port newbie questions

[Chris Lenfest]

Note, these questions are probably really dumb.

1. When I decant port, I assume that I do so without a stopper on the decanter?

2. How long does a bottle of tawny keep once it has been opened? I've heard 6 months, but I would like an expert to confirm this. I assume that I shouldn't store it in the fridge once it's open but correct me if I'm wrong.

3. How long will a tawny keep in the decanter if I put the stopper on? (I know Tawnies don't need to be decanted, but let's pretend I want to keep it in there from a presentation perspective).

4. Should a ruby port be decanted and if so for how long?

5. Any chance someone can suggest a VP for someone who has never tried VP before, and would like to start out with something relatively inexpensive that is ready for drinking now?

Thanks!

[Andy Velebil]

Chris,

Welcome to forum. Great that you have found us.
As to your questions, I'll answer them one by one...

#1: It doesn't really matter if the glass stopper on a decanter is put on or left off. I almost never put it on myself, but i know people that do. Its really a personnal preference, but it won't make any difference. Now it may make a slight difference if its a sealed stopper (one with a rubber o-ring to keep all air out).

#2: A basic tawny will last 3-4 weeks if kept in the refridgerator once opened. A tawny with an indication of age (10,20,30,40 year old tawnys) will last up to about 2 weeks if kept in the fridge once opened. They will last longer 3-4 weeks and won't go bad, but they lose their freshness and won't be nearly as good. So its best to drink up within about 3-4 weeks max.

#3: I was going to ask why put it in a decanter...but I totally understand the rest of that question rea presentation. Considerably less in a decanter, as it will be getting lots of airation the entire time it sits in a decanter. I can't say I've ever had a tawny left in a decanter that long, but would say 1 (maybe 2) weeks max.

#4: No, they are pretty much pop-and-pour

#5: Not sure where you live or what your budget is. If you let us know I can make some rec's

[Roy Hersh]

Chris,

Andy has provided you with very sound advice. I would first like to say that there are no dumb questions about Port, as how the heck are you going to learn if you don't have anywhere to feel comfortable asking the simple ones which give you the background to try more Port or advance your knowledge base?

Anyway, I hope you will continue to visit us and ask more questions. I often wonder why the hundreds of emails I get every month on a wide variety of "basics" questions do not wind up here instead, so that others could learn from not only the responses, but the questions themselves. Hopefully in time, we will receive even more of the very basic questions which we'll never ignore. Here are my own answers to your questions which are not different than Andy's except in my own words with slightly different nuances.

1. When I decant port, I assume that I do so without a stopper on the decanter?

It is a proven fact that wine changes with air time after being put in a decanter. I tend to leave the decanters open with no stopper on them 95% of the time. The more surface area and the more time the oxygen has in contact and integrating with the wine, the more prevalent the changes are. I typically do this at about 65 degrees and not in my cellar (55 degrees). Occasionally I will put the decanter in my cellar if going to exceed 12 hours of decanting, but typically that ONLY happens during my month of tasting cask samples from a future vintage, each year.

2. How long does a bottle of tawny keep once it has been opened? I've heard 6 months, but I would like an expert to confirm this. I assume that I shouldn't store it in the fridge once it's open but correct me if I'm wrong.

Andy provides the correct answers. I will comment though on the refrigeration aspect of storing Port. I believe that the best way to do so is to immediately decant a bottle of Port and pour half into a 375 ml bottle, right up to the bottom of the cork. Reinsert the cork and refrigerate it. You can then enjoy the "other" half of the 750 during the next few days. Depending on the type of Port, you can then remove the bottle that has been chillin' a week later. Pour off what you want into a glass and let it warm up. If that is to be your only glass that day/night then, immediately put the rest of the bottle back in the refrigerator. Allow your wine in glass to warm up slowly instead of doing silly things (even if they do work) like using a microwave ... unless you live in Manhattan (NYC) and your life is so rushed that the 15 minutes you'd lose while the Port rethermalizes naturally, would cost you too much agita. I do know quite a few folks that actually freeze their Ports with sediment NOT removed and have experimented with this myself (only to not pu pu new ideas) and it works but freshness is lost in translation, imo.

