1950 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: The 1950 vintage arrived after several strong post-war years and delivered a more restrained, classical style across much of Europe. The growing season was generally steady rather than dramatic: a respectable flowering, a warm but not excessively hot summer, and a harvest that allowed careful growers to bring in sound fruit. With wineries still working with relatively simple equipment, the best wines emphasise balance and finesse rather than power.
In Bordeaux, 1950 is considered a good, sometimes very good vintage, though not on the same level as 1945, 1947 or 1949. The top estates produced elegant, medium-bodied wines with perfume and supple tannins, and a handful of bottlings — particularly from the Right Bank — achieved impressive longevity. Many bottles are now fully mature and delicate, rewarding only when provenance has been excellent. In the Douro, 1950 saw some Vintage Ports produced, though it was not a universally declared year. Quality can be attractive and gently sweet, but generally lighter and earlier-drinking than the great benchmark vintages, and surviving bottles today are inevitably fragile.
Across Italy, results were mixed but steady. Piedmont produced some nicely structured Barolo and Barbaresco, while Tuscany showed greater variability, with many wines built more for medium-term than long ageing. Overall, 1950 is a vintage of charm and authenticity rather than sheer grandeur. Where storage has been impeccable, a bottle from 1950 carries great historical resonance and can make a thoughtful gift for a 76th birthday or anniversary, appreciated as much for its story and rarity as for the chance to taste a piece of wine history.
This Year in History: Fun Fact: The BBC Light Programme first airs the daily children's radio feature Listen with Mother
Born in this Year: Princess Anne, the only daughter of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, who is known for her charitable work and philanthropy. She became the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympic Games when she participated in the 1976 Olympics as a member of the British equestrian team.
Top Grossing Movie: Cinderella
Bordeaux: The top Bordeaux wines from 1950 are prodigious and outstanding, the two best appellations being St Emilion and Pomerol. The 1950 wines are unbelievably rich, unctuous and concentrated and in many cases are capable of rivaling the greatest of the 1949 and 1947 vintages. Any examples of these which have been kept with care would make a good 75 year old wine gift for a birthday or anniversary this year.
Italian: Long lived 1950 wines, such as Barolos from the Piedmont region, have stood the test of time and are still drinking well in what was a fair-to-good vintage.
Portugal:
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17 products found.
Kopke, 1950
Colheita Port
Limited release - just 5 bottles release in 2025.
The 1950 Kopke Port is a true rarity. Bright amber colour with a complex nose of dried fruits, suggestions of dried figs, nuts, almonds and hazelnuts. A harmonious whole, marked by delicious honey notes and a subtle touch of roasted peanuts. Rich and satin in the taste, reveals an excellent structure and a remarkable unctuosity. A powerful wine but also balanced and elegant with a singular persistent finish.
Colheita, or single harvest ports, are aged in the barrel. Contrast this with vintage ports which are aged in the bottle and only have a short drinking window after opening. …
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Price: £595.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau Gilette, 1950
Creme de Tete, Sauternes
The 1950 Chateau Gilette is a beautiful Sauternes dessert wine still has a wonderful golden colour. It tastes young and vibrant, with good acidity and finish.
Château Gilette is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Sauternes appellation within the Bordeaux region of France. It is renowned for producing sweet white wines, particularly Sauternes, which are made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes affected by noble rot. Noble rot, or botrytis cinerea, is a beneficial fungus that concentrates the sugars and flavors in the grapes, resulting in luscious and complex sweet wines. …
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Price: £349.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Cockburn Port, 1950
Vintage Port
Very faded labels
1950 Cockburn: This vintage was not widely regarded as one of the most auspicious, marked by challenging growing conditions and uneven ripening in some areas. Despite this, a select few houses, including Cockburn, chose to fully declare it, showcasing their confidence in the wine's potential. This decision, driven by the unconventional yet astute judgment of John Smithes, Cockburn’s master blender, has stood the test of time. His idiosyncratic approach to vintage declarations prioritized the character and structure of the wine over conventional expectations, and this wine exemplifies his foresight. …
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Price: £395.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Cockburn Port, 1950
Vintage Port
English Bottled
Provenance: Christies Sale Raby Castle
1950 Cockburn: This vintage was not widely regarded as one of the most auspicious, marked by challenging growing conditions and uneven ripening in some areas. Despite this, a select few houses, including Cockburn, chose to fully declare it, showcasing their confidence in the wine's potential. This decision, driven by the unconventional yet astute judgment of John Smithes, Cockburn’s master blender, has stood the test of time. His idiosyncratic approach to vintage declarations prioritized the character and structure of the wine over conventional expectations, and this wine exemplifies his foresight. …
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Price: £595.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Croft Port, 1950
Vintage Port
UK Bottled by Thompson D'Olier and Co.
Unlabelled
The 1950 Croft Vintage Port is from a well regarded vintage. Light-bodied and very sweet. Medium garnet, aromas of roasted nuts and plum, soft and silky on the palate, with sweet, nutty plum flavours.
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Price: £495.00
Stock: 8 in Stock
Graham's Port, 1950
Malvedos specially selected Vintage Port
Bottled by Corney and Barrow
Plain Label, Embossed capsule - Level upper shoulder.
A rare bottle of Malvedos 1950 Port.
