I just attended the 2024 Vintage Port Preview Tasting in Chicago and it was AMAZING! Why? Because it has been seven years since last the general Vintage Port declaration. Seven years! This is a big deal because it happens so rarely.

Why is vintage port a big deal? Because when the largest Port houses – Taylor-Fladgate, Symington Family and Quinta do Noval – declare a vintage, it means that the growing conditions were near-perfect and the harvest timeline also was near-perfect. And that has not happened since 2017.

Port is a complicated wine to make, involving a lot of time and patience. Here are a few interesting points about Port wine:

1. Port wine comes from the Porto region of Portugal – which encompasses the famous Douro Valley, which was the world’s first demarcated wine region in 1756.
2. Port is made from a melange of grapes – notably Tourigo Nacional, Touring Franca (aka Touriga Francesa), Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Tinta Cão and sometimes others.
3. White Port – which you should definitely try in a Porto Tonico – mixed with tonic water on ice, with a squeeze of citrus – is made from white grapes, including Malvasia, Gouveio, Rabigato and Viosinho (and others).
4. Port is first made as a “regular” red wine, and then it is fortified with high-quality brandy. Then it does time in either wooden barrels or stainless steel tanks, until it is bottled.

Tasting 15 Vintage Ports

The tasting included 15 2024 Vintage Ports. At first, I was like, “Oooof, this is a shit-ton of Port!” Port is sweet and rich and a little higher in alcohol than standard table wine, and it was 1:30 in the afternoon. Well, we’re professionals, so let’s go!

I was amazed at how delicious they were. I mean, they’re so young now – just two years old. But they were all drinkable now, and will only get better in the bottle over time.

They all shared freshness of fruit, exceptional balance and deep, luscious flavors ranging from stewed black and red fruits, chocolate, and often herbaceous notes, like eucalyptus or mint. Some had dried violets on the nose. Some had bright citrus notes. Some even had nutty aromas. It was a fascinating tasting! And we all left with teeth stained purple (I had to brush my teeth for a good 10 minutes when I got home.)

The panel discussion included executives, family members and winemakers from Symington Family Estates, Taylor Fladgate Partners and Quinta do Noval.

The walk-around tasting before the seated tasting was super-cool, as each winery was pouring their 2024 Vintage Port and a much older Vintage Port – sometimes a 2004, or a 2007, it varied. But it definitely brought to life the extreme ageability of these wines.

It’s really hard to call out favorites, but I’m going to do it anyway. Here are all 15 vintage port wines that we tasted, with my faves in bold.

• Cockburn’s 2024 Vintage Port (pronounced Co-burns)

• Croft 2024 Vintage Port

• Dow’s 2024 Vintage Port

• Fonseca 2024 Vintage Port

• Graham’s 2024 Vintage Port

• Graham’s The Stone Terraces 2024 Vintage Port

• Quinta do Noval 2024 Vintage Port

• Quinta do Noval Nacional

• Quinta do Passadouro 2024 Vintage Port

• Quinta da Romaneira 2024 Vintage Port

• Taylor Fladgate 2024 Vintage Port

• Taylor Fladgate Sentinel 2024 Vintage Port

• Quinta do Vesuvio 2024 Vintage Port

• Warre’s 2024 Vintage Port

You Should Try It

What do these bottles cost? I’m not entirely sure, but I saw some wholesale prices, and I am guessing they will retail for about $100 – $200 per bottle.

What I recommend: buy two bottles of one of them. Drink one now (not all at once, silly – a great Port will stay fresh, properly sealed with a Vacuvin stopper for several weeks). Write down your tasting notes. Put the other bottle away – for a long time. Like, put it away for 20 years or more. In 20 years, pull out your tasting notes from the bottle you have now, and compare. Yes, this wine geek gets a big charge out of that, and so will you!