Warre’s Vintage Port 1977 – Valued at $100

Warre’s vintage port is from one of the great port years in the last century. Why it’s so inexpensive (relatively) is a mystery to me. The wines are bottled with an additional dosage of brandy, so the alcohol content is higher than normal table wine. They are sweet, intense, mouth filling and a wonderful way to end a special meal. Really good served with traditional cheeses, nuts and dried fruit. This wine if fully mature. Sometimes opening them is tricky because they have very long corks (after all Portugal traditional produced most of the wine corks in Europe so why not waste a little). The old way of opening the bottles was to use the heated tongs from your roaring fireplace. Place the tongs around the neck, below the cork and tap the bottle with an ice cube. Supposed to produce a clean break every time. I have never done this and recommend a good corkscrew and some patience.

From the impressive cellar of SDCBF Board Member, Allen Snyder.