IT'S 152 YEARS OLD!

Last night, we tasted the historic

1853 Whitwhams King Pedro V port

a wine with an amazing story. Some family in Portugal bought a house and ended up discovering in the basement these casks of port that go back 152 years. So they sold it to the company who then bottled it. Its age means that it's pre-phylloxera wine! Phylloxera, of course, was that bug that decimated the world's grape vines and nearly killed wine production. Part of the solution was the grafting of American rootstock, which is generally rougher/wilder as well as more intense. So immediately noticed was how smooth this port was...and the intensity, no doubt, is what made it last to offer today some absolutely fantastic sipping.

It's actually hard to describe the nose and flavors of the wine. The color was a pale brown, befitting its age, but it still had an incredible richness and offered the great essence of wine and port. The nose was also complex with fruits. A once-in-a-lifetime experience....but fortunately the hubby tucked away more than one bottle when we had the chance to acquire it.