Tawny Port - The Secret Art of Blending

Did you know that Port can improve in cask well beyond state pension age?

Although Vintage Port and its ruby siblings formed part of the British wine culture for centuries, a different shade of the same vinous treasure remained off the beaten track until recently: concentration, freshness and complexity beyond imagination – all hailing from prolonged wood ageing and the artful process of blending!

Tawny Port can stand its ground as a wine of finesse, will accompany sweet and savoury meals or inspire stunning cocktails. Adam, from School of Port, will host an exciting interactive masterclass: Tawnylicious! We will be learning about the benefits and challenges of oak ageing, taste and compare tawny ports of different age and we even step into the shoes of the winemaker blend our own Tawny Port!

Wines on tasting

- Otima 10 (10-Year Old Tawny)
- Otima 20 (20-Year Old Tawny)
- Otima 2013 (Single Harvest Tawny)
- Otima 1992 (Single Harvest Tawny)

After discussing the category (ageing, blending and tasting the wines individually), we will proceed to blend the single harvests to create a roughly 20-year old blend.

School of Port is an educational initiative for wine professionals and wine lovers, created in 2020 by the port-mad people at Symington Family Estate to share the wonders of port and the Douro. They are the first port (sorry, pun intended) of call for anyone who wants to learn essential port knowledge and navigate more confidently around this complex wine category with relevant knowledge straight from the source: a family that is involved in making and selling port wine for 5 generations. Thousands of people have already enjoyed the short videos, interviews, expert Q&A’s, video courses and exams, all available on their website for free: https://schoolofport.com

Adam Odor is a London-based certified port wine educator, who got his WSET Levels 2 and 3 from WLWS under the tutelage of Jimmy. He has worked with Davy’s and Majestic in the past and he runs tastings and masterclasses, working as an ambassador for School of Port in the UK.

Please note gates will open 30 minutes before the start of the class.