If Gavin did have the 1927 I would have recommended you pay the extra to get it through him. If you're not quite so fussy of the vintage he does have the 1947 though for the same sort of price, and without the risk of buying it at auction.
Ratcatcher wrote:Shopping locally Isle of Wine have a lot of old fortifieds and also sell regularly on e-bay but personally, I think their prices are too high.
Their prices are ridiculous and they offer absolutely no guarantees against tainted/oxidised bottles, despite being an online store with many set buy-it-now prices (personally I suspect this must violate the Trade Practices Act because these items are not really auctions).
It's a pretty fair bet the older fortifieds come via the major auction houses anyway - you might as well beat them to it there if you can and get it much cheaper for the same risk. Be prepared to bid high though (maybe even well over the expected bidding range), but it will still be far less than the typical 300% mark-up by eBay traders like this one.
Cheers,
Ian
Last edited by n4sir on Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:44 am, edited 2 times in total.
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
Davo wrote:Ring Seppeltsfield.
They actually still carry back vintages of the Para that go back that far.
Do they still sell them Davo? - when I was last there July 2005 the shelves were bare except for one bottle of 1947, and I was told by the CD staff at the time they weren't stocking the older vintages (except the 100 year old) for general sale anymore. They said I was pretty lucky to get the re-worked 1930 for my Dad's 75th birthday the previous year - Nigel Thiele found it for me at the time, so there's a potentially useful name to drop if Allan wants to try them directly.
Last year at the Seppelt Masterclass James Godfrey told me the re-worked bottles for sale were actually bought from auction, checked for soundness, and then topped up from Seppelts stocks. They still occasionally do it, but the process is so hit-and-miss I got the impression it's very infrequent now. If he can get one this way though, it definitely will be a bottle of the highest quality and worth chasing up.
(Ps. I would have mentioned Seppeltsfield as Allan's first port of call if I was certain they still sold them)
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
n4sir wrote:Davo wrote:Ring Seppeltsfield.
They actually still carry back vintages of the Para that go back that far.
Do they still sell them Davo? - when I was last there July 2005 the shelves were bare except for one bottle of 1947, and I was told by the CD staff at the time they weren't stocking the older vintages (except the 100 year old) for general sale anymore. They said I was pretty lucky to get the re-worked 1930 for my Dad's 75th birthday the previous year - Nigel Thiele found it for me at the time, so there's a potentially useful name to drop if Allan wants to try them directly.
Last year at the Seppelt Masterclass James Godfrey told me the re-worked bottles for sale were actually bought from auction, checked for soundness, and then topped up from Seppelts stocks. They still occasionally do it, but the process is so hit-and-miss I got the impression it's very infrequent now. If he can get one this way though, it definitely will be a bottle of the highest quality and worth chasing up.
(Ps. I would have mentioned Seppeltsfield as Allan's first port of call if I was certain they still sold them)
Cheers,
Ian
I was there on Monday and was shown a list of old Paras they had in stock and they went back as far as 1922. It was by no means a complete selection and many vintages were missing but it would be worth the ask.
The reason I was shown was that I was wondering what the 1922s were selling for as I still have a couple. I got quite a shock really but they were by far the most exxy but all the rest was under $250 and most under $150.
Whew, that'll teach me to post a query and go away for a couple of days. Thanks all - these are great suggestions. I'll probably give Langton's a miss - much as I like the range on offer they do seem to milk you at every opportunity - much prefer Mark's approach to auctioning. The para looks the go. He is a port fan. Some of the other fortifieds sound like good options for my own cellar.
Thanks.
Allan
Thanks.
Allan