Colourful, modern Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) bottles are hitting the supermarket shelves courtesy of Graham’s Port, bringing welcome colour to the port section of the wine shelves. Clearly aimed at people that want to drink with their eyes as well as their taste buds, the bottles are presented in deep purple, burnt orange and (appropriately) green. The presentational tubes use handmade marbled paper which is submerged in paint to achieve lovely textures and patterns, apparently inspired by a combination of Porto’s wrought iron balconies and traditional Portuguese tiles.
The UK is the largest market for Graham’s LBV, which stunningly saw a 56% increase in sales in 2020, followed up by 24% in 2021. This may be the result of consumers becoming more experimental during lockdown but also the first appearance of these creative tubes in 2020 when Graham’s was celebrating its bicentenary.
The 2017 LBV, a year that was also a classic vintage, sees wines aged in seasoned oak vats to produce an LBV port from the same harvest. Characterised by floral aromas and big, plummy, concentrated fruit flavours, the 2017 LBV has a perfect balance between complexity and enjoyable-to-drink elegance. The wine has been filtered and is ready for drinking with no need to decant before serving. It pairs beautifully with dark chocolate desserts or the buttery, earthy flavours of cheese.
RRP £14. Available at Waitrose, Morrisons and Asda.