How long before opening a VP?

[Roy Hersh]

Here are 3-questions that will shed some light on the habits of the Forum participants:

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

[Derek T.]

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

I do not have a death row like some others here. All of the bottles that I have in the house are lying down in my wine coolers and are equally nervous at all times. I would not normally stand a bottle up for more than 48 hours, often less. The exception to this would be those pre-selected for special occassions and bottles to be taken to an Offline which would be standing for around 1 week.

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

I don't spend too long on this but do note whether or not it has absorbed much liquid or has broken. I always sniff the wet end to see if there is anything obviously wrong but I think I do his because I have seen others doing it rather than knowing what I am tying to sniff. I don't go looking for weavels :?

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

On average I would finish a bottle over 2 nights, sometimes 1, sometimes 3 and almost never longer than that unless it has been planned that way and half has been put in a 375ml in the fridge.

Derek

[Todd Pettinger]

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

If there is a special occasion, it will likely be marked for its trip down the hall to the room with the metal door (at least all the movies that I have seen have the metal door on the death chamber) by being stood up for between 24 and 72 hrs. Sometimes as long as a week, but not often.
Most often 24 hours is the only warning it gets.

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

I do take a good look at it, sniff (but also like Derek I don't really know what I am sniffing for, perhaps just for something horribly wrong) and continue. I can't say that I spend more than 30 seconds ever. I have been fortunate to have not come across this yet.

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

I would say 48 hours. One has lasted 56-ish hours, but only due to a morning decanting on a Saturday and emptying the bottle by late the Sunday evening.

Of course take my results with a grain of salt. I've opened only THREE bottles of VP in my short time being involved in this forum.

Todd

[Tom Archer]

Q1) In addition to Death Row (where bottles sometimes languish for upwards of two months) I also pencil in bottles for landmark occasions over the next nine months or so - however, this is often revised, especially if an old bottle has started to seep..

Q2) I usually read the branding, but unless there's something unusual about it, it normally goes straight in the bin.

Q3) Average time is between 3 and 4 days when I'm hogging the bottle to myself.

Tom

[Luc Gauthier]

Here's how it goes down for me :
VP's for holidays
Colheita for b'days
As for sniffing the cork , I get my better half to put her olfactory senses to work .
Up 'till now , the family always polishes off ( O.K. , I always finish the Port ) during dessert .

[Guest]

Q1) In addition to Death Row (where bottles sometimes languish for upwards of two months) I also pencil in bottles for landmark occasions over the next nine months or so - however, this is often revised, especially if an old bottle has started to seep..

Q2) I usually read the branding, but unless there's something unusual about it, it normally goes straight in the bin.

Q3) Average time is between 3 and 4 days when I'm hogging the bottle to myself.

Tom

I am exactly the same except for the death row. I usually bring up four/five bottles from my parents' cellar each trip I see them. If I brought up more port, I would not visit them as much, lol...

[Scott Anaya]

Q-1) I kind of earmark (with mental notes) matured bottles, or young and iresistable ones for special occasions and visits by the few Port loving friends and family I have coming over the next 6+ months or so - and same as Tom, SOS often dictate and re-arrange that order.

Q-2) On older bottles, it is often in pieces or pushed thru and decanted off. If intact, I often check the cork to see the saturation level and wreckon a guess as to how much more time that cork had left at its job. Usually underestimating that time left so as to justify that I did in fact make the right call in opeing that bottle. I don't sniff the cork, but I kind of excitingly sniff a whiff off the top of the freshly opened bottle.

Q-3) Hmmm, a bottle usually matches the occassion and is finished off that evening. If it is just me, two days, maybe stretching to three if it is a big or young VP and I want to explore its evolvement over a bit of time.

[Alan C.]

1. Variable. Can plan over weeks or days, but can also act spontaneously.

2. No. Just a glance. Only if completely dry or soaking will it get my further attention.

3. Usually One night with friends, Two nights riding solo. If its mediocre it may then drag into a period upto a week.

Alan

[Al B.]

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

I plan my bottles weeks in advance. I have a "Next to drink list" on my cellar listing and this identifies which wines get stood up in death row. I always keep 5 bottles on this list, which is only for current drinking.

And then, of course, I change my mind! So I plan a long way ahead - but you didn't ask if I follow my plans through! But the planning is a big part of the fun!

Special occasions are just dealt with about a week beforehand, when I can start to guess what mood I will be in.

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

I always check the branding on the cork to ensure that what the label says is consistent with what the cork says. I keep hoping to one day open a bottle of "believed cockburn believed 1963" to find it was actually a bottle of Quinta do Noval 1931. I can but hope. I also always scrutinise the cork to see if it is worth reconstructing and adding to the basket of "interesting" corks that we keep as a tactile ornament in the house.

I don't ever sniff a cork as I always think that they stink anyway - and I would much rather sniff the wine or the decanter.

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

As VP in my house is primarily drunk by me, it does not get drunk quickly and will normally last for 4 days. If I am particularly thirsty, it may last as little as 2 days; if I have to travel midweek then it may last 6-7 days. The Vargellas '87 I have just finished was opened 4½ days ago (and was better after 4½ days than after 2½ days!)

Alex

[Jay Powers]

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

Not much more than one week, and often within 24 hours. Special occasions are exceptions.

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

I note whether it was saturated or not, and generally whether I thought the condition of the cork might have impacted the wine. I get very little from smelling the cork, and would much rather smell the decanter or glass.

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

Usually two days if drinking alone, the same night if we have guests.

Jay

[Andy Velebil]

Prior to opening a Vintage Port, how long in advance do you normally plan out exactly what you will open?

Not much more than one week, and often within 24 hours. Special occasions are exceptions.

Once you remove the cork, how carefully do you scrutinize its condition?

I note whether it was saturated or not, and generally whether I thought the condition of the cork might have impacted the wine. I get very little from smelling the cork, and would much rather smell the decanter or glass.

What is the average amount of time a VP once opened, will remain before being finished?

Usually two days if drinking alone, the same night if we have guests.

Jay

I have the same answers as Jay.

[dave leach]

1) vintage port is a special occasion/entertaining drink at our house, we love to share them with our friends. usually i plan a week ahead when entertaining, a couple months ahead for christmas and thanksgiving.(the good news is, we entertain all the time, and virtually anything can be declared a special occasion!)

2)lately, most of our port corks have either split in half or crumbled. when they don't, i'm usually relieved, quickly check it for markings, a quick whiff, and off to our cork basket.

3)90% of the time, we will finish it the night we start drinking it. what we don't finish opening night is always consumed within 24 hours.