B.O.B. in the UK?

[JB vintage]

I have noticed that there are several Buyers Own Brand of Vintage Port in the UK. I have found a few but would be very interested in what other brands are around. I have had the opportunity to buy/taste the following
- Berry's own selection
- Tesco
- Harrods
- Marks & Spencer
- Gilbey (presumably not alive anymore, latest known vintage is 1970)

Do you know any Buyers Own Brand?

[djewesbury]

There must be quite a number, as most of the large supermarket chains and department stores bottle something from either TFP or SFE - Co-op, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Fortnum's...

What about Selfridges? Morrison? Asda? House of Fraser? Harvey Nichols?

Also this year Corney & Barrow released a 2011 of their own.

[jdaw1]

Also this year Corney & Barrow released a 2011 of their own.

As did The Wine Society.

[Alex Bridgeman]

There are huge numbers of buyer's own brands of vintage port in the UK, both current and historic.

Current can be found at most of the supermarkets and many of the wine merchants. Tanner's have released a Skeffington under their own label this year.

Historic BoBs I have drunk or owned include the following ports:
Adams 1955 and 1963
Avery 1963 and 1966
Berry Brothers (various types)
Co-Op 2007 LBV
Davy's 1994
El Vino vintage character
Fortnum & Mason 1997
James Eadie ruby reserve
James & McCabe crusted bottled 1984
Justerini & Brooks directors' tawny
Marks & Spencer (various types)
Russell Mellow 1989 LBV
Morrisons 2007 LBV
Paxton & Whitfield 1989
Peatling's Crusted bottled 1989
Port Society Finest Reserve
Sainsbury 2000, 2003 and LBV 2007
Tesco 1994 and 1995 and LBV 2007
Waitrose 2007 LBV
Yates Brothers crusted bottled 1980
Yeatman 1992

[jdaw1]

Wine Society 2011.

[DRT]

Harrods and House of Commons also do BOBs. The bottles of the latest HoC offering look suspiciously like Fonseca Bin27.

[jdaw1]

I have seen, and been warned about, House of Lords claret.

[JB vintage]

There are huge numbers of buyer's own brands of vintage port in the UK, both current and historic.

Current can be found at most of the supermarkets and many of the wine merchants. Tanner's have released a Skeffington under their own label this year.

Historic BoBs I have drunk or owned include the following ports:
Adams 1955 and 1963
Avery 1963 and 1966
Berry Brothers (various types)
Co-Op 2007 LBV
Davy's 1994
El Vino vintage character
Fortnum & Mason 1997
James Eadie ruby reserve
James & McCabe crusted bottled 1984
Justerini & Brooks directors' tawny
Marks & Spencer (various types)
Russell Mellow 1989 LBV
Morrisons 2007 LBV
Paxton & Whitfield 1989
Peatling's Crusted bottled 1989
Port Society Finest Reserve
Sainsbury 2000, 2003 and LBV 2007
Tesco 1994 and 1995 and LBV 2007
Waitrose 2007 LBV
Yates Brothers crusted bottled 1980
Yeatman 1992

That is a huge number of buyer's own brands. Even if you only count the vintage port there are still a lot. In the past it was common not to write the supplier on the lable, but now I believe that it is mandatory, isn't it? Is the content the same as the supplier's normal vintage, or is it usually a different blend/selection (that might be better or worse)?

[RAYC]

That is a huge number of buyer's own brands. Even if you only count the vintage port there are still a lot. In the past it was common not to write the supplier on the lable, but now I believe that it is mandatory, isn't it?

I've never been 100% clear on this, but I think it has to state a "bottler" these days (rather than a shipper or supplier).

In any event, the name has become pretty meaningless in my opinion - the Symingtons now seem to "bottle" almost everything (except Vesuvio) under the "Symington Family Estates" name. Even the ex-cellars releases of old vintages of eg: Gould Campbell and Smith Woodhouse which were originally "shipped" by Smith Woodhouse, or Dow that were originally bottled/shipped by "Silva & Cousens", are also now under fresh labels that state SFE as the "bottler".....

Is the content the same as the supplier's normal vintage, or is it usually a different blend/selection (that might be better or worse)?

In terms of VP B.o.Bs, what i don't know is how many of these B.o.Bs are simply existing brands that have been re-labelled, and how many are bespoke blends.

Alex mentioned Tanner's B.o.B. is Skeffington - likewise Justerini & Brooks 77 VP was Gould Campbell, and the Fortnum VP for 1999 and 2000 was Niepoort Secundum etc. etc. In the olden days, i guess there was scope for favoured merchants to select (or be given) the best pipes / lotes, but i don't know whether that still goes on.

Of bespoke / unique blends, i can only immediately think of the following (though doubtless there were many more in the pre-70s era):

Berry's Own Selection 1970 ("Warre", but a different blend from that bottled under the Warre label)
Berrys' Own Selection 2007 (BBR website states: "Peter Symington, as part of his retirement celebrations (after a mere 45 years making superlative wines for Graham, Dow, Warre and the rest of them), made a very special vintage port, especially for us, its fruit sourced predominately from vines that also go to make up the Graham blend" [link])

[DRT]

I think I was told by someone in the trade that M&S have their own wine buyer(s) who like to participate in selecting the blend for their BOBs. One of the fruits of their labour was this monstrosity.

[RAYC]

I think I was told by someone in the trade that M&S have their own wine buyer(s) who like to participate in selecting the blend for their BOBs. One of the fruits of their labour was this monstrosity.

Their 89 was Morgan, as was their 90 (or 91) and 94. For VP, there then seems to have been a jump to 2007, which i have not yet tried.

[JB vintage]

I have tasted Harrod's 1982 VP that was sourced from Royal Oporto. It was quite good actually, which I did not expect as all the Royal Oporto 1982 I have tried was not very good and 75% has actually been defect.

[jeny123verma]

B.O.B means?

[jdaw1]

B.O.B means?

Hello Jeny. Buyer’s Own Brand. E.g., Wine Society 2011 is bought by the Wine Society, and their own brand, even though the Wine Society didn’t make it.

[Andy Velebil]

I think I was told by someone in the trade that M&S have their own wine buyer(s) who like to participate in selecting the blend for their BOBs. One of the fruits of their labour was this monstrosity.

Yes, just what exactly were you UK people thinking in forcing us all to now have Pink Port? And you all call yourselves serious Port drinkers (stirring the pot emoticon is needed)

[Alex Bridgeman]

Yes, just what exactly were you UK people thinking in forcing us all to now have Pink Port? And you all call yourselves serious Port drinkers (stirring the pot emoticon is needed)

We were trying to get the Port producers to make something specifically for the US market that could be drunk even younger than vintage port - it being a well known fact that all Americans like to drink vintage port on release. Now you can drink Pink Port while waiting for the latest vintage port to be shipped.

[Andy Velebil]

Yes, just what exactly were you UK people thinking in forcing us all to now have Pink Port? And you all call yourselves serious Port drinkers (stirring the pot emoticon is needed)

We were trying to get the Port producers to make something specifically for the US market that could be drunk even younger than vintage port - it being a well known fact that all Americans like to drink vintage port on release. Now you can drink Pink Port while waiting for the latest vintage port to be shipped.

We've discovered if you add Coke to it, it's even better.

[DRT]

Yes, just what exactly were you UK people thinking in forcing us all to now have Pink Port? And you all call yourselves serious Port drinkers (stirring the pot emoticon is needed)

We were trying to get the Port producers to make something specifically for the US market that could be drunk even younger than vintage port - it being a well known fact that all Americans like to drink vintage port on release. Now you can drink Pink Port while waiting for the latest vintage port to be shipped.

We've discovered if you add Coke to it, it's even better.

Do you snort it or inject it?

[Andy Velebil]

We've discovered if you add Coke to it, it's even better.

Do you snort it or inject it?

Depends on the mood. Sometimes we even drink it.

[Glenn E.]

We've discovered if you replace it with Coke, it's even better.

There, I fixed that for you.