Port

Dow’s · 10 Year Old Tawny Port · Douro, Portugal · 750ml

Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port blends older wines for complexity with younger wines for fresh fruit and vibrancy. Long maturation in oak casks develops a reddish-amber color and a nutty character, expressed in Dow’s characteristically drier house style.

Character & Style

The winemaker describes a full, nutty bouquet, citrus and vanilla accents, and a soft, lingering finish. The supplied reviews add dried berries, caramel, hazelnut, fig, plum cake, and dried cherry. The 10-year designation is an average-age indication for the blend, not a vintage date.

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate · 92 Points · Attribution as Supplied
This is an interesting take on a 10-year-old tawny where it comes across more like a classic Late Bottled Vintage. Full-bodied, medium dry and tannic. Dried berries and a light caramel undertone.

Wine Spectator · 92 Points
Solid, with hazelnut, fig, plum cake and dried cherry notes in lockstep from start to finish. A streak of hazelnut husk tilts to the drier side of the tawny spectrum, resulting in mouthwatering cut on the finish.

Wine Enthusiast · 90 Points · Incomplete Supplied Excerpt
This is a rich, nutty wine, satisfyingly ripe, poised between sweet and dry. Its touch of spirit adds to the sweetness of the wine and balances with the acidity from wood a

The Wine Enthusiast excerpt supplied with the listing ends mid-sentence; no missing text has been reconstructed.

Winemaker Description

10 Years" indicates an average age – this Aged Tawny Port is a blend of older wines, which offer complexity and younger wines, which bring fresh fruit flavors and vibrancy. During their long maturing period in oak casks, Aged Tawnies undergo subtle color changes: the deep red hue which characterizes Port's youth gradually gives way to a paler reddish amber color. Dow's is known for its characteristically drier house style.

This 10 Year has a full, nutty bouquet with citrus and vanilla accents on the palate and a soft lingering finish.

House Background

The supplied history traces the business to Portuguese merchant Bruno da Silva’s move to London in 1798 and the Symington family’s involvement from 1912. It names Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira as Dow’s vineyards. Awards mentioned for the separate 2007 and 2011 Vintage Ports are not presented as ratings for this tawny.

Serving & Pairing Suggestions

Try slightly chilled in a small wine glass. Consider toasted nuts, almond desserts, caramel-based sweets, or aged cheese, or enjoy a small pour on its own after dinner.

Wine Details

• Producer: Dow’s
• Style: Aged Tawny Port
• Age designation: 10 years, an average age as described by the producer
• Origin: Douro, Portugal
• Maturation described: Oak casks
• House style: Characteristically drier
• Bottle size: 750ml

Croft Reserve Ruby Port — Douro Valley, Portugal

Croft is one of the oldest and most storied Port houses in the Douro Valley, with roots stretching back to 1588. Their Reserve Ruby is a vintage-character Port — a step above standard Ruby, blended from wines aged three to four years in neutral oak barrels to achieve greater complexity, depth, and consistency. Fruit is sourced in the traditional way from the highest-quality individual growers across the Douro, where varying altitude and aspect create the character that defines this style. In the winery, Croft’s innovative “Port Toes” robotic treading technology replicates the gentle action of human feet, maximizing fruit quality without damaging the grape seeds.

The nose is powerful and inviting: rich blackcurrant, woodland fruits, and subtle cedar and spice. On the palate, black fruit and chocolate dominate, with good weight and structure and a fine, lingering finish. Sweet, fortified, and deeply satisfying, this is a Port built for immediate enjoyment — no decanting required, no waiting necessary.

“A powerful, rich blackcurrant bouquet with subtle hints of cedar and spice. In the mouth, black woodland fruit and chocolate flavors dominate. Good weight and structure with a fine finish.” — Croft Port

• Producer: Croft Port, Douro Valley, Portugal (est. 1588)
• Style: Reserve Ruby Port (Vintage Character)
• Appellation: Douro DOC — Porto, Portugal
• Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
• Aging: 3–4 years in neutral oak barrels
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blackcurrant, woodland fruit, chocolate, cedar, spice, rich and sweet finish
• Best Paired With: Dark chocolate, fruit-based desserts, Stilton or aged cheddar, walnuts, after-dinner cheese boards

One of Portugal’s oldest Port houses at its approachable best — Croft Reserve Ruby delivers vintage-character depth and richness at an everyday price, ready to pour and enjoy tonight.

Winemaker Description

The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness.

Churchill’s purchased the estate of Quinta da Gricha in 1999, and it quickly formed the spiritual heart of the house, and is where all the wines are made today before being sent downriver for aging in Vila Nova de Gaia. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness. Drink the wine from 2029.

