1977

What we would buy, and why

For 1977 there is really one answer, and happily it is a very good one: vintage Port. A bottle from a major house costs €250–500, will be in fine condition and will go on improving for another twenty years — one of the rare fifty-year-old bottles that carries almost no risk, though it does need decanting off its sediment an hour before serving. One thing worth knowing: Quinta do Noval did not declare a 1977, so be wary of anything sold as one.

1977 in the world

Both Voyager probes left Earth in 1977, each carrying a gold-plated record of greetings, whale song and Chuck Berry in case anyone ever finds them. They are still going.

Best bets for 1977

• Taylor's or Fonseca 1977 — the two great wines of the vintage, €300–500
• Graham's 1977 — richer and rounder, and a good first Port for someone new to it, about €250–400
• Dow's or Warre's 1977 for a drier style — around €230–380
• A 1977 Port in magnum if you want a centrepiece for a party of a dozen — €700–1,100

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine