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How is it possible that vesuvio can release such a consistent product every year.

Do t hey blend a small portion of previous years into the current declared?

The Vesuvio VP is produced from a tiny proportion of the overall yield of the quinta so they are probably quite ruthless in the selection process during the harvest and in the blending room in terms of which grapes and wines to use.

If they blended in wine from a previous vintage they would be making crusted port, not vintage port, so I assume the answer to that question is no.

Interesting, a ton of grapes makes ~62 cases of wine with about 6 tons of grapes per acre.

vesuvio on average makes 2500 cases of wine a year or about 40 tons of grapes.

~ 7 acres of land out of 270 acres of planted lands in Vesuvio.

stringent pruning indeed!

Not pruning, but they are very strict about taking only the very best of the best grapes to make each years VP. Vesuvio is a massive property so they have a lot to chose from, and why they can do it.

Andy V wrote:Not pruning, but they are very strict about taking only the very best of the best grapes to make each years VP. Vesuvio is a massive property so they have a lot to chose from, and why they can do it.

Indeed. Anyone who has ever been to Vesuvio has seen the enormity of the estate. It is stunning to see how many micro-climates there are within the vineyard.

I can categorically assure you that we don't blend any old wines into a Vesuvio Vintage Ports, this would totally ruin the wine. All the other posts essentially answer the question, the size of Vesuvio and the many micro-climates allow us to make a very stict selection and only make a tiny amount of very consistant port every year. The weather at Vesuvio is also remarkable consistant - very hot & dry in the summer and very very cold in the winter therefore perfect Douro grape conditions.
Although Vesuvio is an independent quinta producing only Vintage Port and now 2 Douro DOC's, these don't account for more than a few % of the overall production. The remainder of the port made at the quinta is still of exceptional quality and Vesuvio acts as a supplier of finished Port to the other firms in my family's business for streaming into their blended wines such as LBV's, Reserves and Old Tawnies.

g-man wrote:How is it possible that vesuvio can release such a consistent product every year.

The other answers were wrong. The correct answer is ‟Because the Symingtons are fabulous”.

jdaw1 wrote:The correct answer is ‟Because the Symingtons are fabulous”.

I'll drink to that!

Julian - that is so cringe-worthy! - almost as bad as Gordon Brown on Mumsnet..

1) All Vesuvios do not taste the same - I'm surprised AHB has not chimed in on that front - but they do have some consistant characteristics..

2) Vesuvio is massive - some seven hills with a multitude of aspects, so the opportunities to pick and choose the right grapes to make a wine that fits the house style are plentiful.

3) Roughly 70% of vintages are declarable, and with such a choice of grapes to choose from, Vesuvio is able to raise the success rate to about 90% - but the Symingtons are not too proud to admit that some years do not meet the standard.

The Symingtons made a stellar purchase when Ferreira sold them Vesuvio, and their sound business acumen has seen Vesuvio dominate the single quinta brands.

- Long may that continue!

Tom

Would another factor be that the winemaking is simply getting better in general, which allows a high-quality produce to be made in lesser years? For instance, Taylor has declared a full vintage or a Vargellas in pretty much every year which Vesuvio has and I think the general consensus is that those are pretty good, too.

jdaw1 wrote: The correct answer is ‟Because the Symingtons are fabulous”.

uncle tom wrote:Julian - that is so cringe-worthy!

Uncle Tom wrote:The Symingtons made a stellar purchase when Ferreira sold them Vesuvio, and their sound business acumen has seen Vesuvio dominate the single quinta brands.

Are those two opinions very different?

Are those two opinions very different?

Yes.

The Symington family are blessed with sound, astute, business sense - I give them credit for that.

'Fabulous' is a horrid, tacky, luvvy, nauseating (- and dated..) expression..

Tom