(Douro Valley, Portugal)
Hollywood and booze have been hand in hand since, oh, the dawn of film. Think: Casablanca, with its wine and cocktails. “”Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine,” says Rick — played by Humphrey Bogart — as his former wife walks into his legendary bar.
Or actor Tom Cruise slinging cocktails in the Hollywood flick, Cocktail. Or the movie Lost in Translation, where actor Bill Murray, as the almost forgotten movie star Bob Harris, shows up to film a whisky commercial in Tokyo.
These days, we have The King’s Man — and fine Port.
Directed by British filmmaker Michael Vaughn, The King’s Man is a spy-comedy-action film set during the years around the First World War. Loosely based on the Kingsman comic books, it is the third film in the series and stars Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci. The new film is currently set for release in August 2021, after its original launch date was delayed because of COVID-19.
The idea for the partnership began when Vaughn met Taylor Fladgate‘s CEO and managing director Adrian Bridge not long before production began on the film. They quickly discovered a mutual interest in history and before long, they cooked up a plan to release a very special bottling designed for Port wine collectors, history lovers and movie buffs alike, something extremely special, rare and beautiful.
Taylor Fladgate Very Old Tawny Port – Kingsman Edition was born.
To create this new — yet old — Port, the Taylor Fladgate team reached into its extensive cellars in Porto, to uncover reserves of cask-aged Port, matured by generations of the Taylor Fladgate family for close to nine decades.
“A few rare gems from this collection, only used in exceptional circumstances, were carefully selected by Taylor Fladgate’s expert blenders to produce the Kingsman Edition Port,” according to the team.
“I’ve always loved Port and the after-dinner ceremony it brings with it, and Taylor’s was always my first choice,” Vaughn told Wine Spectator in 2020. “The idea of a Kingsman Taylor’s Port was perfect, both in name and taste.”
As for me, I’ve been lucky to try some incredibly impressive Ports in my life, but this one is particularly outstanding, with rich butterscotch, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg flavours and aromas, and a finish that goes on for eons after your last swallow.
Taylor Fladgate Very Old Tawny Port Kingsman Edition comes in a handmade crystal decanter that’s detailed in gold and packaged in a light wood and red velvet-lined display box.
Only 700 bottles have been made. Of that, Western Canada is getting 100 bottles. Retail price is yet to be confirmed in Canada, but expect to pay $5,500 to $6,000 per 750-mL bottle.