Visiting the Port Wein Messe 2024 recap
Axel Probst, preparing the Masterclass 2024
Port Wein Messe 2024
One of the highlights of the year is undoubtedly the annual Port Wein Messe, hosted by Axel Probst, author of the world-famous book Portwein. During this event, attendees have the opportunity to taste nearly 200 wines—more if you join the dinner, where the selection expands even further! Representing the best port wine producers from the Douro Valley, this event is a true celebration of the region's heritage.
The day also features a morning Masterclass, each year focusing on a unique theme. This year, Rob Symington, Marketing Director of the Symington Family Estate and a proud member of the Symington family, led participants on a journey through time with an exceptional vertical tasting of Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Ports, including wines from the exclusive ‘Capela’ vineyard.
Carefully pouring 60 glasses of Quinta do Vesuvio’s Vintage Port from 2007. One of the 8 wine’s of Quinta do Vesuvio tasted during the Masterclass
The table is set - ready to taste a vertical tasting of Quinta do Vesuvio 1995-2022
Tasting notes of the Quinta do Vesuvio vertical:
First of all - who is, or better yet, to whome belongs Quinta do Vesuvio? Quinta do Vesuvio, one of the most iconic estates in the Douro Valley, boasts a rich history dating back to the 16th century. Its prominence rose in the 19th century under António Bernardo Ferreira, who developed it into one of the largest and most prestigious wine-producing estates in Portugal. Known for its traditional winemaking techniques, Vesuvio became synonymous with high-quality vintage ports, produced using foot-treading methods in granite lagares (today Vesuvio is still using this technique). The estate's grandeur and reputation have been integral to its enduring legacy in the port wine world.
Today, Quinta do Vesuvio is owned by the Symington family, one of the most renowned names in the port wine industry. The Symingtons acquired the estate in 1989, restoring its facilities and maintaining its commitment to traditional winemaking while incorporating modern innovations. Under their stewardship, Vesuvio has flourished, producing world-class vintage ports and red table wines that are highly regarded globally. The estate continues to represent the pinnacle of Douro winemaking, blending heritage with forward-thinking craftsmanship.
Capela
The Capela wines from Quinta do Vesuvio are a rare and exceptional expression of the estate's winemaking artistry. Introduced as a special category of Vintage Ports, these wines take their name from the chapel (capela) located on the property, symbolizing tradition and reverence for the estate's heritage. Produced only in the most extraordinary years, the Capela Vintage Ports represent a meticulous selection of the best grapes from specific vineyard plots, showcasing the highest quality and concentration possible from the Douro Valley.
What sets the Capela wines apart is their complexity, intensity, and exceptional aging potential. Crafted in extremely limited quantities, these ports are made using traditional methods, including foot-treading in stone lagares, and are aged in barrels to develop their unique character. The wines are known for their rich, layered flavors of dark fruits, spices, and floral undertones, often earning critical acclaim and high ratings. The Capela range solidifies Quinta do Vesuvio's status as a producer of some of the world's finest and most sought-after Vintage Ports.
Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela 2007:
A great vintage port that shows fruity notes like raspberry and has also a nutty complex body, with a long aftertaste. In the beginning you can taste licorice notes. This wine shows more spices than other Vesuvio’s
Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela 2011:
2011 has been a perfect year for the Vintage Port’s from the Douro. This is one of those gems that you want to taste once in your life. The color of the wine is very ruby red, showing silky thickness that promises great flavors. After smelling this vintage port, cherry, raspberry and sweet wood flavors come to the nose.
Drinking the wines gives incredible tannins, very long and super complex flavors, like they never end. Ceder wood can also be recognized on the pallet. This is an outstanding wine!
Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela 2016:
Comparing the 2016 with the 2017 was our assigment, jumping across 5 years of vintages (2011-2016). In the nose, when given enough oxygen, the wine shows strong acidity, vinegar and fermented grapes. The wine isn’t super complex and the body flavors are like sweet candy, peach and a bit less afterglow in the mouth.
Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela 2017:
When comparing this to the 2016, you can understand why years can differ so much. The 2017 is an outstanding wine, with full sun on the grapes, creating a much higher complexity in the flavors.
Although the nose isn’t super strong, it gives beautiful flowers. This is truly a masterpiece and very well worth the investment.
Quinta Do Vesuvio Capela 2022:
With a price already over 250,- EUR this youngest vintage from 2022 (bottled in 2024) is as purple in color as you might expect. The first flavors hitting your nose are those famous Touriga Nacional Violet flavors, that are so particular for the young vintage port’s from the Douro. It’s not as complex as the 2017 yet, but that might change over the years, as the complexity isn’t good to measure when vintages are still so young. The body of the wine is full of vanilla notes and this wine produces very strong tannins, just like the 2011.
Vintages
Quinta do Vesuvio 2015
Instead of moving forward in time, we now take a step back, beginning with the 2015 vintage and working our way backward in 10-year intervals. These three wines span a timespan of 30 years, offering a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Vesuvio’s vintages. The 2015 has a long, complex aftertaste where violet tones dominate the flavor profile. While it doesn’t reach the complexity of the Capela wines, it still showcases notable herbal laurel notes. However, it feels slightly flatter in comparison.
Quinta do Vesuvio 2005
The 2005 vintage presents intriguing, albeit slightly unusual, notes of burnt caramel. It is an enjoyable wine to drink now but lacks the depth and longevity of standout vintages like 2017 or 2011. While it offers a pleasant experience, it does not quite rise to the level of greatness associated with Vesuvio’s top years.
