1970s port talors and warrer

Port to sell? Excellent! Please post here, with details of what you have, how stored, and where in the world it is. Please start by reading our ‘Standard advice to would-be vendors' and ‘A note to wine merchants’.
Post Reply
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

hi, i have 6 bottles of port for sale, i have 3 bottles of 1975 taylors port, 2 bottles of warre's port one is 1974 and one is 1975 and one tailors 1970.
i moved house a year ago and found these bottles in the shed lying on their side on a wooden shelf! i don't drink, and know nothing about port, somebody told me they could be worth something so am putting them on here to see if theres any interest in them, i have stated i know nothing about port and stupidly i brought them into the house and put them upright in a cupboard which i have been told they have to be on their side, they have been in house up right for 2 to 3 months max, the 1970s taylor(the oldest one) has had a problem since bringing it in house, i think where i have brought them in in a warm condition the sealed bottle has come apart and the cork was showing, i was able to lift the cork and has now been pushed back in so not sure if this is at any value, a great shame for this one, will it go off because its had cork off for a second? anyway all the others are sealed still and have not been opened, i am based in surrey, would anyone be interested in these? i was able to upload 3 pictures and couldn't upload any more but do have more, will try to upload on another tread, many thanks, also 3 of the bottles the label has worn away but can still see at the top of bottle what it was
Attachments
SAM_0680.jpg
SAM_0680.jpg (26.04 KiB) Viewed 7517 times
SAM_0679.jpg
SAM_0679.jpg (33.8 KiB) Viewed 7517 times
SAM_0678.jpg
SAM_0678.jpg (26.7 KiB) Viewed 7517 times
User avatar
jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
Posts: 23613
Joined: 15:03 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: London
Contact:

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by jdaw1 »

Your post has now been approved, so more pictures can be posted here.

One of these bottles might have been good, if the storage conditions weren’t terrible (Taylor 1970). The others weren’t great before being stored in an outdoors shed. And Warre 1974 is very unusual.

Have you friends to whom they could be given?
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

thanks for your reply,i now wonder if the 1970s taylor is worth anything as been opened, should it be drunk with friends? i would like to sell them instead of giving them to friends if possible as they will just sit around for years not going to good use!
Attachments
SAM_0685.jpg
SAM_0685.jpg (33.63 KiB) Viewed 7512 times
SAM_0682.jpg
SAM_0682.jpg (26.34 KiB) Viewed 7512 times
SAM_0681.jpg
SAM_0681.jpg (24.54 KiB) Viewed 7512 times
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

more photos
Attachments
SAM_0693.jpg
SAM_0693.jpg (15.93 KiB) Viewed 7511 times
SAM_0691.jpg
SAM_0691.jpg (25.89 KiB) Viewed 7511 times
SAM_0687.jpg
SAM_0687.jpg (28.79 KiB) Viewed 7511 times
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by DRT »

Hi Susan,

The Taylor 1970 would have been interesting for a buyer but not now that it has been open. Vintage Port should be drunk within a few days of being opened and this bottle will deteriorate quickly now that air has entered it when the cork was loose. I'm sorry to say it is now worthless and should be drunk soon.

The other bottles you have look to be in better condition but as Julian has already said the storage conditions have been terrible and the wine inside could very well be spoiled. Someone might offer you a small amount of money for them but you will not get anywhere near their normal retail value, perhaps 25% at best.

1975 Warre and 1975 Taylor are not great wines to begin with. That vintage was rather weak and the wines were at their best about 25 to 30 years ago. Being stored in a garden shed and then standing upright will have made matters worse. You might get £10-£15 for each bottle if someone close to you is prepared to come and pick them up and take the risk.

The 1974 Warre LBV is unusual but nothing particularly special in terms of value. Again I would expect a maximum of £10 for that bottle.

If storage had been perfect you might have been able to sell them for twice those prices or perhaps a little more.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

thank u for your reply, this is all very interesting as I've known nothing about port! such a shame about storage, what are the conditions that these should be in to be kept well? too late now but interesting to know!
thanks for the info on 1970s bottle, maybe i should try some tonight with my husband as don't want it to be a waste! shame i won't know if its good or not as don't drink! thanks very much to every one thats replied
User avatar
jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
Posts: 23613
Joined: 15:03 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: London
Contact:

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by jdaw1 »

Susan wrote:i now wonder if the 1970s taylor is worth anything as been opened, should it be drunk with friends?
Worth approximately nothing. And what are friends for if not to share such things.
Susan wrote:i would like to sell them instead of giving them to friends if possible as they will just sit around for years not going to good use!
The vintage 1975 has a weak reputation. They’ll be worth something for the birthday market, but the provenance is so not-good that it might not be worth the effort of selling them.

