Vintage Port

[Motorrad]

I have a reasonable Vintage Port from 1970 which I'm planning to open this weekend having spent the last 10 years storing it. Understandably I want this to go well as the bottle retails at about 130 quid these days!

Decanting isn't going to be an issue as I have the proper equipment but I wondered if anyone can recommend suitable foods to go with it.

Also I wondered if I could use the dregs in cooking or will they be best just put in the bin?

[bigTee]

cheese!!

[Einion Yrth]

bigTee said:

cheese!!

And, specifically, a nice ripe stilton.

[satans worm]

What bottle is it?

Edited by satans worm on Friday 14th November 09:46

[rhinochopig]

I'd start decanting now given how long vintage takes to settle. What's the proper equipment - the last bottle I had was a nightmare of faffing.

May I also suggest some very good quality dry cured bacon wrapped around dried apricots cooked in the oven. It seems to work really well with port.

[oyster]

Motorrad said:

I have a reasonable Vintage Port from 1970 which I'm planning to open this weekend having spent the last 10 years storing it. Understandably I want this to go well as the bottle retails at about 130 quid these days!

Decanting isn't going to be an issue as I have the proper equipment but I wondered if anyone can recommend suitable foods to go with it.

Also I wondered if I could use the dregs in cooking or will they be best just put in the bin?

Which house is it from?

Why waste a good bottle of vintage port with some distinctly un-vintage food? Just drink the wine by itself, much nicer.

[wadgebeast]

Worth decanting it through a very clean coffee filter to get all the crap out, then let it settle properly.

Big stinky stilton or very mature cheddar are the cheeses to go for, but we drink port by itself at the end of a big meal, sometimes with very dark chocolate.

[Motorrad]

It's from 'Graham', think I'm going to just drink it by itself or perhaps with some good quality dark chocolate.

[rhinochopig]

Motorrad said:

It's from 'Graham', think I'm going to just drink it by itself or perhaps with some good quality dark chocolate.

Chocolate kills port. You need something slightly salty.

[Bolebroke]

For heaven's sake make sure the decanter is clean..I once didn't rinse all the washing up liquid out well enough - porto spumante ! Somerset brie and camembert

[HiRich]

Motorrad said:

Also I wondered if I could use the dregs in cooking or will they be best just put in the bin?

I'm not sure if you'd want to try it, but there's a famous story from twenty or more years ago.

A well to do lady visits one of the finer wine merchants. She asks the salesman about some top notch vintage ports. Through the discussion she explains that her late husband used to be a regular customer and now she needs to do the buying. Eventually she selects something very special and expensive. As she's about to leave, the salesman (recognising the potential for a good, long term customer) politely wishes her well and hopes she will enjoy her bottle.
She replies "Oh no. My husband drank the port, I never liked it. I'll have to pour it down the sink, then I can spread the sediment on my toast..."
I believe the salesman's jaw was still on the floor as she waved him goodbye.

[LHDisbest]

I was lucky that my old man bought a case of Dows port a 1983, on the day on the day of my birth and it was a present for my 21st Birthday.

Only drank one bottle so far, keeping it for the major events in life!

[Plotloss]

You need to have a feast, a proper feast and it needs to be relatively heavy on the fat and be accompanied throughout by something robust.

Perhaps

Pigeon to start
Something involving duck as a main
a brulee to end

Barolo throughout

Then a good quality cheeseboard and then lay on the port.

And then feel the glorious sticky fortification and alcohol cut through all that fat.

[rhinochopig]

Plotloss said:

You need to have a feast, a proper feast and it needs to be relatively heavy on the fat and be accompanied throughout by something robust.

Perhaps

Pigeon to start
Something involving duck as a main
a brulee to end

Barolo throughout

Then a good quality cheeseboard and then lay on the port.

And then feel the glorious sticky fortification and alcohol cut through all that fat.

Good call - duck and port. Gout-tastic

[Horse_Apple]

Plotloss said:

You need to have a feast, a proper feast and it needs to be relatively heavy on the fat and be accompanied throughout by something robust.

Perhaps

Pigeon to start
Something involving duck as a main
a brulee to end

Barolo throughout

Then a good quality cheeseboard and then lay on the port.

And then feel the glorious sticky fortification and alcohol cut through all that fat.

I have a Vomitorium especially for such sensible dining.

[Plotloss]

Horse_Apple said:

I have a Vomitorium especially for such sensible dining.

A passage leading from an amphitheatre?

[Horse_Apple]

Plotloss said:

Horse_Apple said:

I have a Vomitorium especially for such sensible dining.

A passage leading from an amphitheatre?

That's a very civilised way of putting it

few people are aware of the actual meaning which has little comedic value.

[A8VIP]

Horse_Apple said:

Plotloss said:

Horse_Apple said:

I have a Vomitorium especially for such sensible dining.

A passage leading from an amphitheatre?

few people are aware of the actual meaning which has little comedic value.

Apart from the several million QI viewers...

[dan101smith]

Is a "normal" bottle of port worth laying down for a few years? By normal, I mean your typical £10 bottle of Cockburns etc.

[wadgebeast]

No.

Not even the lbvs.

Only the stuff declared as good vintage - it'll keep for decades.