If you’ve every travelled to Portugal, you will have left knowing every street in the country  goes up hill, both ways.

There we were – at the bottom of yet another hill, when we decided to go into Garrafeira Soares, a well known fine wine and spirits store in Porto. 

There are many ways to experience Port in Porto, and we were leaving the next day to stay in the Douro Valley for three nights specifically to experience three types of quintas up close and personal.

But I was curious to know about back vintages, and Garrafeira Soares has some serious skin in that game.

Their options go back to 1910, and there were a few bottles open for tasting in a controlled wine dispenser.  I was most curious about the 1940 Barros Colheita which was available for 40 euros a 15 ml splash.  An entire bottle (if they had any to sell) would have set me back 750 euros.

The 1940 Barros Colheita Port is a rare single harvest tawny from the Douro which saw extended oxidative aging in oak for many decades before it was bottled.

My sample was the colour of chestnuts (which we saw all over Portugal) or a deep amber, with developed aromas and flavours of mandarin oil, dried apricot, full on maple syrup, walnut (we also saw these trees everywhere), hazelnut, toffee and butterscotch.

The acidity was lip smacking which makes me think this port wine has not seen the end of its window yet.

Could it go as long as 100 years?  Yes, I’ll bet it will.  With acidity and fruit like that still evident, it is likely to do so.

This wine made my day – and gave me strength to walk to the top of the next hill.