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Price: £595.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Graham's Port, 1950
Single Harvest Tawny Port
Graham's, the port company owned by the Symington family, has announced the release of a Single Harvest Port from 1940. The launch of the “extremely rare” Graham's 1940 Single Harvest pays tribute to three generations of master blenders, who have tended to the wine over eight decades.
This wine pays tribute to three generations of Master Blenders who contributed to its prolonged ageing in the cellars. Across eight decades, generations of Master Blenders have left their mark on this extraordinary 1950 Single Harvest Tawny Port.
The deep auburn centre reflects the wine’s amazing concentration, while the pale ochre rim signals its venerable age. …
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Price: £1,295.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
J. de Maillac, 1950
J de Malliac Armagnac In own gift box
The *1950 J. de Maillac Armagnac* is a beautifully preserved vintage spirit from the heart of Gascony, now over 70 years old and presented in its own elegant gift box. Distilled in traditional copper stills from carefully selected local grapes, this Armagnac has spent decades maturing in oak, developing remarkable depth, richness, and complexity. A rare and distinguished example, it is both a luxurious drinking experience and a perfect gift for a landmark celebration such as a 75th birthday or anniversary.
In the glass, it displays a deep amber-mahogany hue with glints of gold, a testament to its long maturation. …
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Price: £495.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Madeira, 1950
Unknown Shipper BOAL
Madeira is a complex, interesting wine and is made in virtually every vintage. Due to the unique estufagem aging process Madeira is one of the longest-lived wines and also improves for days after opening, but will keep, once opened, for a month and more in a decanter. Medium orange amber color with 1 millimeter clear meniscus; appealing, light coffee, almond, reminiscent of Moroccan bastilla on the nose with a hint of passion fruit; tight, silky textured, tasty, balanced, rounded, tart orange, tart passion fruit palate with a vague sense of light salt; long finish.
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Price: £385.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Quinta do Noval, 1950
Vintage Port White plain label Branded capsules
Uk bottling by; E Sheldon
Mature tawny colour, attractive bouquet with spice and liquorice on the nose. Medium body and long finish. An attractive port from a classic vintage.
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Price: £495.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Salento, 1950
Rosso Vecchio, Ruffino, Puglia
Salento is in the region of Puglia on the heel of Italy. The Ruffino is a fortified wine made predominantly from the primitivo grape. The wine has a liquorice and spice bouquet, a medum body and a long alcoholic finish.
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Price: £269.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sandeman, 1950
Vintage Port Embossed capsule | White plain label
Color: Dark tawny with some red left.
Nose: Sweet Christmas spices. Rich, round sugar. Turpentine.
Palate: Some tannins, edgy. On the dry side for Port (which is typical to me for Sandeman). Decent fruit.
Finish: Medium length. Finish seems younger than the Port's age.
*Glenn E. For The Love Of Port.com*
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Price: £595.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Palmer Port, 1950
Colheita Port
50cl Bottle
Exclusive to Vintage Wine and Port
The 1950 Palmer Port Colheita is an extraordinary single-harvest Tawny Port, aged in seasoned oak casks for more than seventy years. From the dawn of the 1950s, this rare release offers a remarkable opportunity to experience a Port of great age and refinement. Complex, elegant and beautifully evolved, it is a wine of true historical significance. Drink now or over the next few years.
Tasting Notes:
Deep mahogany with amber-golden highlights at the rim. The nose is richly layered and mature, with aromas of dried figs, dates, chestnut, caramelised orange peel, polished wood, coffee and exotic spice. …
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Price: £349.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Harveys, 1950
Harvey's Extra Superior Amontillado Sherry
Bottled 1950
This Sherry wine, was bottled in 1950, An intense sherry that is matured in an oxygen present environment. The resulting wines are fragrant and the best examples will display dried fruits, leather, polished wood and exotic spices. It is characterized by nutty aromas, tobacco, aromatic herbs and often ethereal, polished notes of oak. The fusion of two different aging processes makes Amontillado wines extraordinarily complex and intriguing and a wonderful wine to pair with food
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Price: £195.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Madeira, 1950
MBV - Tinta Negra - Bottled by Barbeito
This is a rare and very limited release of the 1950 Madeira from the family cellars. The bottles are in perfect condition. There is something ethereal about tasting such a rare vintage. The 1950 Tinta Negra is very dry as one would expect from this style of Madeira. There is a huge amount happening on the complexity front with some bitter nut skin notes with dried flowers and citrus pith. Although quite dry, this does not come across as too severe. An electric wine that is astonishingly refreshing. Massive finish that goes on and on.
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Price: £595.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Madeira, 1950
Rutherford and Miles Sercial Madeira
The *1950 Rutherford & Miles Sercial Madeira* is a rare and distinguished example of one of Madeira’s most captivating wine styles. Produced from the Sercial grape—celebrated for its dry, racy character—this wine has spent decades ageing in seasoned oak casks, allowing it to develop a remarkable balance of freshness, savoury depth, and layered complexity. Now over 70 years old, it stands as both a fascinating piece of Madeira’s winemaking history and a truly exceptional tasting experience.
In the glass, it would present a burnished amber-gold hue with glints of green at the rim, a hallmark of venerable Madeira. …
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Price: £495.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Smith Woodhouse, 1950
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.
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Price: £495.00
Stock: Out of Stock