Your decanting regimen and use of "devices" ...

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Roy Hersh
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Your decanting regimen and use of "devices" ...

Post by Roy Hersh »

Ok, we all basically choose to decant our Vintage Ports for the obvious reasons. But there are at least a dozen ways you can go about this and I am not speaking about HOW LONG you go about doing so. Also, what implements, devices or helpful accoutrements do you utilize in your decanting regimen?

I think it would be most interesting to hear if folks use different types of decanters, leave the stopper in or take it out, leave their decanters in the cellar or at room temperature and all the other small nuances that go into the procedures we all tend to do differently while decanting Port, or specifically ... Vintage Port.

Since you all know how I go about it, I can just back with glass in hand and read what you folks have to say about this.
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Frederick Blais
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Post by Frederick Blais »

When I plan to open a VP, I normally put the bottle up a couple of days before. I use my Ah-So to remove the cork, especially when it is an old port. I have a wet cloth to remove all the dust and fongus around the bottle neck.

When I decant I pour strait in the decanter slowly with an angle so the wine does a wide and clear trace on the glass. This way I can see if any dregs are coming out of the bottle. I stop when the first big chung is out or I feel it coming :)

I leave the decanter on my room floor, never warmer than 18 even in summer with the stopper on. I use a conic shape of decanter of 750ml, it has a wide and flat base.

Here is a link to the decanter I use the most.

http://www.drinks24.com/calem-decanter- ... p-286.html
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Todd Pettinger
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Post by Todd Pettinger »

Once I source out a decent pair of port tongs, my answer will change, but for now, the decanting procedure-a-la-Pettinger goes as follows:

like Fred, I tend to stand my bottles up at least one day in advance. Sometimes emergencies call for a decant-straight-from-the-cellar-floor, in which case I try to move the bottle as little as possible while I bring it upstairs, where I always do my decanting on the island in the kitchen.

I use an Ah-so cork-puller, but in recent days have stared using a typical corkscrew as well. Some of the older bottles of VP I have opened using the Ah-so have been miserable failures and I hate picking bits of cork out of the Port.

I will pour, typically into a 4 cup glass measuring cup, with a stainless strainer handy, lined with unbleached coffee filter. Once I detect a decent amount of sediment going into the measuring cup, I throw the strainer underneath, and slowly go through the bottom parts of the bottle.

I will usually switch over to a waiting red wine glass (larger opening on the bowl) for the last couple of ounces of the bottle, not wanting to give up a single drop of the nectar that is my reason for living (besides my beautiful wife and wonderful children that is!). This is swirled and then typically poured into a port glass.

The measuring cup is swirled a bit, ensuring maximum exposure to air and then the contents are usually transfered (carefully) into a crystal decanter my parents passed on to me when they found of my love of port, or more often, back into the bottle, which has been rinsed several times with cold water and vigorous swirling until no sediment is seen in the wash-water.

The decanter or bottle is then typically left in the basement until such time as drinking time has come around. The contents of the port glass are then the sample that I try as the hours progress, which typically make it into my TNs.

I use the decanter always when I have company, and only sometimes when it is just me. (If you read a TN of mine and it describes a "double-decant" it is the bottle that the Port has been poured back into.) Sometimes this is necessary if I know I will need the decanter in a day or so, or for another wine (at the moment I only have one, but am keeping the eyes open for a couple of cheap ones just so I have more than one for when I need them.) I guess I kind of do have a 2nd decanter, it is short and square. I think it is a spirits decanter (crystal again) and it almost always holds whatever cognac I happen to have splurged on - typically around Christmas time.

Wow, all this decanting talk is making me thirsty. Time for a drink, me think!

Todd
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Post by Moses Botbol »

Tongs for me unless it's an LBV or from the 80's and newer. The LBV's I like to keep the same bottle, and stuff from the 80's or newer the cork comes out fine. If I am doing a critical tasting in a group, then all bottles get the tongs, as we pour them into decanters.
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Al B.
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Post by Al B. »

I use an extra long corkscrew to get the cork out of the bottle. I have found this to be even more successful that the Ah-So style cork remover. The thread on the corkscrew is almost 3 inches long.

The bottle will have stood upright for 2-3 days minimum before decanting and will be decanted through a silver plate funnel with mesh filter straight into the decanter. I shine a bright torch through the bottle and watch the sediment slowly move towards the neck. As soon as the sediment starts to go over the shoulder and down the neck I stop pouring but keep the bottle flat and still. I move the decanter out of the way and replace it with a port glass with a funnel lined with some frequently used fruit-jelly muslin to filter out the rest of the sediment. The rest of the bottle's contents gets poured into the funnel and allowed to trickle slowly through the muslin. If the port is clear enough when it has all passed into the glass then it will get added to the decanter. If it is not clear enough then it's allowed to settle and then gets drunk!

Alex
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Post by Andy Velebil »

I try to stand up the bottle for a day or 2, but that doesn't always happen. Then i follow what Alex does, for the most part.

For old bottles I use tongs. No crumbly corks that way and I can extract the cork in one piece and add it to the collection.

If not, then I use unbleached cheese cloth to filter sediment and not have to worry.

If I know I am not going to finish it all in a day or 2 (yes, that is rare but does happen, LOL). At the time I decant the fresh bottle, I decant 1/2 of it into a 375ml bottle right away (recork and put into fridge). Then the rest is decanted into a decanter to get air and breath.
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Erik Wiechers
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Post by Erik Wiechers »

Very simple, being an atheist i'm not into rituals that much :D

I take the bottle out, put it up straight for at least a day.
Then, with a normal corkscrew i uncork it and pour it through a seeve into the decanter. Yes, i pour it all the way baby, i paid for it. Let it breath and then i start to drink with some cheese.
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Post by Jay Powers »

I may be a heathen, but here is what I do:

1) Stand up or not depending on if I remember. I have not noticed a difference between straight from my horizontal shelf or case and stood up for days to a week. But I am careful not to jostle more than neccessary.

2) Remove wax from the very top, or that horrible thick plastic cover (I have learned to use a small snips for this, saves frustration and jostling), or the foil.

3) Wipe top with a wet rag or maybe the hem of my shirt (if the bottle is old).

4) Regular corkscrew. I don't own anything else and it seem to work pretty well.

5) Pour into a Captains-style decanter (no filter unless there are bits of cork left, then I use a steel filter).

6) Stored in the kitchen at room temperature.

7) Top stays on.

I tend to decant reasonably long, ~3-4 hours for a 63-66 (basically decant before dinner), 12 hours for an 85 or younger. '94 Vesuvio I would decant the day before, althoughI would sneek a couple of glasses early. '85 Warres ~8-12 hours, '85 Grahams 12 hours, etc. Varies widely depending on my previous experience with the wine. The '66 and younger I am afraid to go longer than ~3-4 hours unless I have done it before with a bottle from the same source.

Jay
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Post by Todd Pettinger »

Jay Powers wrote:Varies widely depending on my previous experience with the wine. The '66 and younger I am afraid to go longer than ~3-4 hours unless I have done it before with a bottle from the same source.

Jay
This is probably the best advice for the 'commoner' that I can think of. With 3-4 hrs of air, most of these oldies will be showing fine (from what I understand and what people 'in the know' tell me.) Anything beyond that may be taking a chance.

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Erik Wiechers
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Post by Erik Wiechers »

Holy smoke Todd

by the time you are ready to decant most people have already fnished their bottle :P

But its nice to read you obviously take pleasure doing it.
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Rich Greenberg
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Post by Rich Greenberg »

Not too many VP's under my belt, but here's what I do:

1. Pull the chosen one from my wine fridge.

2. If I have thought ahead or it is a special occasion, which has forced me to remember to think ahead, I stand the bottle up on the kitchen counter for a day or two (again, depending on how far in advance I remember.) If not, oh, well, it usually works out just fine. :)

3. Using the serrated blade on my "waiter's friend" corkscrew, I make an incision all the way around the neck of the bottle, then remove the foil and plastic covering over the cork.

