The sun., 1903-11-01
LONDONS OLDEST PORT VINE,
Some That Dates Back to l5sS-Is II Too
Ancient to He Good:

Prom the London Daily Mad
Who has the oldest port'' Is a question
which connoisseurs Of wine. importers
growers. shippers and retailers appear to
Der of letters addressed to the Daily Mat by
private owners Of wine. the following selec-
ton is made:
There is some port here laid down by
my Erctt-Grandfather dating back to 1918
and madeira over 100 years old &C. ID. NEW
TON, Gro iton Hail. st Neots,
Il have three bottles of old Comet Port, ;
Isll which is still perfectly sound."-F. r.,
Totland Bay.
Il have some 1870 port and n few double
mugnums of 1916 and 1861. ! submitted Il
bottle of the latter to one of the largest i'm
porters and growers of wine, who admitted
that he Ind never before seen II double mag
mum of port ii. WHEELER. Kensington.
# have some brown sherry Of the vintage
l777 IT ia quite sound but has lost its sweet
ness. E, DuRRAST. Tnnbridge Wells,
The record still remains with the corre-
spondent who stated on Thursday that he
has Il port of the vintage Of l775. A short
time ugo Il we'll known firm Of wine merchants
in Mark lane disposed Of "A quantity OF 1911
port. The transaction w"s regarded at the
time rs unique
The value, financial and dietetiC of CEN
tenarian port is point upon which the great
est authorities disagree. 4 Mark Lane mer-
chan,-a gentleman famed throughout the
city as a judge of wincs-boldly declared
yesterday that he would not give eighteen
pence for a bottle OF l175 port. "A man who
has consumed II regularly for years may
have become, as it were, cllmatized," he
added, but | personally would not touch
it, The spirit added to fortiry it must by
this time have eaten up all the flesh No
hundrci-yehr- old port for me. please
On the other hand. Or. Yorkc- Davies the
world famed dicietist Of Harley street. who
is also connoisseur of wines affirmed that
Il port of good vintage. well bottled and
otherwise carefully prepared, would con-
tinue TO improve with age even after 100
years. Not long ago Dr. Yorke-Davies was
staying at country house where a bottle
OF port of the vintage 1877 was opened. and
another bottle Of the year 1915, Both wines,
added the physician. were in splendid condi-
ton. and, il anything, the older was the better
OF the two.
An opinion generally entertained is that
port is an impossible stimuant for equity
persons to indulge in but DR.. iorkeDavies,
speaking as d dietctst of exceptional ex-
poricnce, asserted that port OF good vim
tage and old in cask OF boule might be
drunk With immunity BY gouty persons 10
MnoW wd BE- ~ %e% i port poe
from three to fours years old, was not only
injurious 70 the equity bu; to the perfectly
healthy also.
The doctor warned persons against buy
inc cheap port. II is adulterlted with spirit
in Hamburg. and is injurious. strangely
enough" he added, a great importer OF
sherry told ne That English people would
not, drink that wine unless ii was Tor,i-
fed with spirit and artficially swcetened.
Or. Yorke-Davies pointed out that there
was in his house a sherry $50 years old-a
delicious wing with flavor OF the leather
bottle in whi6f q century and half ago wine
was usually put to mature,