The 2/3rds Rule

Frederick Blais · Post by **Frederick Blais** » 13:58 Thu 18 Oct 2007

Admin Note: Here

ADV wrote: Remember too, there is the law of the third. So if three was 3 days of bottling (all things being equal), two days worth are kept by law and one days was shipped out.

My understanding of this law was about volume in the cellar, not a specific product. So as long as you only release a ratio of 1/3 each year for the volume of Port you have in your cellar, it is alright.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 14:40 Thu 18 Oct 2007

Fred,

I've never read the IVDP rules and so cannot give a direct version of the requirements of the 2/3rds rule - perhaps this is a good topic for Roy's next "ask the producer" session.

However, my understanding was that the 2/3rds rule was applied to the your stocks in total and not to the type of wine and or to the vintage. That is, you must have twice the volume of port still in your cellars as you propose to release in the current year.

So blending stocks destined for rubies can be used to balance VP stocks being released onto the market this year.

However, as I mention, I have not read the actual rules so this understanding is based on what I have read in various books.

Alex

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 14:53 Thu 18 Oct 2007

AHB wrote:perhaps this is a good topic for Roy's next "ask the producer" session.

Good point. And to be mischievious, would that be Roys FTLOP, site that dares not mention our name, although we regularly mention his and others?

Sorry, just wanted to feel superior for a moment!

Do you think as this is quite a relevant Port subject, as well as affecting this particular Tasting Note, we should move, or at least duplicate it in the Port Topic section?

Alan

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 15:02 Thu 18 Oct 2007

Yes. I think its worth splitting this out into a new thread called something along the lines of "The 2/3rds rule"

Alex

Post by **DRT** » 22:07 Thu 18 Oct 2007

Will do so when on something more functionally rich than a blackberry

Jay P · Post by **Jay P** » 06:21 Sat 20 Oct 2007

I have two magnums and two 750 mL's, purchased at the site of sale. Another 750 was available but showed signs of leakage so I passed.

My experience with this wine on tasting (admiditly young) can be defined as "wine of the vintage". I thought this was a fantastic young port, which might not even reach maturity in my lifetime. No VA, no problem, all good!

The key here may be to check the bottles before purchase. Don't buy the leakers, and you may be in for some very very nice port.

Jay

Andy Velebil · Post by **Andy Velebil** » 13:06 Sat 20 Oct 2007

The way the law was explained by a producer to me was (for a current vintage release) for every bottle they put out for sale, they have to have 2 retained by the producer.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 17:51 Sun 21 Oct 2007

When I thought that through, the logical conclusion is that the producer will never be able to (a) release a large parcel of a particular wine (like the Morgan 1991) that take out more than a third of his stocks; or (b) be able to sell his last two bottles of a particular vintage.

I think its more practical to say that the stocks held at the end of the year must be no less than 2/3rds x (Opening Stock + Production).

But I emphasise that I have no better information than my interpretation of some less than clear english reference books based on a translation which may be inaccurate.

When I have time I will get round to offering this to Roy as a question for the producers.

Alex

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 21:00 Sun 21 Oct 2007

My understanding is that the purpose of the one third law was to prevent overly young rubies from being released into the market.

Without this rule, some producers might be tempted to bottle and sell their entire year's production before the following harvest - putting a lot of cheap and very raw wine into the marketplace, and spoiling the reputation of the product as a whole.

I don't think there was ever the intention to restrict the distribution of wines at the quality end of the scale, so I'm pretty certain the law applies to total production and stock, and not individual products.

Tom

Post by **DRT** » 00:34 Mon 22 Oct 2007

Thread now split. Let me know if any more content needs to be copied from one thread to the other for continuity.

Derek
Deputy to the Creators Assistant

Post by **DRT** » 00:55 Mon 22 Oct 2007

Surely this rule can only relate to the total volume of juice you have in stock and not at a product level. If it applied to each product in each vintage the 2/3rds of the port ever produced would never leave the shippers cellar

Frederick Blais · Post by **Frederick Blais** » 04:28 Mon 22 Oct 2007

Sorry for taking so much time coming back on this. Busy tasting

I just remembered a talking I had with Jorge Borges of Pintas/Passadouro. He explained to me that because of the 2/3 law, there was not much new Port producers seing the day. Because either you have to put ports in the cellar to build stocks and this means not having money coming while you invest, or either you have to buy stocks from casa do Douro and this means spending money before you start making some.

So I am pretty convince that it is applied to volume in stocks and not bottle release.

Obsolete or not, this law with the beneficio are giving value to vineyards and stocks at the moment.