1978 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: 
Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 1978 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 1978 vintage, our top recommendations and region reports. Scroll down to see all of our wines currently available. If you cannot find what you are looking for please call us on 01425 837177 or Contact Us. We would love to help you with your wine choice!
In France, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and the Alsace all enjoyed excellent years, producing a wide range of sophisticated wines, some of which were capable of great aging. For Sauternes, however, the year was distinctly average and, for Champagne, it was downright poor. For France, the star region was indisputably the Rhône Valley, which had a legendary year for both the north and south. Italy had a legendary vintage and Spain's was also notably good. Any of these wines would make a fabulous 48 year old wine gift for an Anniversary or birthday.
Our Wine Expert currently recommends the following wines for this year:
This Year in History: Fun Fact: Louise Brown, the first “test-tube baby,” was born healthy in Oldham General Hospital, UK.
Eurovision Winner: Israel with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta
Top Grossing Movie: Grease
Bordeaux: The 1978 wine vintage was excellent for the Bordeaux region. The dry, hot summer produced wines that were medium-bodied, deeply coloured, fruity and moderately tannic. The wines reached their peak of maturity in the 1990s but are still drinking well now and will continue to do so for some years to come.
Italian: 1978 was a trouble free vintage across the Tuscany region with an early spring, warm but not excessively hot summer and well distributed rainfall. There was a certain amount of rain early in the harvest but those producers who picked later benefited from a period of uninterrupted fine weather. Altogether for Tuscany this was a 4 out of 5 Vintage. Conversely, the year started with cold and damp weather in Piedmont. Spring was particularly wet with lower than average seasonal temperatures; not until the second half of June did the weather pick up, too late for the flowering, which took place in very wet conditions causing a significant reduction in the crop. After light rains at the beginning of September, the weather suddenly turned around and the rest of the month was hot and dry with a marked difference between day and nighttime temperatures. The dramatic improvement continued through until the end of the Nebbiolo harvest during the third week of October. Natural selection and a warm autumn meant a very small crop of thick-skinned Nebbiolo grapes in Barolo and Barbaresco. By the end of the season this hailed as a great, long-lived vintage with a rating of 5/5.
Portugal: 1978 was a good Port vintage, although not a declared one; the wines are not outstanding but are still attractive and drinkable. 1978 was the year when the labelling of 'single quinta' became popular. Michael Symington, Head Winemaker at Symington Family Estates (Owners of Warre's, Dow's, Cockburn's, Smith Woodhouse and Graham's among others) wrote of the 1978 vintage "Musts showed exceptional colour and body and very dark, heavy wines have certainly been made. Not a trace of mould or rot was to be seen on the grapes coming in, and seldom can a Vintage have been made from more uniformly healthy grapes."
12 products found.
Burmester, 1978
Colheita Port in Gift Tube
This is a wine of exceptional quality and elegance, a Casa Burmester classic that is made from a single harvest - a "Vintage Tawny" - aged in small 550-litre oak barrels in our Vila Nova de Gaia Cellars. It is bottled, at the very least, after seven years and in accordance with demand.
This is a wine of exceptional quality and elegance. Colheita ports are made from a single harvest - a "Vintage Tawny" - aged in small oak barrels. It is bottled, at the very least, after seven years and in accordance with demand.
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Price: £139.00
Stock: 13 in Stock
J W Hart, 1978
Colheita Port
150cl Bottle
Tasting note: With amber colour and golden hints this wine has an intense bouquet, dominated by the remarkable presence of the dried fruits with a refined touch of spices. In the mouth it is concentrated, firm and elegant. This wine of great deepness and with a noble character has an impressive and persistent finish.
Colheita Port Storage and Serving Advice:
Colheita Port should be stored in a cool and dry place, sheltered from light and temperature fluctuations, and the bottle should remain in an upright position. If stored correctly, Colheita Ports will keep for decades in the bottle. …
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Price: £148.00
Stock: 11 in Stock
Ferreira, 1978
Ferreira Vintage Port - Cellar Release
MAGNUM FORMAT 150cl
Includes Original Wooden Gift Box
This rare 1978 port wine is an exceptional wine produced from a careful selection of grapes grown on the company's estates.
Referred to since 1751, Ferreira has always been a synonym for great quality Portuguese wine. The history of the brand is intertwined with the history of the evolution of the Douro Demarcated Region, delimited in 1756, and its Port and still wines. Years later, the family company came under the management of Antónia Adelaide, widow of António Bernardo II.
