Two bottles of port - advice please

[Gary Slater]

Hi
I have two bottles of port which I am assuming we're given as a present to my husband's grandfather who was a Stocktaker. They have been stored laying flat but I can't vouch for the temperature etc of where they were stored. They are a 1955 Martinez and 1963 Sandeman. I have other photos that I can upload if necessary.
Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

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[DRT]

Hi Gary,

Where are you?

Derek

[Gary Slater]

Hi Derek
I am in Cornwall but visit Hertfordshire regularly.
Gary

[Alex Bridgeman]

You have two nice bottles of port which will sell quite easily. Our general guide is to expect to net around 50% of the retail price, retail price being about £125 for the Sandeman 1963 and £220 for the Martinez 1955. The Martinez is in particular demand this year as it is the 60th anniversary of the vintage and mature, drinkable wines such as port sell well for landmark birthdays.

My estimate is that you could hope to get £160-200 for the two bottles.

There are a number of ways to sell. You might get a private offer generated by your post here, that happens quite often - keep an eye on your private messages.

You might be able to sell through a local wine merchant either by selling to them (they pay you when you deliver and the risk of whether or not these sell transfers to the retailer) or broking through them (they pay you when the bottles sell, less a commission which they retain for their efforts to sell the wines). Wadebridge Wines or the Nobody Inn are two companies close to you which immediately come to mind. You could also sell through an auction house. Your locations would suggest using Straker Chadwick in Abergavenny or David Lay in Penzance if you want a wine-experienced local auction house. Alternatively you could auction via one of the online auction houses which specialise in wine (such as http://www.bidforwine.co.uk).

Those are probably your main routes to selling the wines, but I would urge you to consider not selling these bottles. Mature vintage port is an absolutely fabulous drink and you have in front of you the opportunity to taste one of the finest wines made anywhere in the world at the peak of its drinking window. It would be a fantastic way to remember the man who was given these bottles to open and share them with friends and family. If you do decide to keep one or both and to drink it together then let us know and we can give you some tips on how to separate the wine from the sediment that forms in the bottle when a great wine matures.

Alex

[Gary Slater]

Thank you for your help and advice - it is much appreciated. How relevant is the fullness of the bottle to value and storage conditions to taste?

[DRT]

Thank you for your help and advice - it is much appreciated. How relevant is the fullness of the bottle to value and storage conditions to taste?

Both of these are very relevant.

The fullness of the bottle is know as the ullage - for bottles of this age one would expect the level of perfectly stored bottles to be either "in the neck" or "base of neck", the latter being the point at which the neck begins to curve out to form the shoulder of the bottle. Anything below that might be viewed with suspicion in terms of either storage or leakage. That is not to say that they are bad, just that the level is not ideal and could be a sign of a problem.

Storage is of paramount importance. Port is robust wine but even it cannot endure a decade in standing up in Grandma's kitchen cupboard. Ideally a bottle will have been stored at a cool, constant temperature in a dark place with a good level of humidity.Minor variations to those conditions can be fine but anything at the other extreme could very well have spoiled the wine.

How do these descriptions compare to these bottles?

[Gary Slater]

Hi,
I have attached pictures showing the levels. They have been stored laying flat in an indoor space under the eaves of the roof.

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[Alex Bridgeman]

The ullage doesn't cause me any concerns for bottles of this age, but the location where they were stored rings lots of alarm bells. When you say "under the eaves" do you mean in a loft or attic?

If you shine a torch through the bottle, what colour is the wine inside? Is it a pale orange or is it a ruby red colour?

[Gary Slater]

Hi,
Not in the loft: I will try to explain - we lived in a chalet bungalow and there was a small storage space accessed from a bedroom wall in the eaves at first floor level. They were stored horizontally in darkness. When both bottles are stood on a level surface the contents are ruby red with a light shone through them. However with the bottles tilted downwards towards the neck the contents at the neck are a paler colour with lots of sediment visible. If I can work out how to photograph them to show this I will post pictures.