Tawny Port 10 and 20 Years Old: Panel tasting results
Some of the best expressions of tawny Port....
Richard Mayson began his career working for The Wine Society, winning the Vintner’s Company Scholarship in 1987 during his time there. Now specialising in the wines of Iberia, especially fortified wines, he owns a vineyard and produces wine in the Alto Alentejo, Portugal, and is the author of four books, including The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal (winner of the André Simon Award 2003) and Port and the Douro. Mayson writes regularly for Decanter and The World of Fine Wine, contributes to the Oxford Companion to Wine and lectures for the WSET diploma and Leith's School of Food and Wine in London. In 1999, he was made a Cavaleiro of the Confraria do Vinho do Porto in recognition of his services to the Port wine trade, and he was an associate editor of Oz Clarke’s Wine Atlas. Mayson runs his own website for fortified wine enthusiasts, portandmadeirapages.com, is currently writing a book on the wines of Madeira.
Some of the best expressions of tawny Port....
Find out the key elements to understanding tawny Port – Richard Mayson talks ageing, careful selection and finely-tuned blending...
It's time to start thinking about festive fortifieds...
The colour of a Victoria plum. Rich, heady aromas of fresh figs and raisins with soft yet spicy glacé...
A touch of torrefaction lends a full, savoury character to the nose and palate. It’s still very fresh and rich on the mid-palate...
Brick-red at the centre with a distinct amber-tawny rim. Gentle and fresh aromas with a soft, sweet, suave fruit palate...
Expert Richard Mayson helps guide you through the maze of tawny Port classifications, explaining each of the age indications and the Reserve terminology in his definitive tawny Port style guide...
Ripeness and tannic structure characterise Port in 2011 which, despite difficult weather conditions, could rank as a legendary vintage in a new era of better winemaking and improved spirit quality.
If you need inspiration...
Find out who won the regional trophy for over £10
Find out who won the regional trophy for over £10. And the winner is...
Find out who won the regional trophy for over £10
Find out who won the regional trophy for over £10
A trip to Madeira is a trip back in history...
In his last Decanter article on Portuguese wine, Richard Mayson looks back over 26 years in the trade and picks his favourite producers of yesteryear, today – and tomorrow��
2003 has been declared a vintage by all the major the Port houses - and the wines look well-structured and certainly long-lived.
Vintage port is often held up as the most aristocratic of wines. But RICHARD MAYSON argues that a 20-year-old tawny can offer greater overall drinking pleasure.
Portugal has spent the last 20 years rediscovering its terroir. RICHARD MAYSON looks at how its best quality areas are now prospering.