Port decanter advice

[Michael Hann]

This is a basic question. I'm interested in advice on obtaining a decanter.

I already have a suitable decanter for separating sediment from port and for giving the port opportunity to interact with the air. This is an amply sized clear, unfaceted decanter that is broad-bellied. With a bottle of port in this decanter, the air-port interface probably has a diameter of 4". This decanter has no stopper.

The kind of decanter I want advice about is a decanter with a stopper that is suitable for holding lesser ports -- LBV, reserve ruby -- for several days but probably less than a week. An assumption is that the subject port does NOT need to gain benefit from exposure to the air, otherwise I would use the decanter described above. Further, I'm interested in this decanter being relatively attractive -- both sitting out on a side table when not drinking and sitting on the table whilst sitting at table and pouring from it into my glass. Maybe faceted? Also, I assume that lead crystal is not wanted due to the leaching of lead into the wine. Aesthetics is a consideration. Just as some are willing to pay a premium price for a Riedel glass -- and I assume the premium price is largely determined by the aesthetics of the glass versus any functionality associated with this glass versus a $5 alternative glass -- I'm willing, within certain boundaries, to pay for aethetic values in this decanter. If I was NOT interested in the aesthetic value, I reckon a well cleaned LBV bottle with a stopper cork would serve the wanted function substantially as well as a beautiful, nicely faceted, ground glass stopper decanter. I saw a pretty Waterford magnum decanter on-line priced at about $1,200. That is well more than I'm willing to spend. Maybe $300, preferrably less.

[Glenn E.]

Also, I assume that lead crystal is not wanted due to the leaching of lead into the wine.

Everything that I have seen on this subject indicates that it is mostly myth.

While it is true that lead can leach out of the crystal into wine (or other liquid) in the decanter, it takes months if not years for the amount to be detectable, let alone dangerous. So since Port is only sitting in a decanter or glass for a few days at most, there is no reason to avoid using lead crystal.

As far as a "show" decanter goes, Riedel makes several that look nice to me but which are beyond what I'm willing to pay for a decanter. The Amadeo decanter is probably my favorite; the Swan and Black Tie decanters are similarly styled. But I also like the "O" single decanter because it looks more useable. The Eve decanter looks cool, but also looks like it would be really hard to pour.

Unfortunately, none of these have a stopper.

[Eric Ifune]

Villeroy and Bock make some nice ones which might fit the bill.

[Peter W. Meek]

Here is one more post thinking that the lead leaching problem is insignificant for the time port is likely to be in the decanter. Acid in the wine can leach lead from the crystal, but it happens pretty slowly, and lead is mainly a problem with the nervous systems of infants and toddlers (who drink very little port).

There are modern lead-free crystals, but new modern decanters (with an assurance that the crystal is lead-free) are likely to be expensive. It would be very hard to be sure that a second-hand decanter is truly lead-free, unless it is of a well-known design (and this would, again, likely make it expensive).

The best deals I have found for attractive decanters at reasonable prices (under $100 or $150) is local antique shops (shoppes?). I frequently see stoppered decanters with nice designs for fairly reasonable prices. The on-line shops seem to specialize in the more expensive examples, or at least charge as though they were.

The one criterium that I really insist on is that the decanter have a ground-glass stopper. This kind will have a band of rough glass where the stopper and the neck of the decanter meet. It should fit accurately, with no wobble. They are made by rotating the stopper in the neck with an abrasive material between until the stopper is an exact fit to the decanter. If there is wobble, that may mean that you have a decanter with a stopper from a different decanter. The downside to ground-glass stoppers is that they can become "frozen" into the neck of the decanter. It is best to put a strip of paper between the stopper and the decanter for long-tern storage. This "freezing" is why you find a lot of decanters with mismatched stoppers -- either the stopper or the decanter has been broken while trying to free up a frozen stopper. If you find a decanter with the stopper frozen in, try warming the neck of the decanter while chilling the stopper. Then gentle taps, either driving the stopper up or the neck of the decanter down may free it up. If you find such a situation in an antique shop, either ask for a discount (and you take the risk of breaking it), or ask that the stopper be freed up while the decanter is still owned by the shop.

I purely dislike the decanters that have a plastic seal on the stopper. This is strictly an aesthetic dislike. Plastic stoppers work just fine (maybe even better than ground-glass); I simply don't like them. Also, the plastic seal is a sure sign that the decanter is modern; ground-glass indicates that it could really be an antique.