As for decanting... by decanting do you mean to pour from the bottle into a stoppered or unstoppered decanter for an extended period? Personally, I rarely decant my port unless the sediment is totally interfering with the enjoyment of the wine. I open the port and carefully pour a glass and then re-cork the bottle. That's all -- so the wine does get some air, but not a lot.
David,
As for decanting I am referencing the pouring of wine from bottle, though cheesecloth that lies in the Port funnel to further assist in removing sediment, (which I prefer not to drink if I have a say in the matter) directly into a decanter that is not stoppered. Depending on the age/producer/condition of the VP, if it will be drunk at home or at a restaurant, I then choose whether to leave the decanter in my basement at a cool temperature or upstairs at a generally less cool temperature which helps to bring the wine along faster ... but for my drinking pleasure, never stoppered.
One thing that does trouble me about the long decanting approach is that if you decide, based on experience and/or advice, to decant a wine for 24 hours before an event and it turns out to be disappointing you can never know if it hit a sweet-spot during its time in the decanter (unless you were taking a sip every hour, in which case there would be nothing left for the event). I don't mind too mch about a £30 bottle but I always feel it is a high risk approach with something more special like a high end 63 or 66.
Derek,
As tempting as it is to fill a glass to try the wine from decanter along the way, you really only need to take the smallest sip to be able to evaluate whether the wine has integrated. Normally 1/8th of an ounce can do the trip. So if one ounce is missing after a number of visits to the decanter to determine whether to VP is ready or not, I seriously doubt anybody will notice. I realize this does require restraint though.
Roy Hersh wrote: ......I realize this does require restraint though.
.....and therein lies the problem
Derek
This is why all events you need to open a bottle for should be a magnum. You can "sample" an entire 750's worth and there will appear to be NO loss for those who expect it was FROM a 750!
Todd Pettinger wrote: However, I prefer the ports that will show after a minimal of decanting (2-6 hours typically).
Todd
In order to come to this conclusion you have to experiment with long decanting times to find out which do and which don't evlove and improve in the decanter. Taking the line of "I always finish it in 24 hours" means you would never know one way or the other. I had this approach up until I joined this Forum and was persuaded to try it by the likes of Tom and Alex. I now have a series of TN's that I can look back at and know with some confidence how long I should decant a particular wine. This is a good resource to have, especially if it is from your own direct experience and not just received wisdom from someone else.
This is absolutely true Derek, and it is indeed why I am trying to leave some of my VPs for that requisite 'more than 48 hour' period. It is difficult, especially for the really good stuff. I also try to do samples at about 2 hour increments along the way... not even an ounce, just enough to barely fill the bottom of the port glass - I typically don't feel the need to swirl and report on the colour evolution at every increment - just enough to take a decent nose from and a sample of the palate.
This was a point from a person Roy 'trusts greatly' on decanting, which although I choose not to follow, I thought was a great explanation of that point of view.
I am going to quote someone whose Port opinion I trust greatly: "Extended decanting of Port and especially VP is a good thing. But going too far, say 24 hours of decanting time, in my opinion, serves only to strip the Port of its true beauty while dumbing down the tannins and negating too much of the structural components of the wine. Some adhere to that practice for the sake of having something softer and (arguably) better in terms of aromatic and flavor profiles. I prefer to allow the freshness and natural components of a Port to be enhanced by decanting, not to alter its entire character." I couldn't have said it better myself.
Bearing that in mind, I would now challenge the reader to identify the author of these quotes.
Fabulous prose. I felt like I was sitting next to you sipping the wine. Isn't it incredible to see the morphing of VP over an exteded period and then to realize that there are some poor folks who pop the cork, remove the sediment and start drinking right away. So sad.
and
I am gaining respect for your palate even more. Your comment about this wine being at its best between the 12th and 28th hour is spot on.
I am gaining respect for your palate even more. Your comment about this wine being at its best between the 12th and 28th hour is spot on.
Yes, I still believe when rereading the Post that in Alex's TN that the Port he tasted, sounded like it was at its very best at this point in his charting of the progression of drinking the Port. That has nothing to do with how long I would decant this wine, which would be about 10-12 hours. However, if Alex, Stewart, Tom, Jay, Derek, Andy or David want to decant their bottle for a day, a week or a month, that is up to them.
Last edited by Roy Hersh on Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Just a bit of Fun Roy. I thought your jumping to conclusions was worthy of my careful editing.
It'll be fun to eventually meet you, at some stage, but it is worth remembering it takes all sorts, and variety is the spice of life. We're very different with a mutual interest/passion, even if your version is on a much grander scale.
I'd like to think you haven't quite worked me out yet. A few lenghty evenings would sort that out. Maybe on your way back from the Harvest Tour, if your not 'Ported' out :)
It would truly be a pleasure to drink some Port with you in the UK, US or especially Portugal. But it is more than likely going to be in the UK and very possibly this coming Oct. after our trip.
I enjoy your sense of humor and whether you drink a bottle a month or 20, matters not. The tasting note thing is just poking fun and I hope you realize that. But even if you never post a formal tasting note, it would be great if you'd share your experience when you do open up old or young bottle of VP or LBV ... which does not mean a tasting note, just your basic impression.
Anyway, I look forward to meeting you and it will probably be just about 18 weeks from now.
I also try to do samples at about 2 hour increments along the way... not even an ounce, just enough to barely fill the bottom of the port glass - I typically don't feel the need to swirl and report on the colour evolution at every increment - just enough to take a decent nose from and a sample of the palate.