4. Carefully insert the corkscrew so that it is dead center on the cork. Twist so that the full length of the screw is in the cork.

5. "Attach" notched end of waiter's friend on the rim of the bottle, and, using gentle pressure on the opposite end, start to work the cork loose. Usually, if I am careful, I can remove a cork intact, even if it is pretty old (CAVEAT: the oldest wine I have opened is 1983.)

6. Wipe any remaining cork bits from the neck of the bottle, then slowly pour into a decanter, being cautious not to slosh the contents around. I try to watch the side of the neck of the decanter closely to see if there are any "bits" starting to show up in the stream of liquid (if so, I stop pouring into the decanter, and pour the remaining contents into a coffee filter stuck into a coffee cup.)

7. Let the wine rest for the appropriate amount of time for the specific port (and for the occasion), then consume, and enjoy.

NOTE: This process may change as I gain more experience with vintage ports.

Rich
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Roy Hersh
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Post by Roy Hersh »

I think it is great that we are getting a broad range of "procedures" and equipment (or "devices") as it will be a very educational read for the person who is looking for advice. It certainly beats reading just one article that some Port guy wrote! Diversity of opinion is a good thing. 8--)
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Post by Todd Pettinger »

Roy Hersh wrote:I think it is great that we are getting a broad range of "procedures" and equipment (or "devices") as it will be a very educational read for the person who is looking for advice. It certainly beats reading just one article that some Port guy wrote! Diversity of opinion is a good thing. 8--)
True Roy, and it is good to see, as always with Port, that there is not one right answer!

Just remember - anyone who travels, should do so with unbleached coffee filters! They can be used in a pinch in a hotel room... even if it is into a water glass (last resort) or a larger wine glass! :D

Todd
Kris Henderson
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Post by Kris Henderson »

I'm a little late to the game on this one but here's how I like to open and decant a bottle of Port. It's not a whole lot different than what has already been mentioned.

1. The Hardware
  1. Bottle of Port
  2. Damp Cloth
  3. Ah-So
  4. Foil Cutter
  5. Bright Flashlight
  6. Decanter & Stopper
  7. Decanting Funnel
  8. Port Glass
2. Open the bottle
  1. At this point, the bottle should have been standing up for at least 24 hours. A week is even better! If enough time is not available to let the sediment settle, several layers of cheese cloth can be placed in the decanter funnel and the majority of the sediment will be captured.
  2. Remove the foil with the foil cutter. If the top of the cork is moldy then clean it up with the damp rag.
  3. Insert the longer prong of the ah-so between the cork and bottle then gently rock the ah-so back and forth with a downward pressure until it is nearly all the way in.
  4. Gently twist the ah-so to break the cork free.
  5. With an upward pull, twist the ah-so to start extracting the corkfrom the bottle. Keep twisting and pulling the ah-so to remove more of the cork.
  6. Once a half inch or so of the cork is exposed, the ah-so can be fully seated on the cork using the downward pressure and rocking motion.
  7. Continue pulling up and twisting. Almost done! Finally out! A view of the masterfully extracted the cork, up close and personal
3. Decant
  • Place the funnel into the decanter and gently pour into the decanter.
  • Keep pouring in a smooth fluid motion until the screen starts to catch some sediment.
  • I don't know what is going through the mind of these Port producers but the glass on this bottle was so dark I couldn't see anything in the neck of the bottle with a 120 lumen flashlight, let alone a candle. If a bottle spends 99.9% of its life in a damp dark cellar, why does the glass need to be so dark? OK, rant is done. The flashlight is to aid in looking in the neck of the bottle for sediment. When the glass is too dark I watch the screen of the funnel to see when sediment starts to enter the decanter.
  • All Done! Bask in the glory of a freshly decanted bottle of Port and don't forget to enjoy a small taste while waiting for it to aerate. Insert the stopper in the decanter to keep the bugs out and place in a cool area until ready to drink.
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Post by Derek T. »

Rich Greenberg wrote:Not too many VP's under my belt, but here's what I do:

1. Pull the chosen one from my wine fridge.

2. If I have thought ahead or it is a special occasion, which has forced me to remember to think ahead, I stand the bottle up on the kitchen counter for a day or two (again, depending on how far in advance I remember.) If not, oh, well, it usually works out just fine. :)

3. Using the serrated blade on my "waiter's friend" corkscrew, I make an incision all the way around the neck of the bottle, then remove the foil and plastic covering over the cork.

