Quevedo Advent Calendar

December 24, 2022

The Port Producer Quevedo annually produces a limited-edition Advent Calendar which masterfully unites the art of carpentry and Port Wine. The handcrafted cabinet is created out of mahogany and accommodates 24 different, hand-selected, 90ml bottles of Port wine directly from the Quevedo stocks.

Advent calendars have their roots in the 19th century, when German Protestants would mark the days leading up to Christmas. The Advent calendar evolved to have a small surprise or treat associated with each day of Advent – such as a piece of chocolate in a numbered box, or a religious drawing behind a paper “door” on a calendar. The first known wooden Advent calendar was created in 1815.

Today, Advent calendars are normally aligned to the first 24 days of December leading up to Christmas Eve, and you can find all sorts of Advent calendars these days containing candy, a religious poem, socks, small toys…you name it.

Quevedo joined this celebratory tradition with its Port Advent Calendar. While Quevedo has produced these Advent Calendars for a number of years, 2022 was my first year purchasing one.

There are normally two versions of the advent calendar – a “basic” version and a “Luxury” version.

Basic Advent Calendar

The Basic version is shipped in a cardboard box with 24 “holes” that you can punch out to retrieve your daily bottle of Port. This basic version two bottles each of 12 (i.e. 2×12) of their basic and/or commercially available Ports that Quevedo producers.

The 2022 Version of this calendar contained the following Ports:

2 x Dry White Port
2 x White Port
2 x Rosé Port
2 x Tawny Port
2 x Reserva Lágrima Port
2 x 10 Year Old White Port
2 x Organic Reserve Ruby Port
2 x 2017 Late Bottled Vintage Port
2 x 10 Year Old Tawny Port
2 x 20 Year Old Tawny Port
2 x Colheita 2002 Port
2 x Colheita 2007 Port

Luxury Advent Calendar

They also produce their Luxury Advent Calendar, which is the wooden one made from mahogany. These Ports are a special selection of Ports that are not normally commercially available, and in some cases were blended specifically for the Advent Calendar.

The Luxury Advent Calendar contains twenty-four different 90ml bottle of Ports, where the basic Advent Calendar contains twenty-four 50ml bottles. In addition, Oscar offers a Luxury Refill Pack every year with 24 new and different Port selections so that you can refill your Luxury box with new wines each December.

Taste Along Videos

Finally, the other cool thing that Oscar Quevedo does is to record 24 short videos (accessible by a QR code on each of the bottles) where he talks a little bit about each wine. It is a fun, interactive way to learn a little more about the wines as you are tasting them.

