The fruit quality is so good this year that we will “declare a vintage”. A vintage is declared only in the best years, the last being in 2006. The Vintage is a blend of fortified Tempranillo (Tinta Roriz), Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacionale, Shiraz and Durif. The 2009 promises to be a cracker of a vintage. We plan to bottle this within the next couple of months. Vintage wines are typically bottled soon after vintage, cellared for a few years, and then released to market. They can then be cellared or consumed up to about 20 years, or as the winemaker recommends, but should be drunk within a day of opening. These wines tend to throw a harmless crust in the bottle after about 3 years of age, which can be removed by decanting over a candle.