4. Carefully insert the corkscrew so that it is dead center on the cork. Twist so that the full length of the screw is in the cork.

5. "Attach" notched end of waiter's friend on the rim of the bottle, and, using gentle pressure on the opposite end, start to work the cork loose. Usually, if I am careful, I can remove a cork intact, even if it is pretty old (CAVEAT: the oldest wine I have opened is 1983.)

6. Wipe any remaining cork bits from the neck of the bottle, then slowly pour into a decanter, being cautious not to slosh the contents around. I try to watch the side of the neck of the decanter closely to see if there are any "bits" starting to show up in the stream of liquid (if so, I stop pouring into the decanter, and pour the remaining contents into a coffee filter stuck into a coffee cup.)

7. Let the wine rest for the appropriate amount of time for the specific port (and for the occasion), then consume, and enjoy.

NOTE: This process may change as I gain more experience with vintage ports.

Rich
I could have written this myself, although I have opened one or two bottles that are older than a 1983 :roll:

I also agree with Jay in that I have not noticed a difference between carefully removed from the wine rack immediately before decanting and standing on death row for days on end. I quite often use the Emergency Decant Procedure which involves slowly removing a bottle from storage, turning it upright very slowly and then proceding straight to step 3 above 8--)

Derek
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Post by Andy Velebil »

In my experience, really only a couple hours are needed for the sediment to settle to the bottom. If you set the bottle upright in the morning, you should be just fine by the late morning or early afternoon. No need to stand it up right for a week or two before drinking.
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Post by Frederick Blais »

Andy V. wrote:In my experience, really only a couple hours are needed for the sediment to settle to the bottom. If you set the bottle upright in the morning, you should be just fine by the late morning or early afternoon. No need to stand it up right for a week or two before drinking.
I do the same as Andy, I do put my bottle the day before or the morning of the tasting. The only big difference if you put your bottle up a couple of weeks before will be on the decanting job. The sediments will be stuck at the bottom and will require almost no surveillance to see if they are coming close or not of coming in the decanter.

It was fun to decant Moses bottle at last tasting, his bottle had stood up for quite a while and I could decant them very fast without whorrying for sediments. They were really stuck to the glass.
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Re: Your decanting regimen and use of "devices" ...

Post by Roy Hersh »

Given some of the new folks that have joined us in the past year or two, I thought this would be very beneficial to read. It also might raise questions you may have had. Either way, enjoy the read and feel free to add anything or ask questions. We are all here to provide our thoughts.
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Re:

Post by Moses Botbol »

Moses Botbol wrote:Tongs for me unless it's an LBV or from the 80's and newer. The LBV's I like to keep the same bottle, and stuff from the 80's or newer the cork comes out fine. If I am doing a critical tasting in a group, then all bottles get the tongs, as we pour them into decanters.
Wow, decade later and I hardly ever use tongs... Durand on older bottles is the norm. I tend to decant in the same bottle. Tongs are just for fun when I don't care about the bottle...
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Glenn E.
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Re: Your decanting regimen and use of "devices" ...

Post by Glenn E. »

I have a Durand but rarely use it. I find that it isn't sufficiently better than one particular corkscrew that I have to be necessary. I do use it occasionally when I have a very old bottle to open, but even on those bottles I suspect my trusty corkscrew would work as well.

I have a stainless steel funnel and mesh filter, which is part of the reason that the Durand just isn't necessary. It's no big deal if the cork breaks and I have to get it out in pieces, or if I have to push it into the bottle, as I'm going to be straining the Port while I decant anyway.

As far as a "regimen" goes, I just stand the bottle up the night before and decant as appropriate on the day of drinking. Not a whole lot of fuss or ceremony for me. :)
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