Bulk maturation here generally means maturation in large oak vats holding ten thousand litres or more, thus limiting the ingress of oxygen and preserving the deep ruby colour and fruit-driven character. Very little LBV ever goes into pipes.

A bottling date will always appear on the label, and this should be you guide as most is made to be ready to drink when bottled and should be consumed within a couple of years of bottling, but there are exceptions.

There are two versions of LBV. The modern style that has become one of the most successful types of Port in recent years, and the so called traditional, or unfiltered style. All the major brands are of the modern style. These are usually matured for six years and will be fined and filtered before bottling, and will have gone through tartrate stabilisation so they will not throw a crystalline sediment.

For some shippers, in particular Taylor and Graham, these are very important brands, selling in large quantities and will be made almost every year. Other shippers take different views. Cockburn, for example, will not make an LBV in years that they declare a vintage, but Sandeman have taken exactly the opposite view, making LBV only in vintage years.

These modern LBVs are normally bottled with stopper corks and will not benefit from bottle maturation.

These are still relatively young wines and are therefore quite robust. They will maintain their character for a little while after opening, a few weeks at most though; do not keep them open for months on end.

The so-called traditional LBVs, and those labelled unfiltered are capable of further maturation. These are usually sealed with a driven cork and can be cellared like a vintage Port, albeit for a shorter time. They reach their peak at about ten years old, and will need to be decanted, although the sediment will not be as heavy as that in a vintage Port.