FAQs
What is the difference between Graham’s Vintage Port and Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port?
- Graham’s Vintage Ports are drawn from the finest parcels across Graham’s four estates; this Vintage Port is only produced in exceptional years.
- Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port is the ultimate expression of terroir in the Douro, produced from our principal estate and the best wine we produce in most years. If it is a Malvedos year, you will receive 1x magnum bottle (150cl) or 2x cases of magnums (3 x 150cl) as appropriate of Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port.
When will I receive my Port?
Harvest is completed in September/October of each year. It will take approximately two years from harvest to finely craft your Port, package and ship it over to you. We will be in touch in the September two years after harvest to confirm delivery addresses. In most years we aim to get deliveries out across the month of November two years after harvest e.g., November 2024 for the 2022 Vintage. If you have any questions throughout your Vintage Port Bond journey, please get in touch at info@grahamsportbond.com.
What about import duties, taxes and deliveries?
The price for each bond is inclusive of all current and future duties and taxes. Delivery of the certificates is free. Delivery of the Port is free and included in the price.
What if there’s no Port produced at all?
In the unlikely event that no Vintage Port or Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port is produced due to adverse weather conditions, we will offer an alternative vintage to the recipient, or offer a refund in full.
What if my delivery is damaged?
Please email us immediately at info@grahamsportbond.com.
How to store my Vintage Port?
Vintage Port should be stored in a cool environment away from strong light and vibrations. Bottles should be stored lying on their side, with the liquid in contact with the cork, at a stable temperature below 15˚C.
When to drink Vintage Port?
Modern winemaking has allowed us to make Vintage Ports more approachable when younger and you can drink your Port straight away when it arrives. However, in order to get the full spectrum of primary (the grapes themselves), secondary (oak ageing) and tertiary (age in bottle) aromas and flavours, we recommend a minimum of twenty years. For those who are lucky enough to have bought or been given a case, you will have the opportunity to drink your Port over different stages of its and your own lifetime.
How to serve my Vintage Port?
You will want to open and decant your Vintage Port two to three hours before drinking. We have made a great video tutorial here.
- Ideally on the day that you chose to open the bottle, the Port should be stood up vertically to allow the sediment to sink to the bottom.
- Open the bottle with a corkscrew or a butler’s thief (if you are worried about the cork breaking).
- Please note: sometimes old corks can crumble when removed, but this normally does not affect the drinkability of the Port.
- Carefully pour the wine through a fresh muslin and funnel into a clean decanter or vessel to remove the sediment and any cork fragments.
- If you would like to serve the Port in its original bottle, you can add a little water and shake vigorously to clean the inside of sediment. Pour away water and then pour the Port from the vessel back into the bottle (through the muslin and funnel).
- This is know as double decanting; the experts amongst us can manage this without a drop touching the label!
- Once decanted, allow the Port to ‘open up’ or aerate for two to three hours. This breathing process allows the dormant aromas and flavours that have been bottled up for many years to develop and expand.
- Finally serve in clean wine glasses that are not tainted by dishwasher salt or alike
- Saúde!
What temperature should I serve my Vintage Port at?
Vintage Ports are best served slightly below modern room temperature: 16°C to 18C° C . If too cool (e.g., straight from the cellar) and the wine will not release all its aromas and flavours. If too warm (20°C or more) then the Port may appear unbalanced or a little spirity on the nose.
How long does my Vintage Port last once opened?
Once opened, Vintage Ports last two to three days before they lose their aromatic complexity and the fruit becomes stale. This is due to Vintage Port being, what we call, a ‘bottle-matured’ Port, so the Port has been exposed to minimal oxygen during the ageing process. All Ports, including Vintage Port, will benefit from fridge storage after opening (ideally using a vacuvin cork to keep the air out of the bottle).