Dear Vi,

What do you look for when buying a port wine?

Carlos Hernandez, Santa Fe, NM

Dear Carlos,

In making truly fine Port, time is the overwhelming factor. Therefore, the first rule in judging a bottle of Port on the shelves of a wine merchant is to check how old it is. If there is no date on the bottle, it is at once suspect. A fine ruby should be from 7 to 10 years old; an outstanding tawny, at least 15 years old and a great vintage, at least 20 years old and possibly 30, 40, or 50 years. The second insurance of quality is, of course, the name of one of the great Oporto shippers. Some of the best are Cockburn, Smithes, of Vila Nova de Gaia, (across the Douro River from Oporto); Croft, of Oporto; Richard Hooper, of Vila Nova de Gaia; and Robertson Brothers, of Oporto.