30 year tawny and 30 year white Ports are wood-aged Ports are those which age entirely in cask or vat and are ready to drink when they are bottled. The 'thirty years' is an average age and may be a blend of several vintages and indeed previous batches of 30 year old. The wine maker is trying to achieve a consistent style so that whenever a bottle is purchased it will taste the same as previous bottlings.
As Port spends time in a barrel there is significant evaporation (often called the 'angels share') which concentrates the wine. Coupled with the extra oxidative ageing, the result is that, for a 30-year old Port, the original fruit of these wines is intensified, creating more complex characteristics where honey and spices are touched with deep aromas of dry peaches, hazelnuts and vanilla. /p>
Storage and Serving Tawny and white Ports should be stored upright and will not improve with additional cellaring - nor should they degrade. Barrel-aged Ports should not require decanting. We recommend serving slightly chilled in a white wine glass so that the aromas can develop. THe Port has already been oxidised in the barrel so, once opened, the wine will last a few months in a restoppered bottle.