Warre 1974: an even weaker year than ’75, but it might have some rarity/curiosity value to a member of this forum. See who replies.
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

thank u, how should i store them for the mean time? loft? where its cooler?
PhilW
Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
Posts: 3503
Joined: 14:22 Wed 15 Dec 2010
Location: Near Cambridge, UK

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by PhilW »

Susan wrote:thank u for your reply, this is all very interesting as I've known nothing about port! such a shame about storage, what are the conditions that these should be in to be kept well? too late now but interesting to know!
thanks for the info on 1970s bottle, maybe i should try some tonight with my husband as don't want it to be a waste! shame i won't know if its good or not as don't drink! thanks very much to every one thats replied
Hi Susan; ideally port should be kept at a steady temperature of around 12 degrees, at good humidity, with the bottles lying on their side.

When the temperature varies significantly, expansion/contraction of the bottle/contents/cork will allow air in/out which degrades the wine; this is why storage in garages/sheds in the UK tends to cause damage quite quickly, as the day/night temperature fluctuates significantly.

Bottles are normally stored horizontally in order to keep the cork wet, to maintain the seal between cork and bottle. If upright and in dry conditions, the cork will dry out and the seal may fail, again allowing air in/out and/or evaporation/leakage of the wine.

In your case the bottle may well have been strongly heated such that not only has the cork risen, but also broken through the capsule - that takes some pressure! So, I'm afraid this bottle will likely be in very poor condition, unless that occurred very recently.

At this stage therefore, I would suggest that you try drinking the '70 yourselves; please note in case you are not aware that it will need decanting (essentially filtering; see elsewhere on the site for further decanting information). The bottles from '75 are from a poor year, and given the storage conditions are likely to be in poor condition and of little interest I'm afraid; I would suggest cooking with them, if anything. The 1974 Warre LBV might be your best chance for a decent drink (probably better than either of your '75s, and at least not opened as per the '70) - it would also need decanting - but I would suggest that given the storage issues, anything that tastes good here will be a bonus.
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

thank u again for all of this information,u have been very helpful, i have just taken the cork of the 1970s and tried some, its tastes very strong and also full of flavors! i have tried port many years ago, i don't remember it tasting this strong,but i know nothing!!! its also a brownish colour, is that right? if its been open for a while or for however long will it be ok to drink?
Glenn E.
Graham’s 1977
Posts: 4172
Joined: 22:27 Wed 09 Jul 2008
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Glenn E. »

Port doesn't really "go bad" in the sense that it might make you sick. If it tastes okay, then it's still okay to drink.

A brownish color on a vintage port just means that it has started to oxidize. For a true Port enthusiast that's a bad sign, but there's really nothing wrong with it and it won't make the Port "bad" per se. It just won't be what someone familiar with Port might be expecting.

1970 Taylor is one of the best Vintage Ports around. You're getting a treat whether or not it is in top shape, so enjoy the bottle! Normally we would advise drinking a vintage Port within 24 hours of opening, but that's to meet the normal expectations for Port. Since you really don't have any of those expectations, you'll be able to enjoy the bottle for a couple of weeks at least. Even after that it will likely taste fine, but some of the flavors that you're noticing will have gone flat and not be quite as interesting as they are right now.

If you have a friend who likes wine, have them try it. They may be able to tell you if the bottle has been heat damaged, which might then inform the potential quality of the other bottles that you have. As others have already said, the 1974 Warre is an interesting bottle because it is an unusual year from which to find a Port, so there may be interest in that bottle simply because it is relatively rare.
Glenn Elliott
Susan
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 7
Joined: 13:35 Fri 13 Feb 2015

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by Susan »

Thank u very much, lots of interesting information there,I will try to have someone taste it who knows anything about port,
It does taste very strong! i had two little glasses,really tiny as so strong tasting, can't wait to get into bed now and very thirsty!!!!!! Thanks everyone
User avatar
jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
Posts: 23613
Joined: 15:03 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: London
Contact:

Re: 1970s port talors and warrer

Post by jdaw1 »

[Team: hush. Let Susan finish what she has, and we’ll have grown ourselves another enthusiast who comes to all out tastings.]

Susan: see you at some tastings in May.
Post Reply