Crusted port

This port is so called because of the ‘crust’ or deposit that it throws in bottle. In spite of its rather crusty, establishment name, it is the fairly recent creation of British shippers, notably the symington group. It is designed to appeal to vintage port enthusiasts, even though the coveted word ‘vintage’ does not appear on the label (because crusted ports are not wines from a single year or vintage but blends from a number of years bottled young with little or no filtration). Like vintage port, the wines continue to develop in the bottle, throwing a sediment or crust, so that the wine needs to be decanted before it is served. Rather like traditional LBVs, many crusted or crusting ports offer an excellent alternative to vintage port, providing the port enthusiast with a dark, full-bodied wine at a much lower price. It may be exported from Oporto three years after bottling.