Tasting Notes, 2022 Luxury Advent Calendar

	December 1 2013 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Burgundy Barrel – Day 1 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Bottled in 2022. This wine was aged in a 228L Burgundy Barrel for five years. It is dark amber-purple in color and mostly opaque. There is noticeable vanilla and oak on the now, with swirls of dusty red fruits and cocoa powder. Intense, luscious entry with notes of cassis and blueberry, when are met by massive tannins on the mid-palate. The tannins start to calm down on the back end of the mid-palate, giving way to a nice, balanced, sweet flavor profile. This wine definitely needs more time for the massive tannins to resolve. 90 points. (12/1/2022)
	December 2 2013 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Cask – Day 2 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged seven years in a traditional Port cask. There are some light herbal notes and mocha powder on the nose, and much less oak than on the “sister wine” from Day 1 that was aged in smaller Burgundy casks. On the palate, there is rich boysenberry and dried plum, and the acidity and sweetness seem fairly well-balanced. The finish is nice and long, and this wine seems to have a good future ahead as it continues to age and develop a little more complexity. 89 points. (12/2/2022)
	December 3 2003 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Burgundy Barrel – Day 3 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged for five years in a Burgundy barrel. As Oscar noted, 2003 was a challenging year for Port producers, and the high temperatures and low yields resulted in wines with concentrated fruit and tannins. There is noticeable oak on the nose with intense dark fruits, chocolate, and some light herbal notes. It has an intense approach with pronounced tannins, slightly offset by sweet cherry and boysenberry. The tannins, while big, are texturally fine-grained, and roll through the mid-palate and into the finish. The tail end of the long finish gives way to a balanced sweetness. 89 points. (12/3/2022)
	December 4 2003 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Cask – Day 4 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a cask. It is dark amber in color with some slight bricking. It has aromas of rich dried fruits (including fig), chocolate, and some interesting candy powder notes (like Pixie sticks). On the palate, there are chocolate-covered cherries, medium tannins, and a nice smooth profile flavor profile. There is good balance and rich fruits on the long finish. 91 points. (12/4/2022)
	December 5 1997 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Tonnel – Day 5 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a 3000-liter tonnel. It is amber-brown in color. On the nose, there is bright red currant and cherry, chocolate, and some light dusty wood notes. It has a pleasant, well-balanced approach with caramel, orange spice, and just a touch of honey on the palate. Full-bodied, this wine has a well-integrated flavor profile. Nice long slightly sweet finish. 92 points. (12/5/2022)
	December 6 1997 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Cask – Day 6 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a cask. Intense nose of dusty fruit, old wood, and mocha powder. Full-bodied with pronounced tannins on the approach. After the initial wave of tannins, there is some nice caramel, vanilla, and dusty fruit on the palate. Good complexity on the very long finish. This wine still needs some time for the massive tannins to resolve, but it is drinking like a big, powerful Port right now. 93 points. (12/6/2022)
	December 7 1995 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Tonnel – Day 7 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a large tonnel. It has aromas of chocolate powder and a hint of cinnamon stick on the nose. There are noticeable tannins and a touch of acidity on the mid-palate. It provides a full, complex mouthfeel with a touch of spirit on the long finish. I love the texture and body of this wine. 92 points. (12/7/2022)
	December 8 1995 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Cask – Day 8 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a cask. There is cola, caramel, and a touch of dried fruit on the nose. Cola also shows up on the entry, along with some chocolate, and slowly gives way to candied figs, molasses, and a nice, rich mid-palate. There is just a hint of spirit on the long finish. 93 points. (12/8/2022)
	December 9 1994 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Tonnel – Day 9 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a 4,000-liter tonnel. It is light amber-ruby in color. On the nose, there is marzipan, dried fruits, and caramel. It has a sweet flavor profile with dried plum and cassis. Smooth, sweet finish. 90 points. (12/9/2022)
	December 12 1994 Quevedo Colheita Port – Aged in Cask – Day 10 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine was aged in a 600-liter cask. It is light amber-ruby in color with just a touch of tawny. There are light chocolate notes, a touch of red fruit, and subtle oak on the nose. The palate displays dried fruits, light caramel notes, and well-structured tannins. Nice long, warm finish. 92 points. (12/10/2022)
	December 11 Quevedo Organic Reserve Ruby Port – Day 11 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Very dark, opaque maple in color with a touch of garnet on the edges. It has aromas of crushed dark fruit with blueberries, black currant, and a touch of dried herbs. Luscious entry with cool dark fruit. Well-structured tannins ramp up on the mid-palate and while they feel like they are going to be overbearing, they settle down near the end of the mid-palate, leading to a very long, pleasant finish. 93 points. (12/11/2022)
	December 12 2018 Quevedo Late Bottled Vintage Port – Day 12 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Dark, almost opaque purple in color with a very thin band of fuchsia on the edge. It displayed aromas of violets, boysenberry, and blue fruits. There is fresh, light blueberry with a hint of pomegranate on the entry. There is some acidity and smooth tannins on the mid-palate. The finish is long with noticeable acidity. Overall the acidity here seems a bit out of balance but it was a pleasant drink. 88 points. (12/12/2022)
