Whatever your budget for Port wine this Christmas, follow our guide to get the best value for money
The Christmas table is never complete without Port wine. It goes just as well with the Portuguese seasonal treat of “Bolo-Rei” as it does with English-style Christmas cake, mince pies and, of course, cheese.
Walk into any decent bottle shop though, or into a well-stocked supermarket, and the choice of Port wines can be bewildering. At Apolónia supermarket for instance, the selection is huge. I did not count, but there must be 100 or more different Ports there, so it pays to know what you are looking for and where to find the best value for money.
I always find it interesting how even the cheapest Port wines that can be found in some supermarkets for around €6 or €7 are quite drinkable, but it pays to invest at least a little – it is Christmas after all!
This article was planned to find my suggestions for the best port wines available in Apolónia supermarket costing around €10, €20, €30, €40 and €50, with a final splurge topping €100.
Starting from the bottom shelf, one Port, Taylors 4XX, stands out from others in the €10 price range; in fact, it cost €12.95, but it represents outstanding value for money all the same.
And don’t just take my word for it, as this is the Port wine that is served on British Airways’ long-haul flight in Business Class with the cheese course, selected by the sommeliers who work for BA and whose brief is always to get the best quality for the lowest possible price.
This wine is actually better than many of the LBVs (late bottle vintages) costing closer to €20. There is bundles of ripe dark fruit on the nose, full and smooth in the mouth with a slightly sweet finish. An ideal all-rounder if you do not wish to spend any more.
Moving up to the €20 price point, we have a selection of good LBVs available or we could find one of the lower-priced, 10-year-old Tawnies. But for real quality at this price point, I would stick to a nice LBV.
A good rule of thumb when choosing an LBV is to aim for a top producer but also look for wines that are not from the generally declared vintage years. The reason for this is that when a general vintage is declared, most of the best grapes get used for the premium vintage ports, but in non-vintage years, the best grapes end up in the LBV.
My choice from what is available this year is this excellent 2018 from Poças costing €19.95 – elegant on the nose with firm tannic structure, balanced with layers of dark fruit flavours in the mouth, leading to a long medium-dry finish.
For around €30, I will be looking for a very nice Tawny, and here the 10-year-old from Niepoort is difficult to beat, costing €29.95. Deep and intense in colour with hints of gold and a nose of candied fruits, full and luscious in the mouth with sweet fruit flavours and a fresh elegant finish.
When spending €40 or more, we expect something very special and, staying on Tawnies, it is very easy to get misled by older ports from lesser producers that may appear to offer better values for money.
My choice would be the outstanding 20-year-old Tawny from Vallado which is better than the 30-year-old Tawnies from many of the big producers. We are now getting into very serious Tawny, pale red with hints of gold and an explosion of aromas on the nose, mingling more candied fruits with toffee, roast nuts and cigars. Unctuous in the mouth with outstanding depth of flavour.
And now for a surprise, upping the budget to €50, I will not be looking for an even older Tawny, but rather the 10-year-old in the beautiful golden bottle from Rozès. This is a producer that takes quality very seriously and whilst €49.95 seems like a lot of money for a 10-year-old Tawny, this wine is actually better than any 20-year Tawny from other producers.
Rozès is owned by the House of Vranken, most famous for Pommery Champagne, and their quinta in the Douro valley is responsible for some of the best Port wines on the market.
And finally, if I were looking for a special Christmas gift for a wine lover and had a budget of around €100, I would choose the 2017 Vintage from Pintas, even though I have not tried it. Why? It is, of course, the year 2017 paired with the name of another premium producer, costing €113.95. This is a bottle that will increase in both quality and price for many years to come. But it is also a vintage in the modern style, meaning that, on release, it is already drinking exceptionally well.
