2025 – 4 decades of winemaking in the Douro-Valley

David Guimaraens is not only one of the most talented oenologists in the Douro Valley, but also one of the most charismatic. When he returned to his native Portugal from his studies in Australia in the late 1980s, he changed the Port wine production by placing greater emphasis on the quality of the brandy. Shortly afterwards, the Port Wine Institute began testing samples of the brandy for suitability before use. David excelled in many Vintages that he laid hand on.

David took us on a journey through four decades of winemaking, from the 1991 vintage (He gave way to 1992 in the back-to-back declaration) , via the legendary 1994 Fonseca and the unique Taylor VVV 2000 all the way to his two new 2022 Vintage Ports, Taylors Sentinels and Fonseca Guimaraens.

We tasted: 

- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1991 

- Fonseca 1994 

- Taylor Vargellas Vinha Velha 2000 

- Fonseca 2003 

- Croft 2011 

- Taylor 2016 

- Fonseca 2017 

- Fonseca Guimaraens 2022 

- Taylor Sentinels 2022