	December 13 2019 Quevedo Vintage Port – Day 13 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This wine is a dark, inky purple amber. It has deep, brooding notes of blackberry, black currant, and boysenberry on the nose. The entry has noticeable tannins, and the acidity on the mid-palate falls off a little bit leaving a slightly cloying sweetness on the finish. 91 points. (12/13/2022)
	December 14 2020 Quevedo Vintage Port – Day 14 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Very dark, inky purple-black in color. There are some violet and light herbal notes on the nose, along with freshly crushed blueberries and black currants. The entry is smooth, and as the tannins appear on the mid-palate, I feared for a moment that they would overwhelm the fruit. However, they balanced beautifully and there was a powerful but harmonious quality to this wine as it sauntered through the very long finish. 94 points. (12/14/2022)
	December 15 Quevedo 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Day 15 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Dark amber-brown in color with bricking on the edges. There are caramel, herbal, and subtle wood notes on the nose. The sweet flavor profile displays notes of dried nuts, caramel, and light orange spices. There is light acidity on the palate, which balances nicely with the sweetness through the long finish. 90 points. (12/15/2022)
	December 16 Quevedo 10 Year Old Tinta Francisca Tawny Port – Day 16 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. This is an unusual wine because it is a single varietal Port, while commercial Ports are required to be a blend of multiple grapes. This wine is light amber-tawny in color with some bricking on the edges. There are dried herbs, a touch of spirit, and some light caramel on the nose. Fresh, intense entry with cranberry and a touch of caramel. This is just a small spike of acidity on the mid-palate and the tannins are noticeable but well-balanced. There is a slight sweetness on the long finish, but overall the interesting pieces don’t quite all fit together neatly. While this was extremely interesting to try, it also is a good example of why this is a better blending grape for Port than as a single-varietal Port. 90 points. (12/16/2022)
	December 17 Quevedo 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Day 17 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Amber-brown in color. There is caramel, vanilla, and roasted nuts on the nose. There is a nice, balanced flavor profile on the entry with roasted pecans, pralines, and some nice brown sugar notes. It has a nice, long finish with a little touch of sweetness and well-balanced tannins. 92 points. (12/17/2022)
	December 18 Quevedo 40 Year Old Tawny Port – Day 18 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Brown-tawny in color. There is oak, dried apricots, dried nuts, and caramel on the nose. This wine has a rich mouthfeel with good intensity on the palate, with notes of caramel and some slight oxidation. The finish is smooth, long, and well-integrated. 94 points. (12/18/2022)
	December 19 Quevedo Lágrima Reserve White Port – Day 19 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Dark copper in color. There are rich tropical fruits on the nose with guava and dusty papaya. Rich, sweet entry with just enough acidity to keep the sweetness from being cloying. There is a ton of tropical fruit on the palate with grilled pineapple dominating. There are also some lovely, light spice notes. This wine has a long finish, and the sweetness and acidity levels are right in my wheelhouse for this style of White Port. 90 pts. (12/19/2022)
	December 20 Quevedo 10 Year Old White Port – Day 20 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Light amber-yellow in color with a clear rim. The nose has expressive notes of guava, dried mango, and dry herbs. There is a light, refreshing entry good balance between the sweetness and the acidity. There is a touch of bitterness on the long finish, but overall the nice smooth flavor profile provides the balance to make this a solid wine. 90 points. (12/20/2022)
	December 21 Quevedo Oscar Jr’s Blend 30 Year Old White Port – Day 21 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Amber-orange in color. Rich grilled tropical fruit notes with grilled pineapple most noticeable as well as some light papaya. There are also some light herbal notes and a little spirit on the nose. The entry has green apple, bourbon barrel, and light vanilla on the palate. This is an extremely well-balanced wine with good richness and acidity but there’s just an odd note of something tart at the tail end of the mid-palette that carries through to the finish. Otherwise a really pleasant Port. 92 points. (12/21/2022)
	December 22 Quevedo Claudia’s Blend 30 Year Old White Port – Day 22 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Dark amber, orange in color. Subtle caramel and light tropical notes on the nose. There is a rich, intense mouthfeel on the palate with some vanilla, dried nuts, and bright acidity. This wine has a very nice roundness to it and there are some really pleasant notes of white peach and caramel on the very long finish. 92 points. (12/22/2022)
	December 23 Quevedo Oscar Sr’s Blend 30 Year Old White Port – Day 23 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Clear, medium amber-orange in color with slight yellow on the edges. Very rich nose with dried nuts, bananas foster, and old wood. There is a rich mouthfeel on the entry with a sweet flavor profile and notes of apricots, white peaches, and a hint of marzipan. The wine is very smooth transitioning from the mid-palate to the finish with just a small spike of tannins showing up at the end of the mid-palette. The finish is long and smooth with the acidity and sweetness very well balanced. 94 points. (12/23/2022)
	December 24 Quevedo Tonnel 14 Grandpa’s 30 Year Old White Port – Day 24 of the Quevedo 2022 Prestige Advent Calendar. 90ml bottle. Amber gold in color with light yellow on the meniscus. Deep rich nose with light orange spice, tropical fruits, and light Honey. The flavor profile is extremely balanced with wonderful, sweet notes of creme brulee, maple, butterscotch, and lychee. It has a nice, long finish with notes of vanilla and dried nuts. There is excellent balance in this wine. 95 points. (12/24/2022)