C.N. Kopke Fine Ruby Port — Half Bottle (375ml)

Founded in 1638 by a German family of the same name, Kopke is the oldest Port house in existence — a living piece of Douro history with nearly four centuries of winemaking tradition behind every bottle. Based in Vila Nova de Gaia, Kopke has long been celebrated for producing Ports of exceptional quality and character, from their entry-level Ruby to their legendary Colheitas. The Fine Ruby is the house’s approachable, crowd-pleasing expression: a young, vibrant Port aged in a combination of stainless steel and oak for a minimum of three years, blending wines of different harvests to achieve a consistent, rich, and aromatic style. Now available in a convenient 375ml half-bottle.

The grapes are hand-picked at optimum ripeness, destemmed, crushed, and carefully macerated to extract color, tannins, and aromas, before fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Grape brandy is added at the precise moment of ideal sweetness to create the final fortified wine — a process unchanged in its essentials for centuries.

Deep ruby with a garnet rim. A classic bouquet of lively young fruit — plum, bright cherry, and fresh red berries — with a delicate, harmonious balance. Firm and powerful in the mouth, with flavors of fresh fruit and a long, smooth finish. A crowd-pleasing Ruby Port with a vibrant, sweet feel.

Food Pairings & Serving

• Dark chocolate and chocolate desserts
• Cheese boards with blue cheese or aged cheddar
• Fruit tarts and berry desserts
• Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature

Blend: Traditional Douro varieties (Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Touriga Franca)
Appellation: Douro DOC, Portugal
Style: Fine Ruby Port, aged min. 3 years
Winemaker: Carlos Alves
Format: 375ml (Half Bottle)

Expert Review

The Wine Spectator 94 Points | A very inviting, open style, with butterscotch and caramel notes framing the core of glazed pear, caramelized peach, golden raisin and warm fig flavors. The lush finish lets crème brûlée and ginger cream details hang, showing a flash of honeysuckle for lift.

Winemaker Description 

If time is marked by special moments, Kopke’s history is written in exceptional years.
Years that are worth keeping, so they can be relived and celebrated any time. When we retrieve years from Kopke’s history, we are creating more history: the age on the label of this Kopke Port wine is the average age of all the wines in the blend.

The wine should be stored in a cool and dry place, sheltered from light and temperature uctuations, and the bottle should remain in an upright position. Over time, it is natural that sediment will form at the bottom of a bottle of Port wine.

• Hand-picked at the optimum time, the grapes are then destemmed, crushed and converted into wine through a process of careful maceration to extract their colour, tannins and aromas, enhanced by constant churning during fermentation. This takes place in vats (lagares) at a controlled temperature (between 28-30°C) until the right degree of sweetness (baumé) is achieved. At this point, grape brandy is added to create the final fortified wine. A wine of high quality, made by blending wines of different harvests to achieve the array of sensory qualities that are typical of these aged tawny Port wines. These wines have each matured in oak casks for varied periods of time, with the average age of all the wines in the blend defining the age on the label. The resulting blend expresses the characteristics given by the ageing in wood.

Kopke · Late Bottled Vintage Port · 2020 · Douro, Portugal

Kopke Late Bottled Vintage Port 2020 combines fragrant red fruit and floral notes with a fresh, firmly structured palate. Deep ruby in the glass, this LBV offers raspberry and cherry flavours alongside spice, balsamic hints and a touch of menthol.

Freshness and fruit frame the wine's firm tannins, leading into a long, enduring finish. Bring this 750ml bottle to the table with a strong-flavoured cheese, a dark chocolate dessert or a red-fruit dessert, following the producer's pairing suggestions.

Winemaker Description

Kopke: Deep ruby in colour. Intense and fragrant on the nose, with aromas of red fruit and rose petals combined with notes of spice and hints of balsamic. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant on the palate, with firm tannins wrapped in fruity flavours (raspberry and cherry). Hints of menthol make this LBV interesting and irreverent, with a long and enduring finish, in keeping with Kopke's style.

Tasting Notes

Red fruit and rose petals lead the aromatic profile, accented by spice and balsamic notes. Raspberry and cherry flavours wrap around firm tannins, with freshness, hints of menthol and a long finish.

Food Pairings

Kopke recommends red meat, dark chocolate desserts, red-fruit desserts and strong-flavoured cheese. Try a dark chocolate tart or a cheese board as a starting point for an after-dinner pairing.

Wine Details

• Producer: Kopke
• Vintage: 2020
• Style: Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV)
• Region: Douro, Portugal
• Appellation: Porto
• Grapes: Red Port blend
• Colour: Deep ruby
• Bottle size: 750ml

Fragrant red fruit, firm structure and a lingering finish for the cheese or dessert course.