Quinta do Vesuvio 1995
Tasting a 1995 vintage is always a joy, and this one delivers with a delightful combination of ripe and stewed fruits, complemented by warm spices. This wine is at its peak drinking window, offering a fully developed flavor profile. However, keeping it for another decade may risk it going over the hill, so drink it now to savor its richness at its best.
Single Harvest (grahams’s)
The final wine we tasted was a single harvest Colheita from Graham’s, served from an impressive 4.5-liter bottle. This 1974 Colheita provided a fitting conclusion to this year’s Masterclass, transitioning from Vintage Ports to the more oxidized and sweeter-styled Tawny wines. While the nose of this 1974 was truly remarkable, the body of this particular Single Harvest felt somewhat less compelling compared to other 1974 Single Harvest wines we would encounter during the rest of the event.
The main event
After the Masterclass - it’s time to enjoy the full port wein messe with over 150 wines!
Welcome to the main event - A port wine tasting of over 150 wines, waiting to be discovered, shared and analyzed . This event hosts the top of the Douro Port’s, such as Quinta do Noval Nacional, Taylors Very Very old Port, Agri-Roncão DR L70 and Menin 50 year old White (personal favorite). The event is the perfect place to network, meet other port enthusiast, collectors and also the people making the port wines. The one place so many winemakers from the Douro join each other and share their knowledge, passion and wines they produce.
We have tasted many of the 150 wines that have been opened and here are some if the highlights:
3 different blends of the Quinta do Noval 2022 Vintages including the Passadouro, the standard Vintage and the Nacional (excellent - 100 points) (€1100,- per bottle)
The first appearance of Menin Douro Estate - with winemakers Tiago Alves de Sousa and João Rosa Alves. Great guys with even greater wines! Our favorite was the 50yo white port (€189,- per bottle)
Churchill’s wines never disappoint as they have a very interesting and unique finish, with loads of orange in the palette - 30 year old Tawny . (€115,- per bottle)
Taylors came with a 50yo golden aged tawny - an incredible wine that has the perfect balance and is probably one of the best 50 yo tawny’s you can find. (€250,- per bottle)
1994 Vintage from Quinta de la Rosa - perfect to drink now but also great to leave for another 10/20 years in the cellar. (€100,- per bottle)
Quinta do Crasto came with a great line-up of young vintages from 2015 - 2020 - and especially 2016 caught our attention. (€50,- per bottle)
Niepoort had some outstanding port’s for display - memorable was the current new bottled Party Port - a reserve tawny that gave great complexity, for a reserve tawny.
The event also brought together fantastic people from all over Europe, creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere. We had an amazing time connecting with everyone and look forward to seeing them again next year. As evening approached around 6:00 PM, the outdoor lights illuminated the venue, adding a warm ambiance. People began to relax even more, savoring the final hours of the fair. However, like all good things, this too had to come to an end. By 7:00 PM, the main event concluded, and attendees gradually started to leave, with the venue clearing out by 8:00 PM. But for those who decided to stay, there was a delightful treat in store — the exclusive after-dinner party!
The After Dinner Party
If you really like to connect to producers, importers and friends of the Port Wines, the dinner after the Port Wein Messe is a must-visit. Of course you will enjoy great food during the diner, but you will need to bring a bottle of wine yourself, to share with all the guests on your table or on of the many other tables. This is truly an amazing concept, making it an even more memorable event.
If you haven’t messed up your tasting buds during both the Masterclass or the tasting event, then this is the time to do so! With many wines from old cellars, dating back 100 of years, you can count on a really cool wine tasting to expand your knowledge about wines, going deep into great stories behind every bottle, by both private owners, winemakers and importers from Port Wines.
Just take a moment and check some of the wines on this table! Incredible and I already miss being able to taste all of them!
Before, during and after our meal, we were invited to drink all the wines opened for us and i most warn you - those wines have been amazing. Some of weirdest, oldest and best wines I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting had all be presented in about the same time. One rule applied here though: You can’t open the wine if it’s not your own - you can only drink those who are offered to you or who have been places on these tables. Luckily, everybody seems to bring enough wines to share so there is always a perfect port of still wine to taste that you have never had the pleasure of trying before.
Some of the wines you can see here on the table are:
Quinta Vale d. Maria Vintage Port 2017 (magnum)
Graham’s 1994 Vintage Port
Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage port 1995
Warre’s 2003 Vintage Port
Warre’s 1994 Vintage Port
Dow’s 1994 Vintage Port
Quinta do Noval 1998 Vintage Port
Quinta da Boeira LBV 2020
Quinta Nova Vintage Port 2017
Menin Vintage Port
Churchill’s Vintage Port 2017
Quevedo Crusted
Quevedo Vintage 2021 Vintage Port
Quevedo 50 yo Tawny Port
Niepoort LBV 1995
Vau Vintage 2000 Sandeman
Ramos Pinto 1994 Magnum Vintage Port (Quinta de Ervamoira)
And many many others (75 people or more join this dinner with most people bringing in 1/2 wines per person)
In this Galary below you can find most pictures taken during the Port Wein Messe 2024.
See you all there next year? To everybody that has attended, to all the winemakers and winelovers and of course to Axel and his family - thanks for making this happen!
Saude!
Ruud Scholten
The Portologist