3. How long will a tawny keep in the decanter if I put the stopper on? (I know Tawnies don't need to be decanted, but let's pretend I want to keep it in there from a presentation perspective).

I keep a cheap ruby in a decanter for nothing but presentation purposes. Every couple of years, I dump the Port, bleach the decanter and start all over again. I like the look of a Port in decanter and as crazy as that seems, realize you like having a Tawny around for the same purpose with one slight difference. At some point, you actually drink yours. So, let's examine that as I have played around with doing so with almost every category of Port over the years. Your typical 10 or 20 year Tawny can keep for quite a few weeks in a resealed bottle and even longer when kept refrigerated as the oxidation process is retarded by the cold temps. In this case, the lower the better ... a refrigerator at 40 degrees F. is better than a wine cellar at 55 degrees F. But in decanter, at room temperature at between 65 and 72 degrees (pref. on the cooler side of that range) the shelf life of a 10 or 20 year old will be for about 12-15 days at peak performance. It will hold up for another couple of weeks still drinkable, but not only thicker in general, but more smooth but with a slight loss of vibrancy and most noticable in the aromatics. Lots of people do not care or even notice but they are not the serious geek types, but casual drinkers of Port. I have seen some individuals and some restaurants (the latter storing their Tawny in bottle not decanter, on the back bar of the restaurant) that keep their 10 and 20 year Tawny for 2-6 months. Unfortunately, I have tried these more times than I care to admit too, and I find a considerable lacking in the performance but there is still flavors that are not offensive in these wines. However, I would never "knowingly choose" to store or drink Tawny Port in this manner.

4. Should a ruby port be decanted and if so for how long?

No need to do so, although an hour in decanter really does help ANY Port to show better!

5. Any chance someone can suggest a VP for someone who has never tried VP before, and would like to start out with something relatively inexpensive that is ready for drinking now?

A few suggesions are 1995 Ferreira Vintage Port (VP), 1999 Quinta do Portal VP, 2000 Sandeman Vau VP and just about any from 2001 with a good decant. Let us know what you want to open and we'd be happy to suggest the proper decant time for you to maximize your Port drinking pleasure.

I've only provided a few suggestion to question #5 as I am pretty certain that you will have others here to welcome you as well as add their two cents to the discussion and deliver their insightful recommendations.

That said Chris, I hope you won't be a "one hit wonder" but if you are ... then I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about our favorite beverage. Should you choose to become either an active participant or at least one who is seeking knowledge and wants to continue to ask a bunch more questions of this talented group of Port enthusiasts ... who are beginners, intermediates and experts alike. it would be a pretty darn boring area if we never had people sharing their enthusiasm in discovering Port or asking questions to furhter their own appreciation. Heck, maybe you'd even be willing to post in the first thread in PORT BASICS, a very brief bio/introduction which gives us some insight as to when you discovered Port and what you've enjoyed so far.

Best regards and again, welcome to FTLOP!

Roy

[Glenn E.]

Hi Chris,

Welcome!

Roy and Andy answered all the hard questions, but I thought I'd give you another recommendation for a Vintage Port.

It depends a lot on what you like and how much you want to spend. I asked a very similar question when I first joined a couple of months ago and everyone was very helpful. After reading all of the suggestions, the VP that I ended up trying was a 1983 Warre's.

I like fruity and sweet ports, so the Warre's worked perfectly for me. I also do not for the tannins in wine to be prominent, so I needed something that would be close to mature (which usually softens and integrates the tannins). 1983 worked well for that. After that I just had to figure out if I wanted to pay $100 for my first VP, and decided I might as well!

I have since had a second bottle because I liked it so much, and have begun collecting a few other VPs to store in my wine fridge until they're ready.

[Kris Henderson]

Regarding question 5, some recent Port's I've tasted and would recommend are:
1980 Dow
1983 Dow
1977 Warre
1985 Graham

All of them can be found for under $100, are fairly mature, and drinking well.

[Moses Botbol]

Any chance someone can suggest a VP for someone who has never tried VP before, and would like to start out with something relatively inexpensive that is ready for drinking now?

Any port from the 80's from a well known brand that is in your price range will work. 80's is a great balance of age to fruit and won't put you in the poor house.

[Chris Lenfest]

Great, thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know what I think once I've gotten a couple under my belt.