1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

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In the PoH Wine Country.

downwards,sliip mintage wines,and witli certain firms these wines form leading shipments. The house of Croft and Co., whose bright yellow-tinted lodges are in the rear of those of Messrs. Sandeman,can reckon more than a century of celebrity in this direction; and Warre and Co., who are likewise noted for their vintage Ports, date back almost to an equally remote period. In the lodges of the last-mentioned firm we were shown a grand wine of 1870, which still retained remarkable depth of colour and body,a fine dry wine of 1872,and several specimens of the vintages of 1873 and 1875, some rich and fall-bodied, others dry and refined in flavour,but aU of high character. We tasted here,too,some 1834 Port,which had lost alike colour and substance in the wood,but yet retained a fine high flavour,and was remarkablefor a peculiar bouquet. Someof this wine had been sold afew years back at the rate of.£135 the pipe. ThehouseofKopkeand Co.,established atOportoin 1808,is well known for its vintage wines from the quinta of Eoriz,just as that of Taylor,Pladgate,and.Co.is noted for its wines from the famous Quinta da Eoeda. Of the numerous vintage Ports we tasted,however,none were more interesting than the collec tion shown to us at the lodges of Messrs. Peuerheerd and Co. This firm keeps certain of its vintage wines from particular quintas intact; and here we tasted a splendid wine of1870 from the Quinta do Eoncao,remarkable for its great delicacy and fine perfume; also a sample of 1873from the same quinta, dry and full of flavour; and some beautiful wines of 1875 from the Quintas Bom Eetiro and Zimbro. We were further shown some natural Ports made without any addition of spirit, vintage 1875 being beautifully fresh-tasting, 1873 emitting a strong bouquet, while 1872 was a well-rounded wine of singularly refined flavour. The wine of 1871 had been fermented in a cuve,after the Mddoc fashion,instead of the stone lagar,and,although somewhat thin, had a splendid colour and a very fine bouquet. Among the archaic curiosities of the lodge was some wine marked palmeiro, nearly half a century old, slightly tawny, but of a rich, soft, delicate flavour,and also an antique Malmsey of great character.