Older Port Wine and Counterfeiting

[Russell Frye]

I have been asked by a subscriber to comment on port counterfeits, especially pre-1945 bottles. He has a particular interest in collecting Taylor, something that I understand since some of my finest port experiences have been Taylors. Actually, 1945 Taylor is one of my favorites, so I hope he has extended his collecting to include that vintage.

Many older ports that are on the market do not have their original labels. They often have broken wax seals that may have been embossed at one point, but now there is no clear indication of the producer's name. Also, old port corks can be very difficult to remove whole. Some that do come out easily have deteriorated to the point where the naked eye has difficulty discerning lettering. It is not uncommon to see port offered for sale with the description 'believed authentic' or 'believed to be .... vintage' due to the above characteristics.

I have purchased at least one 'believed' bottle that was evaluated based on the purchase records of the owner of the cellar and it passed the taste test, albeit amongst amateurs.

These facts remind us that when we purchase rare wine such as older port we must have sufficient information on the provenance of the bottles to be confident in its authenticity. Our sources must be honest and expert.

I'd like to get a discussion going on this subject. Have any of you experienced what you believe to have been a counterfeit port?

[Russell Frye]

Here's a picture of two older bottles of great port as examples per my message above. This came courtesy of Roy Hersh of https://www.fortheloveofport.com/.

1931 QdN and QdNN.jpg