The main type of bottle aged Port is Vintage Port.

Vintage Port is the finest and rarest of all Ports, the most sought after by wine lovers, collectors and investors. It is a selection of the very best wine from a single exceptional year and represents only a very small proportion of the crop. A bottle of Vintage Port must always be stored lying down so that the cork is in contact with the wine and does not dry out.

Vintage port remains for only two years in wood, usually in a large vat. It is then bottled – long before it is ready to drink - and continues to age for many years or decades in bottle, gradually developing the sublime complex aromas which are the hallmark of a great mature Vintage Port.

Vintage Port ages for many years in the bottle
During the ageing process a sediment – or crust – will form in the bottle. Before serving a Vintage Port it is often necessary to decant it to separate the wine from the crust. Decanting also brings the wine in contact with the air, allowing the aromas, or ‘bouquet’, of the wine to open out after the long period during which the wine has been enclosed in the bottle.