Serving Old Colheita Ports

[Jim Silverman]

I have been told (by someone in the Port business) that there is no need to decant old (30+ years) colheitas or to let them breathe. I should just open the bottle and serve the wine.

Do you agree? If not, how long should I let the wine breathe?

Does it make any difference how old the colheita is? I have a couple that are 80 years old.

Thank you.

[Andy Velebil]

I have been told (by someone in the Port business) that there is no need to decant old (30+ years) colheitas or to let them breathe. I should just open the bottle and serve the wine.

Do you agree? If not, how long should I let the wine breathe?

Does it make any difference how old the colheita is? I have a couple that are 80 years old.

Thank you.

A couple questions;

1- Are they 80 year old Tawny's, as in from the 1930's or 40's and bottled sorta recently?

0r

2- Have they been in bottle for 80 years? (how long in bottle if not?)

Also, I have sent you a private message.

[Eric Ifune]

I think it's an individual thing. Some wines may benefit, others not. My general rule is that the longer in bottle, the better chance some air will help. But some recently bottled but also recently blended wines can benefit as well.

[Moses Botbol]

I would not decant the bottle unless planning to drink that night, but more air is more air...

[Glenn E.]

For me it depends on how long they've been in bottle. As Andy alluded to, a recently bottled Colheita (within the last 2-3 years) probably doesn't need any decanting. But one that was bottled a long time ago (10+ years) will probably need at least a few hours to dissipate any bottle stink that may have accumulated.

In between 3 and 10 years, they probably don't need to be decanted but it also won't hurt to give them 2-3 hours of air.

[Stewart T.]

Clearly, (maybe not) Jim is talking about 1937 Colheitas.

[Jim Silverman]

<<Clearly, (maybe not) Jim is talking about 1937 Colheitas>>

I am old enough that it is time to shift from an acquisition phase to a liquidation phase, and I want to maximize the liquidation value.

I have colheitas from the 30s, 50s, 60s, and 80s, not a lot of experience drinking them, and not enough inventory to do a lot of experimentation.
So, if anyone has any good decanting/serving advice, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Jim

[Moses Botbol]

I have colheitas from the 30s, 50s, 60s, and 80s, not a lot of experience drinking them, and not enough inventory to do a lot of experimentation.
So, if anyone has any good decanting/serving advice, it would be much appreciated.

Decant what you plan to drink for the night and keep the rest in the bottle.

[Glenn E.]

I have colheitas from the 30s, 50s, 60s, and 80s, not a lot of experience drinking them, and not enough inventory to do a lot of experimentation.
So, if anyone has any good decanting/serving advice, it would be much appreciated.

Again, it depends on when they were bottled, which you can usually (but not always) find somewhere on the back label.

An even more general rule of thumb than what I posted previously is that 2-3 hours of decant time isn't going to hurt a Colheita. So if you're unsure, take Moses' advice and decant what you plan to drink for the night, then re-cork the bottle and stick it in the fridge. Sip frequently over 4-5 hours to find the "sweet spot" and then use that for other bottles of roughly the same age. My bet is that the 2-3 hour time frame will be the sweet spot for most Colheitas.

Anything bottled in the last couple of years should state that on the back label, and won't need any decanting at all. Pop-n-pour works just fine for those. Re-cork and refrigerate anything that's left if you want to keep it for more than 7-10 days. No refrigeration is needed for bottles that will be consumed within the first week.

[Andy Velebil]

<<Clearly, (maybe not) Jim is talking about 1937 Colheitas>>

I am old enough that it is time to shift from an acquisition phase to a liquidation phase, and I want to maximize the liquidation value.

I have colheitas from the 30s, 50s, 60s, and 80s, not a lot of experience drinking them, and not enough inventory to do a lot of experimentation.
So, if anyone has any good decanting/serving advice, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Jim

Jim
I've sent you a private message, which you've opened and presumed read. If you could respond to it I would appreciate it. Thank you.