Wine: Sales are up on Vintage Port

The rumours of Port Wine’s demise have thankfully been exaggerated. While the market is overly seasonal in nature (that is, Christmas), and sales are down, sales of one style are definitely up.

Vintage Port was (and is) the premium port, sought after by collectors and expensive restaurants, and fought over at auctions. However newer wine drinkers are far too impatient to wait 20 years to drink Vintage Port, and if truth be told are often a little intimidated by the whole decanting ritual.

Ruby Port and Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) ports are perfectly fine (Taylor’s LBV is excellent) but do not have the romance of long ageing.