Our 2007 Vintage is previewed in London

I've spent the day with Stokes, our UK agents with their clients and press at a tasting of their range in the Groucho club in London's Soho. We had a private room where I held a master class comparing a vertical range of Churchill's Vintage Ports with Quinta da Gricha Single Quinta Vintage Ports in order to introduce our new 2007 vintages.

I thought the 2007's showed maginficently. It really is a fabulous year with plenty of ripeness but also excellent natural acidity and tannins. Gricha's hightone fresh berry character and purity of fruit is outstandingly elegant but the broad shouldered complexity of the Churchill blend with its fine "green tea" aroma, meaty structure and lingering tannins makes it a classic vintage to put away in the cellar for many years.


Although not yet declared, it is highly likely that we, port shippers, shall all be declaring the 2007 as a vintage year this spring. Climatic conditions were perfect: the build-up of heat during the summer with a little rain at the end before the harvest allowing the sun to ripen the grapes beautifully. I predict a classic vintage as good as our 1985 and 1994.