Find a Port wine at an #NAAPro’s auction, and you’ll be on the “nice” list

It is almost the time for cozy fires, Christmas lights, Hanukkah menorahs and holiday cards. And if your auction attendees happen to enjoy wine, it is also the time to have a nice bottle of Port.

Port has a snobby reputation as an after-dinner drink consumed by gentlemen in the parlors of their elegant residential estates. This is unfortunate because it is a wonderful sipping beverage that truly almost any adult can enjoy.

Port is merely a wine made from Portuguese grapes that has been fortified with brandy. Because this wine is both rich and sweet, it is often served after-dinner as a

digestif paired with desserts such a cheeseboard, nuts or chocolate.

Interestingly, port is more of a British invention than a Portuguese one. While many areas of France are terrific places to grow the grapes that go into beautiful wines, England has never been as fortunate. With this in mind, during the wars with France in the 17th and 18th centuries, the fine wine drinkers of Britain were required to find new countries from which to purchase their wines.

Obtaining wines from Portugal seemed to make the most sense. However, a large proportion of the wine barrels would spoil during the lengthy voyage home to England. Fortunately, it was discovered that when Portuguese wines were fortified with additional alcohol from brandy, many more barrels could withstand the harsh trip. The earliest known shipment of fortified wine being transported from the coastal town of Oporto, Portugal to England took place in roughly 1678.

Types of Port

There are several varieties of Port, including red, white, rosé and barrel-aged. While much of the port we find in supermarkets is of mediocre quality, there are many fine Ports that are highly treasured for sipping. These can cost from $30 to hundreds of dollars per bottle.

Vintage Port is at the top of the list in terms of price, aging potential and prestige. This port is made only from the best grapes and exclusively in the years that have been “declared” to be outstanding. Further, vintage Port is produced by the Port wine houses of Portugal only a few times per decade.

Since these wines are so young and undeveloped upon release, they are usually stored away in cool cellars by collectors for years until they mellow and age into their full drinking potential.

Finding better wine at auction

For many customers, bidding for the first time at a wine and port auction can seem like an intimidating process. Prior to becoming the Fine Wine Director for Leland Little Auctions, in Hillsborough, North Carolina, I myself was an ordinary wine drinker.

Then, however, I eventually began attending auctions and soon realized that by purchasing Port at auction, I was able to find many of the better and older vintages (e.g., 1963, 1977 & 1985) that one simply could not find locally. And, more importantly, I discovered that I was able to purchase some of my favorite bottles of Port at a much better value.

So, during this holiday season, share the Port wine news with other buyers and sellers. It will make for something great and be sure to put you on many peoples’ “nice” list.