1962 Sandeman
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
1962 Sandeman
I have a bottle of 1962 Sandeman port - bottled in 1964. The bottle was given to me by my father in law. I doubt that it was well cared for before 1990 when I received it. Since then it has been in a wine storage refer. There seems to be some matter floating in it. Is this normal for a bottle this age. Anyone have any feed back please post - thank you, Alan
Alan,
Welcome to the FOR THE LOVE OF PORT Forum. Glad to have you with us. Please go back to your profile and add your last name and location and then others will be very happy to reply to your posting.
Thanks!
Roy
Welcome to the FOR THE LOVE OF PORT Forum. Glad to have you with us. Please go back to your profile and add your last name and location and then others will be very happy to reply to your posting.
Thanks!
Roy
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Ronald Wortel
- Posts: 889
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:45 pm
- Location: New Plymouth, New Zealand
Hi Alan,
What you have there is a bottle of Vintage Port. Normally made from the best selection of grapes from the best vineyards. It spends two (to three) years in large oak vats before being bottled. It is not filtered and develops in the bottle. VP's can throw a huge amount of sediment, so the stuff you see floating in the bottle is probably normal.
Will it be any good still? I haven't got a clue, but it would sure surprise me. 1962 wasn't the best year for Vintage Port, only a few producers even made it that year. Bad storage won't help either.
If you drink it (which I suggest you do), stand it upright for a couple of days and make sure to decant.
Hope this helps!
What you have there is a bottle of Vintage Port. Normally made from the best selection of grapes from the best vineyards. It spends two (to three) years in large oak vats before being bottled. It is not filtered and develops in the bottle. VP's can throw a huge amount of sediment, so the stuff you see floating in the bottle is probably normal.
Will it be any good still? I haven't got a clue, but it would sure surprise me. 1962 wasn't the best year for Vintage Port, only a few producers even made it that year. Bad storage won't help either.
If you drink it (which I suggest you do), stand it upright for a couple of days and make sure to decant.
Hope this helps!
Alan,
In anticipation of you following Roy's request, I thought I would give you a brief answer to your question.
Vintage Port is made in a way that is intended to allow the wine to develop and mature in the bottle. Although I do not know anything of the 1962 vintage, I am fairly certain that you have a bottle of vintage port from the fact that there were only two years between the vintage date and the bottling date.
One of the consequences of port maturing in a bottle is that it throws a crust, or sediment. This is perfectly normal and is a good sign. The only thing that this means is that you have to pour the wine off the sediment before you drink it. You can filter the sediment out, but my personal preference is to pour the wine carefully out of the bottle and leave the sediment behind. To have the best chance of getting the most wine with the least sediment out of the bottle, be sure to stand the bottle upright for a day or two before you open it.
1962 is not a year know for producing strong and robust wines. Port should be stored lying on its side and at an even, steady cellar temperature. If your wine has not been stored like this then you are never going to be sure what it will taste like until you open the bottle and try it. Once opened and exposed to the air, if it is still in good shape, it will reach its peak taste about 2-6 hours after being poured off its sediment and will then start to lose some of its flavours over the next 24-48 hours.
One thing I can say for sure is that your wine will not improve any further if you store it for longer. It is probably as good as it will ever be (badly stored wine does not improve if stored well after a few years of bad storage) so you have no reason to hold back. Open the bottle as soon as you can be reasoanbly sure that you have a bunch of people with you who will enjoy it (if it has lasted) and be sure to post a tasting note here. I would guess that not many people reading this forum have had the opportunity to taste a wine from 1962 - I know that I haven't!
Alex
In anticipation of you following Roy's request, I thought I would give you a brief answer to your question.
Vintage Port is made in a way that is intended to allow the wine to develop and mature in the bottle. Although I do not know anything of the 1962 vintage, I am fairly certain that you have a bottle of vintage port from the fact that there were only two years between the vintage date and the bottling date.
One of the consequences of port maturing in a bottle is that it throws a crust, or sediment. This is perfectly normal and is a good sign. The only thing that this means is that you have to pour the wine off the sediment before you drink it. You can filter the sediment out, but my personal preference is to pour the wine carefully out of the bottle and leave the sediment behind. To have the best chance of getting the most wine with the least sediment out of the bottle, be sure to stand the bottle upright for a day or two before you open it.
1962 is not a year know for producing strong and robust wines. Port should be stored lying on its side and at an even, steady cellar temperature. If your wine has not been stored like this then you are never going to be sure what it will taste like until you open the bottle and try it. Once opened and exposed to the air, if it is still in good shape, it will reach its peak taste about 2-6 hours after being poured off its sediment and will then start to lose some of its flavours over the next 24-48 hours.
One thing I can say for sure is that your wine will not improve any further if you store it for longer. It is probably as good as it will ever be (badly stored wine does not improve if stored well after a few years of bad storage) so you have no reason to hold back. Open the bottle as soon as you can be reasoanbly sure that you have a bunch of people with you who will enjoy it (if it has lasted) and be sure to post a tasting note here. I would guess that not many people reading this forum have had the opportunity to taste a wine from 1962 - I know that I haven't!
Alex
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Richard Henderson
- Posts: 693
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:21 pm
- Location: fort worth, Texas, United States of America - USA