Fonseca 1997 Vintage Port

Diana Cruz - Impressive but pricey

8/10

Had this at a friend's house and it was genuinely lovely. Super smooth, no burn at all which is impressive for 20% ABV. The finish lingers in a really pleasant way. My only gripe is the price — nearly £86 is a lot for a bottle of port, even a good one.

Erik Strom - Good but I expected more

7/10

Maybe my expectations were too high given the price tag and the 9/10 ratings I'd seen. It's a nice port, don't get me wrong — clean finish, well balanced, decent fruit. But for £85+ I wanted to be blown away and I wasn't quite. I've had ports at half the price that I enjoyed just as much.

Wei Zhang - Best port I've ever had

10/10

I don't say this lightly but this is genuinely incredible. The complexity here is unreal — every sip you notice something different. Bought it as a treat for my dad's 70th and we ended up just sitting there savouring it for hours. Fonseca really knocked it out of the park with this vintage.

Tiffany Nguyen - Aged beautifully

8/10

Picked this up at auction for a bit less than retail which helped justify it. For a 1997 vintage it's in cracking shape — the aromatics open up beautifully in the glass and it's got that lovely structured feel where everything just works together. Shared it with mates after a roast and nobody had a bad word to say.

Olivia Park - Smooth operator

9/10

I'm relatively new to port but this was recommended to me online and I figured why not splash out. So glad I did. It smells amazing straight away and the taste is just layer after layer of flavour. Really elegant stuff — made me feel fancy drinking it on a Tuesday night haha.

Luciano Bianchi - Christmas port sorted forever

9/10

Tried this at a tasting event and immediately tracked down a bottle. It's got real depth to it, loads of dark fruit but also this nice acidity that stops it being too sweet. Opened it on Christmas Day with stilton and it was absolutely spot on.

Celeste Moreno - Really solid port

8/10

The guy at my local wine shop recommended this when I said I wanted something nice for after dinner. It's got a lovely long finish that just keeps going, and the sweetness is really well balanced — not syrupy at all. Bit steep at £85 but you do get what you pay for.

Gianluca Ferro - Worth every penny for a special night

9/10

Bought this for our anniversary dinner and wow. The fruit is so rich and layered but it doesn't feel heavy or boozy at all despite being 20%. We had it with a cheese board and dark chocolate and it was perfect with both. Will absolutely buy again for special occasions.