2000 Quinta do Noval, Port, Portugal

Quinta do Noval was first owned, for more than a century, by the Rebello Valente family who were given it by the Marquês do Pombal, Portugal’s Prime Minister. It was later owned by the Van Zeller family who had to rebuild following a catastrophic fire in 1981. Finally Quinta do Noval was sold to AXA insurance group in May 1993.

Rich, saccharine, intensely-flavoured and, at their best, wonderfully majestic and harmonious, these are wines to be savoured on their own, or with a fine chunk of cheese after a meal. Port comes from the stunning Douro region of Portugal, about 50 miles east of Oporto, and is made in two different styles: bottle-aged and cask-aged.