Expert: Paul Wagner - 1/10/2008

Question
I have recently come across a 1926 C d'Silva port wine from Portugal.  Do you
think this is still good to drink or is there any value to this bottle of port?

Answer
Hi Michael

Wines this old are always a real crapshoot.  The chances that it got too warm at some point in its life, or that the cork leaked, are really pretty good.  Do you know ANYTHING about who owned it and how it was stored?  If not, I would pay much for this one.  How is the fill level?  If it is right up to the cork, then it's probably a fake or has been recorked.  If it is near the shoulder, it may be pretty oxidized by not.  If it were stored at the winery since it was bottled, and re-corked a couple of times to make sure that the cork was still good, this one might sell for $200-300.  But if you can't prove that, it would be a lot less.

Hope that helps.

Paul Wagner