claims a spot as the oldest Port house in existence, founded in 1638. It’s aged several years in oak (typically 4–6 years), then bottled ready to drink. You get vivid aromatics: red fruit, rose petals, spice, hints of balsamic and menthol. On the palate, how about some jammy black and red berries, structure from firm tannins, balanced sweetness and acidity? Sound good? Yup. It’s sweet and smooth, well balanced too.  

But what’s the difference between LBV Port, Tawny Port, and Vintage Port? It only seems as arcane and confusing as deciphering the label of a German Riesling. Really, it’s kind of easy. Think of Ports as you do people at various stages of their lives.

You know how some people age gracefully while others shine right away? That’s how Port works. All three — Vintage, LBV, and Tawny — start from the same rich, fortified base in Portugal’s Douro Valley, but each takes a different path.

Vintage Port is the showpiece — made only in exceptional years, bottled young after a short time in oak. It’s fierce and brooding at first, built to evolve for decades. With time, it turns velvety and complex — a slow bloom of spice, dark fruit, and depth. Vintage is the one you wait for.

LBV, or Late Bottled Vintage, is its more relaxed sibling. Also from a single vintage, It may not be a declared vintage suitable for Vintage Port, so it stays in barrel for four to six years before bottling, so it mellows early. The tannins soften up, the fruit opens up, blackberries, cocoa, and spice glide easily up and across the palate. It’s up, up, up all the time. LBV is for drinking now, not cellaring forever.

Then there’s Tawny Port, the wise elder of the family. It spends long years in oak, trading deep purple for amber-gold. The fruit fades into notes of caramel, roasted nuts, and dried apricots — a warm, honeyed whisper of time itself. Tawny isn’t about youth or power; it’s about grace and reflection. It’s the “been there, done that” Port.

So basically, it’s kind of like the people you went to high school with: Vintage is promise, LBV is pleasure, Tawny is memory. You don’t need to remember the details, they’ll all wear name tags at the reunion — what is important is how each one feels. One to dream on, one to share, and one to savor slowly as the light fades. At least with Port, even if you end up with one you’re not exactly in love with, it’s still a pretty good experience.