Fonseca 1963 Neck Note

[Alex Bridgeman]

As posted in a different thread, I have stood upright a bottle of Fonseca 1963 hopefully, with which to celebrate the safe arrival of Julian's second child. Attached to the bottle was a small card, about 4 x 2 inches and folded in half. On the inside of the card was written the following, from a quaintly bygone era:

What is Vintage Port?
Vintage Port is the supreme example of port wine and is declared only in a year of exceptional quality.
Years such as 1868, 1896, 1912, 1922, 1948 and 1963 are renowned among connoisseurs of vintage port.
The young port is bottled after two years once the shipper is certain that the wine will develop well in bottle.
After a minimum of twelve years this superb wine becomes ready for drinking, and will last for up to twenty five years - sometimes longer. Evin in a vintage year only a very small quantity of the total is declared.
To appreciate vintage port at its best one should stand the bottle up 24 hours before opening sothat the natural deposit can settle on the bottom.
4 hours before serving, the bottle should be decanted with great care, and the decanter-stopper left off for 2 hours so the wine can breath, thus expending the bouquet. Preferably, vintage port should be enjoyed at the end of the meal or during the evening, and it is usual not to smoke until after the first glass. Vintage port is one of the greatest of all wines and its appreciation is a cultural joy.

Guimaraens, Vinhos, S.A.R.L.
Oporto

This is an exact copy of the text of the leaflet - errors and particular phrasing included. I love the romance of the thought that in 1963, connoisseurs of vintage port were still enjoying bottles of 1868 and 1896 Fonseca - if only!

Alex

[g-man]

nice =)

A congratulations to julian for his new born too.

[DRT]

nice =)

A congratulations to julian for his new born too.

The child has not yet been decanted

[uncle tom]

One of my older bottles (I forget which one - I think it's a '55..) has a note attached as a second label, advising the purchaser to be sure to lay down the bottle for a least six months after purchase, so that it might recover from the shock of transport.

I've long had a nagging feeling that good port needs to be treated gently and kindly to be really enjoyed, but there's probably no science in that...

Tom

[SushiNorth]

A note -- several bottles from a set of Fonseca 77's came with the exact same label. The years cited are also the same: "1868, 1896, 1912, 1922, 1948, and 1963"

Either they had a great many of these labels, or still had not felt 66, 70, or even the 77 they labeled lived up to the 63.