Known to be a woman gifted with exceptional energy and a rare commercial talent, she managed to give a great boost to viticulture in the Douro and develop a notable social welfare activity in the region. …
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Price: £545.00
Stock: 11 in Stock
Quinta do Noval, 1978
Vintage Port
This Port is now beginning to reach its full maturity and is ready for drinking. As it ages further, it will begin to develop gently into a more tawny style Port. This Port should probably be drunk over the next few years although it is still showing remarkable balance and finesse. Fully mature and ready for drinking now.
Learn more about Quinta do Noval
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Price: £139.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Kopke, 1978
Colheita Port
Decanter 2021 Silver Award Winner
Comes in Original Gift Box
***94 Points- Mark Squires, eRobertParker.com 23 March 2016***
Review:
The 1978 Kopke Colheita Tawny Port was bottled in 2015 with 119 grams per litre of residual sugar and a bar top cork (typical for the house). It is very graceful for its age, finishing with a wave of sweetness, fruit and sugar. Emphasizing the caramel more than the molasses, this is irresistibly delicious, but it becomes more complex and puts on weight as it airs and warms. The wine shows off its power and hints of Brandy on the rather tense finish, too. Overall, this is a beauty that becomes more impressive the longer you sit with it. …
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Price: £149.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Delaforce Port, 1978
Quinta da Corte Vintage port
Review in the Port Forum
"Pale auburn in colour, with a rose rim. Floral honey on the nose, pleasant but not strong. Dusty sweet redcurrant jelly on the tongue, with the tannins showing through as a gentle dusty persistence. Floral and rose-water flavours in the mouth, not a heavyweight, but perfectly pleasant drinking. Nice redcurrant aftertaste, with an enjoyable slight bitterness to the finish." AHB Port Forum 2010
About Delaforce
Delaforce’s long history and dedication to producing high-quality port have made it a respected name in the industry. Now under the ownership of Real Companhia Vehla, their continued innovation and adherence to tradition ensure that they remain a prominent player in the world of port wine. …
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Price: £149.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Croft Port, 1978
Tercentinery Special Edition Old Tawny Port
To mark their Tercentenary Year Messrs Croft of Oporto have made available a limited quantity of an exceptional Port of Great Age. each numbered bottle of Reserva Particular reflects the unique style and tradition of the House of Croft.
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Price: £169.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Niepoort Port, 1978
Vintage Port
"Niepoort is to Vintage Port what Krug is to Champagne. They are both small houses in a world dominated by large competitors but they are producing outstanding wines which very few can match." (James Suckling, Vintage Port).
Niepoort is a family company now in its fifth generation and presently managed by Dirk Niepoort. Despite being the second smallest shippers in the trade they are second to none in quality. Already famous for their classic tawny ports, they have now joined the ranks of the great producers of Vintage Port.
Vintage Port must be bottled within two years of the harvest date and be 100 per cent wine from that harvest. …
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Price: £249.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Souza Port, 1978
Vintage Port
Fully mature and in a good place. Balanced and elegant port with a long finish.
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Price: £129.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1978
Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
Bin soiled label
This 1978 Single Quinta from Taylor Fladgate is a great colour. 70% opaque. Bright cherries on the nose, holding well. On the palate hints of the Vargellas fire. Long aftertaste and plenty of tannins. Excellent. VWP (TC) note 08 Tasting the Port Forum - 2018.
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Price: £149.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1978
Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
High Shoulder - Stained label
This 1978 Single Quinta from Taylor Fladgate is a great colour. 70% opaque. Bright cherries on the nose, holding well. On the palate hints of the Vargellas fire. Long aftertaste and plenty of tannins. Excellent. VWP (TC) note 08 Tasting the Port Forum - 2018.
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Price: £129.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Warre's Vintage Port, 1978
Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port
The 1978 Warre Cavadinha is the first release from this estate after it was purchased by the Symington family in 1978. The late ripening cycle of this estate dictates the style of Cavadinha Ports; they are fresh, elegant and have very fine aromas and now form the backbone of Warre’s Vintage Port.
Old vines make up a very high proportion of the vineyard, consequently these wines are dark and concentrated, but the south easterly aspect and higher altitude results in a very elegant style. The wines from the lower vineyards that border the Pinhão River are tannic, dark purple-red and concentrated but have superb aromas of tea-rose and violets. …
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Price: £169.00
Stock: Out of Stock