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Hello,

I am traveling to Lisbon in a few days and wanted to know where the best place to buy Ports would be. I'm looking to buy older Colheita Ports that are generally rather expansive in the US. Thanks for your help!

Hi,

You could try Garrafeira Nacional.

Enjoy your trip.

Derek

DRT wrote:You could try Garrafeira Nacional.

won't help with

rsmith wrote:I'm looking to buy older Colheita Ports that are generally rather expansive in the US.

As Derek has suggested, Garrafeira Nacional is a good place to shop. However it is known for its wide selection, not its good prices. To some extent, though, that can be said for just about any shop in Portugal when looking to buy Port. Oddly, buying Port in Portugal is often more expensive than buying it elsewhere. There's virtually no "home field" discount.

So... don't look for good deals as you probably won't find many (if any). Look for Port that you cannot find in the US, and be willing to pay to get something unique.

Glenn is absolutely correct. Portugal is not a place to buy cheap Port. It can also be a very bad place to buy Port as storage conditions vary enormously. It is not uncommon to see extremely expensive old bottles in a shop window in the height of summer!

The reason I recommended GN was for their reputation rather than price.

DRT wrote:The reason I recommended GN was for their reputation rather than price.

Absolutely. GN has a great and well-deserved reputation for selection and quality. I sometimes use GN as a resource to determine whether or not a rare old Port even exists. If anyone is going to have it, GN is a likely candidate. And I have never heard a complaint about a bottle purchased from GN.

If you are willing to pay their prices, you will likely not be disappointed.

Is it not generally the case that the Portuguese themselves tend to drink tawnies far more than any ruby-style port?

Ed.W wrote:Is it not generally the case that the Portuguese themselves tend to drink tawnies far more than any ruby-style port?

Yes, I think that is true, but they don't buy it cheap if it is a premium category/brand.