In many wine regions of the world the best type of wine is made every year. This is not true of Vintage Port. The Port producers do not ‘declare’ a Vintage Port in every year, only in some, when they believe the wine will have enough power and durability and excellence. For most Port brands, this happens about one year in three. There is an obvious question: which years did which producers declare? There is an obvious route to the answer: ask them. They sent answers, some slightly wrong, some very wrong. Correspondence went along the lines of ‘Your list doesn’t include 1958, but your 1958 exists, and is good.’ Several previous books have included an appendix listing producers and years. Each has a list of producers by year, or years by producer, with no evidence and no verifiability. All those lists have errors, both of inclusion and omission.

Port Vintages has evidence of which Port producers declared which vintages, and for each, all the facts and stories that could be found. It is organised into producer chapters, and within those, by vintage.

In 2018, when Port Vintages was published, I had firmly intended that to be the end of that decade of work. But after publication much more material was sent to me: by friends, by acquaintances and by strangers who became friends. Thank you. This second edition contains that extra data, and all of the good information from the first edition. Port Vintages is the definitive chronicle of Vintage Port. Enjoy, both the book and the drinking!

The book is only available at academieduvinlibrary.com. To learn more about J D A Wiseman's work, please visit www.portvintages.com.
For bulk orders and trade customers, please contact hermione.ireland@academieduvinlibrary.com

‘My first taste of Port was in October 1987 at matriculation dinner, Queens’ College Cambridge’ declares Julian Wiseman. ‘Immediately I knew this was the wine for me, but was too young and unwise to note what it was. Later I learnt that it might have been a 1970, a Vintage which is still drinking beautifully - but its era will soon end. Prior to Port Vintages, there are two things for which the Port trade has known me: one as a consumer, I’ve drunk about twelve times my body-weight of Vintage Port (not slender and 6'1½" ≈ 187cm). Portuguese law used to prohibit the sale of large bottles. In 2009 I persuaded the authorities to end that ban, and now most vintages are also offered in proper-size bottles: 300cl (double-magnum) and 600cl (Imperial).’ In March 2016 the Confraria do Vinho do Porto admitted Julian ‘as an Honorary Confrade with the rank of Cavaleiro, Knight.’  

• Weight 3.25 kg