1976 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 1976 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 1976 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!
The 1976 vintage was, for much of the wine world, a mixed bag. For France, the vintage was fairly good with Bordeaux, Sauternes, Burgundy and the Rhône Valley all enjoying a reasonably good year, while the year for Champagne, the Loire and Alsace was excellent. Italy endured a less than successful year while Spain, and Port had good but not great years. Any of these wines would make a fabulous 49 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: The first commercial Concorde flight takes off[6] from Heathrow Airport for Bahrain.
Eurovision Winner: UNITED KINGDOM with the song "Save Your Kisses For Me" by Brotherhood of Man
Top Grossing Movie: Rocky
Bordeaux: 1976 wines still offer delightful, attractive drinking if they have been well stored. The wines are characterised as soft-bodied, with low acidity levels.
Rain during the harvest that followed the long hot summer of 1976 tarnished what could have been the vintage of the decade. Much to general surprise, the 1976 vintage although mature on release has maintained its maturity to date.
Italian: A large crop was produced, but the 1976 wines lacked the ripeness and longevity of the preceding vintage. Although the wines will not improve further with age, they are still very drinkable - Barolo or Amarone being the most likely to offer a great experience.
Portugal: Following the driest winter on record there was a total drought throughout the summer, until the end of August. This resulted in a very low production, however those ports that were produced are exceptionally concentrated and full-bodied. They lack a little freshness but this is understandable given the dry conditions. There are very few bottle aged ports available but the Colheita ports (barrel aged) from this year are excellent.
Spain: A good year that produced good quantities of Rioja. Gran Reserva made the annual average of 7%.
Shop with Confidence
All of our premium wine gifts are available for fast, immediate delivery directly from our own cellars. With no minimum order required—buy just one bottle or as many as you like!
- Free UK standard delivery on all orders over £100
- Complimentary tasting notes and personalized gift messages—add yours at checkout
- Three-month replacement guarantee for complete peace of mind
- Choose from our exclusive range of luxury gift boxes
- Award-winning retailer: IWC Fortified Wine Merchant of the Year (2024, 2022, 2021)
- 5-Star Trusted Shops rating for exceptional customer satisfaction
9 products found.
Quevedo, 1976
Colheita Port, Douro DOC
***94 Points- Robert Parkers- Wine Advocate***
Includes Quevedo Presentation case
This extraordinary 1976 Colheita Port wine from Quevedo was born during one of the hottest and driest years in 20th-century Europe. With meticulous care, it fermented in granite vats and aged for nearly 50 years in chestnut wood barrels. Today, it offers a harmonious and intricate palate, with notes of creme brulee, nuts, spices, and citrus, that will surely tantalize your taste buds and leave a lasting impression.
Tasting notes: This wine's aroma is as elegant as it is complex, with a delightful medley of flavors that include creme brulee, nuts, caramel, almonds, hazelnuts, spices, and citrus. …
more >>>
Price: £169.00
Stock: 72 in Stock
Quinta da Devesa, 1976
Colheita Port in presentation box
***94 Points - Robert Parker ***
Special Offer | WAS £139 | Now £99
Colheitas are dated Tawnies from one single harvest. The minimum age requirement is 7 years, but the tradition at Quinta da Devesa is to age several more years before bottling. The wine ages at their cellars in "balseiros", "tonéis" or 550 litre casks.
Learn more about Quinta da Devesa
Tasting Notes:
The Quinta da Devesa Colheita 1976 Tawny is orange-brown in coloir with a slight verdant edge. Orange peel and smoky caramel notes on the nose. Maple and orange notes, spice on the palate. Full bodied and in perfect balance this is a delightful, yet a powerful and lively wine. …
more >>>
Price: £99.00
Stock: 36 in Stock
Messias, 1976
Quinta Cachao Vintage Port
The 1976 Quinta do Cachão Vintage Port from Messias represents a classic expression of the renowned Douro Valley's terroir and wine making craftsmanship. The estate has a rich history of Port wine production, dating back generations. It is known for producing wines that reflect the unique characteristics of its vineyards and the Douro’s microclimates.
Tasting Notes
Tawny colour. Caramel, coffee, figs and walnuts in the nose. Medium body. Mature and appearing in flavour - raisins and dried fruit in abundance. Elegant and complex with an attractive and good finish. VWP Tasting 2016. …
more >>>
Price: £170.00
Stock: 17 in Stock
Quinta Das Carvalhas, 1976
Colheita Port | In Gift Presentation Tube
** 98 Points - James Suckling **
*** 95 Points Wine Spectator ***
"Colheitas" such as this 1976 Quinta Das Carvalhas are Porto's great quality, originating from the single harvest mentioned on the label. After harvest, the wine is aged in seasoned oak barrels for a significant period, often until the point of bottling, allowing it to develop complex flavours and characteristics unique to the vintage.
Tasting Notes
Wine Spectator's tasting notes describe the wine as having rich, creamed peach and papaya notes, along with light hazelnut and ginger cream nuances. The finish is elegant, with jasmine oil and honeysuckle adding complexity. This port has been praised for its balance and intricate flavors, making it a great choice for special occasions or as a collector's item. …
more >>>
Price: £189.00
Stock: 29 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1976
Guimaraens Vintage Port
REVIEWS:
1976 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port - The color of this was amazing dark, being solid black with a tawny colored rim around the outside. I can’t ever remember seeing a color like this on this old VP. The nose was very gummy and thick with a floral aspect similar to the elderberry flower. Very reducted on the palate with thick tar, raisins, and green stems. Yet it was still tannic at the same time. The finish was moderate with a rich mint aspect to it. While good in its own right, served blind this could have easily been mistaken for a lighter style PX Sherry. An extremely dry winter was followed by a hot summer causing springs and wells to dry up for the first time in living memory. …
more >>>
Price: £269.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1976
Guimaraens Vintage Port
Unlabelled
REVIEWS:
1976 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port - The color of this was amazing dark, being solid black with a tawny colored rim around the outside. I can’t ever remember seeing a color like this on this old VP. The nose was very gummy and thick with a floral aspect similar to the elderberry flower. Very reducted on the palate with thick tar, raisins, and green stems. Yet it was still tannic at the same time. The finish was moderate with a rich mint aspect to it. While good in its own right, served blind this could have easily been mistaken for a lighter style PX Sherry. An extremely dry winter was followed by a hot summer causing springs and wells to dry up for the first time in living memory. …
more >>>
Price: £239.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1976
Late Bottled Vintage Port
Late Bottled Vintage port is from a single year. The wine ages 4-6 years in old oak casks (opposed to Vintage that ages 2-3). LBV fills the gap between the rubies and the vintage ports since a Ruby Port should be drunk quite young and a great Vintage Port may need 15 to 20 years to really open up and show its splendour. This led to the idea in the 1960s to age the wine 4 to 6 years in large casks before bottling it.
LBV's display the style of a Vintage Port with its deep colour and concentration of fruit but with a more mature character caused by the longer ageing in wood.
…
more >>>
Price: £149.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1976
Taylors Vargellas Single Quinta Vintage Port
The impressive 1976 Vargellas is a 50% Opague mature mahogany colour as befits this hot vintage. lots of spice on the nose which is full of cedar wood and plums. on the palate the wine is very attractive. Full bodied, full flavoured with masses of dried fruit. Very tasty. Big aftertaste and a long, full finish. Very, very impressive wine.
Learn more about Taylor’s
more >>>
Price: £245.00
Stock: 7 in Stock