80-year-old port at the Big Fortified Wine fair in London

I could never miss the BTF in London, and this year as always we were treated to a panoply of gems from Spain, Portugal, Italy and one day does not do justice to the diversity of the products for the visitor to taste.

In this post I will focus on a special event I was incredibly lucky to be invited to: an exclusive tasting of port bottles filled with nectar that had aged at least eighty years, and often much more.

Jafoste

White

Sweet still lots of acidity.

Score 88

Tawny

Nutty, fresh

90

Agri ronçao vinicola

90° Aniversario white

Freshness and lots of sugar hand in hand, powerful.

92

80yo Tawny

Very very old (above 80yo)

Caramel, toffee, toasted 

92

Taylor's 

About 100yo very very old port 

Perfect balance, caramel toasted notes 

95

Graham's 

Wines from the 1940s 

21.5abv feel alcohol 

Fresh, long, touch of  bitter 

94

Quinta da Devesa

80yo very very old white

Very fresh and long, complex

94

80yo very very old Tawny

Balance apricots chocolate 

Very complex and long

96

Maynard's

80yo very very old Tawny 

Vanilla white chocolate

Complex long 

94

Kopke 

80yo Tawny 

Blend from 1900 1927 1941 wines

 Freshness prevail 

Apricots nuts 

93

Blackett

Very very old Porto 

Intense aromas velvety 

Perfect balance, long, the best wine today.

96

Madeira Wine Tasting in London

Another great Madeira tasting in London organized by Westbury Communications in cooperation with the Madeira wine institute, the entity which certifies wines and producers on the island. 

I had already written about a previous Madeira event by Westbury here on this blog.

Tiago Freitas president of MWI gave us a short introduction to the current state of affairs of Madeira wine.  Demetri Walters, MW, a well known expert on the London wine scene, delivered two masterclasses.

I have written on this blog about Madeira and would refer the reader to my post for information about the history and cultural background of the island and its wine.

I have also recorded a presentation that I usually deliver when working as a guest speaker on cruise ships.

MASTERCLASS ONE

1. D'Oliveiras 3yo sweet 

Fruity, easy

Score 88

2. Barbeito rainwater medium dry

Slight bitterness, fresh.

80% TN 20 verdelho 

Score 87

3. Blandy's 10yo Sercial 

Very fresh, dry. Citrus and almonds. 

Score 88

4. Henriques & Henriques boal 10yo 

Complex long honey 

Score 90

Fig highball with coconut 

Madeira, coconut cream 

Smoky Madeirarita 

Fresh, smoky 

5.borges 5yo medium dry 

Fresh easy 

Score 85

6. Justino fine medium dry reserve 5yo

Balanced and long, caramel 

MASTERCLASS TWO 

Terroir Tradition and Elegance 

Banana leaves between staves to make them watertight 

1. Justino TN colheita 2010 

Known for blending.

Good balance, medium sweet 

Score 89

2. HM Borges TN 1998 frasqueira 

Medium dry style 

Bottled in 2024 

Fresh, nutty 

Score 90

3. Blandy's verdelho Colheita 2011

Bottled in 2024

Balanced and complex. Nutty, marmalade. 

Score 89

4. H&H boal 2000

Perfect balance, long and complex. Fruit cake, ripe apricot. 

Score 93

5. D'Oliveiras malvasia frasqueira 2000

Prunes, dry fruit, caramel. 

Remarkable acidity, starts sweet and ends fully dry. 

Score 94

6. Barbeito Sercial 1994 frasqueira 

Fresh, toasted notes 

Score 90

Vinhos Verdes Masterclass

Masterclass by Dirceu Vianna Jr, MW on vinho verde, which is a region, not a single style like many believe. The area was demarcated in 1908.

Associated with fresh light summer wine but there is much more than that. 

Fit contemporary trend to lighter lower alcohol wines. 

Largest wine export from Portugal, more than port. 

Granite soil mostly but diversity. Mostly between Minho and South of the Douro rivers. About 120km x 90km. 

Atlantic and Mediterranean climate influence. Mild temperature, 1200mm/yr average rainfall. 

Over 17,200 hectares, mostly planting in small parcels, 1400+ producers make almost 100 million liters of wine. Over 45 varieties for vinho verde, 80% white 20% red.

Varieties cultivated

Loureiro 47m Sq meters 

Alvarinho 25

Arinto 24

Vinhao 18

Exports are mainly to the US (31%), Germany (18%), Brazil (19%), Poland (14%).

Below are my tasting notes:

1. Quinta de Azevedo 

Property from XII century. 

Loureiro 2023

Intense floral and herbal aromas Zesty fresh,passion fruit notes 

Rrp £21

Score 89

2. Casa de Pacos 

Loureiro 2018

Intense floral aromas, moderately fresh, well balanced by smooth honey notes. 

Rrp £21

Score 92

3. A&D wines 

Esculpido vinhas velhas Avesso 2022

Avesso 100%

Perfect balance and good length, 

Rrp £28

Score 93

4. Casal de Ventozela 

Prime selection 2023

Alvarinho 55%,Avesso 25%,Loureiro 20%

Wines blended from different years, bottled in 2023. 

Perfect balance, creamy vanilla, long. Surprisingly evolved so young thanks to old French osk. 

Rrp £65

Score 94

5. Soalheiro primeras vinhas 2023

Alvarinho 

Freshness prevails but still good balance and length 

Rrp £26

Score 91

6. Anselmo Mendes 

Muros antigos 2015

Alvarinho 

Fully evolved 

Rrp 14 

Score 93

7. Falua Barão do Hospital 

Espumante 2020

Padeiro

Sparkling rosé

Easy drinking, moderate bubbles 

Rrp 30

Score 85

8. Quinta de Tamariz 

Rosé vinha do Jardin 2023

Touriga Nacional 

Medium freshness and length. 

Rrp £17

Score 88

9. Costantino Ramos 

Zafirah 2019 

Alvarelhão Borraçal, pedral, vinhão

Soft extraction , light oak, elegant texture 

Rrp £23

Score 89

10.Aphros 

Vinhão 2022 

Light, slightly rough, rustic, mod length. 

Rrp £20

Score 85

11. Quinta de Santa Cristina 

Arinto Espumante 2018 

Arinto 100%

Traditional method, fragrant balanced 

Rrp £20

Score 88

12. Provam Côto de Mamoelas 

Assemblage 2017,18,19

Alvarinho 

Traditional method, balanced 

Rrp£17

score 87