ThePortForum.com

Hello,

I was wondering if you can help. I have a case of Dow's 1972 Vintage Port (12 bottles) and was looking to find out more about it. I am not a Port drinker per say but not sure what to do with it. Would like to see it in the hands of those that appreciate it.....

Many thanks

Gordon

Gordon,

Thanks for the enquiry. What you have is a port from a top producer that was made in one of the poorer vintages, there is also speculation that it was made using artifical brandy but my experience is that this doesn't affect the taste as far as I can tell (and is no worse for you than grape brandy would be).

It definitely has a value and could be easily sold via a local auction house. I would guess that you would net something in the order of £200-250 if you sold the case intact. You might also find that some of the others on this forum might be interested in making you an offer for the case.

Can you say a few words about how you came to own the case and how it has been stored since it arrived in the UK in 1975? All this will help people to fill in some of the back-story to the port. It will also help if you mention roughly where you are.

Thanks.

Well it was bought for me as a birthing gift, 1973 but I understand 73 was v bad year so 1972 was chosen.
It has been stored in a wooden box and each bottle encased in straw in an attic and more recently in cold cupboard.

I have never got round to sampling it but certainly for the price you mentioned, it is not worth selling.

I am in Glasgow.....

Many thanks AHB

Gordon

The trouble is that as a private seller you can only really expect to get about half of the retail price - sometimes a little more, but not much. Vintage Port is generally not a very good investment, with the exception of a few years by a few shippers, if you happen to have bought them at the right time; much better to think of it as a number of bottles filled with delicious liquid that's very pleasant to drink!

Great advice all-around so far. To which I would add only that since 1972 was a pretty poor year for Port, finding bottles from that vintage can be a bit difficult. You might get more for your bottles for that reason, though with Port the tendency seems to be that "rarity" and "quality" offset each other. The 40-year anniversary in 2012 would have been the prime year to attempt a sale... 2017 (45) would be the next decent opportunity, or 2022 (50) would be even better if you can wait that long.

1975 was a generally declared year, but is now considered to have been rather average (at best). I would think that you might be able to get more for your 1972 bottles than for equivalent 1975 bottles due to their rarity, but less than you would get for either 1970 or 1977 (two excellent vintages). I'd offer an estimate, but I'm in the US so my estimates would be based on US prices which are very different than UK prices.

Ultimately, our standard advice is usually to find some reason to drink your Port instead of selling it. The enjoyment you will get from sharing it with friends and/or relatives will be far greater than any money you might get by selling it.

Many thanks.... Great advice all round!
Will tuck into it then!

Cheers
Gordon

Gordon213 wrote:Many thanks.... Great advice all round!
Will tuck into it then!

Cheers
Gordon

Enjoy it Gordon. And let us know what you think of it!
Daniel

By pure coincidence, I have Dow '72 in the decanter at the moment. Nothing like as full bodied as the '70, and it seems a little sweet for a Dow; but otherwise a very enjoyable quaff.

Be sure to use a clean decanter when drinking these, and after decanting let it stand for a couple of hours before drinking to gain composure. If you don't finish the decanter on day one, be sure to keep it 'cellar cool'.

- Enjoy!