Borges Vintage Port 2018

Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges was founded in 1884 by two brothers, Francisco and Antonio Borges. In 1998 Borges became a member of the JMV group, a group of Portuguese investors. It is now owned by a coffee producer and much of the vineyards and stock has been sold to the well-known port house Taylor's. Meanwhile, a new winemaker is at the helm, from Taylor's! With the arrival of the new winemaker, the Port's style is changing from a more traditional 'tawny' style, requiring long maturation to a richer, more 'ruby' fruit style.

The Vintage Ports are Borges' showpiece. The port wine is a blend of Tourige Nacional, Tourige Francesca, Tinto Roriz and has a shelf life > 50 years. The Borges Soalheira Vintage Port has a deep dark red color, complex aroma of red and black fruits intertwined with spices. Fruity taste. Nice sweet aftertaste. The special character of vintage port requires careful handling before drinking. The bottle should be left upright for at least 24 hours before opening to ensure that the deposit has settled at the bottom of the bottle. Decant about 5-7 hours before consumption. Due to the relatively low tannin content of vintage port, it oxidizes relatively quickly. In practice, this means that vintage port should be drunk within 48 hours, after which the quality decreases noticeably. Because vintage port can be stored for a very long time, it can happen that the cork is of very poor quality. In order to be able to open the port properly, a method has been developed using a so-called port pliers. The tongs are heated until they are red hot. The pliers are then clamped around the neck (under the cork) for some time to then cool this neck with a very cold wet cloth.

This incredibly beautiful and scarce port is not to be missed with chocolate (desserts), spicy hard or blue cheeses (Stilton) and of course cigars.