2018 Wine and Port Vintage

Barros was founded relatively recently, in 1913, by Manoel de Almeida in the Port hub of Vila Nova de Gaia. The grapes for their port come from the vineyards of Quinta de São Luíz in the Douro, before being overseen throughout production by Chief Winemaker Carlos Alves. Considered to be some of the most representative of the Douro region, Barros’ vineyards also produce DOC Douro wines, dry wines described as being ‘fresh, soft and full of harmonious elegance’.

Barros produces a huge range of high-quality ports from some of Oporto’s oldest surviving cellars, and much of the prestige they now enjoy as a port producer is due to their Colheitas. Old Tawny ports harvested in a single year and aged in casks for a minimum of seven years, their Colheitas form the backbone of Barros’ success today. Although seven years’ ageing in wood is the mandatory minimum, the company keeps ageing their ports in these casks until their release on the market, bottling them to order. While this does result in a much larger ‘Angels’ Share’, the amount of wine lost to evaporation over time, the end result of intense, outstanding wines makes it a small price to pay. Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 2018 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 2018 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 2018 wine vintage was, overall, very successful. For Europe, the 2018 summer was a particular sizzler, in some cases rivalling that of 2003, and had a profound effect on many of the wine regions.

Our Wine Expert currently recommends the following wines for this year:

Sandeman 2018 Vintage Port

Barolo 2018 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera

Chateau Musar 2018 Bekaar Valley Gaston Hochar

Chateau Laville Sauternes Bordeaux 2018

Kopke 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port

 
This Year in History: Fun Fact: In 2018, the treadmill celebrated its 200-year anniversary. Originally, it was designed as a torture device. Some may argue it still is!!!
Eurovision Winner: Israel won with the song "Toy" by Netta.
Top Grossing Movie: Avengers: Infinity War.
 
Portugal: The 2018 Vintage is aptly described by wine makers as a "rollercoaster of a vintage". A drought throughout winter gave way to exceptionally high rainfall and hail in spring. This was followed by sporadic heatwaves throughout summer. Fortunately the spring rains had replenished the water table and the grapes were healthy when it came to selection. In an unusual year such as 2018, the winemakers skills and experience are critical in producing a good wine. Those winemakers who carefully selected grapes prospered. As a result, there is no defining characteristic of the vintage as a whole, such as would be found in a long hot summer. Instead there are some very interesting ports that are more representative of the terroir.

After a run of declared vintages 2016/17 it was highly unlikely that 2018 would be universally declared. Sandeman who did not declare their outstanding 2017 were the fist to declare a classic vintage. This was followed by Sogevinous (Calem, Kopke, Burmester, Barros), Quevedo and regular declarations from Vesuvio and Noval. Surprisingly Taylors declared their 2018 (following 16/17) but will not sell it until 2021. QUANTITIES ARE TINY. Whether it's due to careful selection, Corona virus or just a desire not to overload the market, producers have only produced a fraction of normal volumes (roughly 1/3 of normal production). Read more in our 2018 Vintage Port blog

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