For The Love Of Port

Another question:

Never minding vintage ports for now...

I have two data points so far that suggest that ports, once opened, change taste slightly in the first few days, then steadily mellow over the next few weeks, and then suddenly start to turn vile. I'm starting to wonder whether the sudden decline has to do with the fact that there is a small amount of port swishing around in a rather large bottle, with lots of air and dried wine goo on the walls. If this is the case, wouldn't it then be better to pour the rest of the wine into a 375 ml bottle after you have already drank half? I suppose ideally you would immediately pour the contents of one 750 ml bottle into 2 375 ml bottles, but that takes up more space. Anyway, I was thinking that it might be best to avoid the "small amount of wine in a large bottle" scenario.

Another question: will LBV's and Tawnies evolve similarly but more slowly compared to decanting if you recork it and put it back in the cooler? One difference I can imagine is that with decanting, you give the aromatics a chance to leave.

Alan,

Roy had a great thread last year about how long different ports last once openned. Remember it is JUST A GUIDE and not absolute by any means. here is the link http://www.fortheloveofport.com/forum/v ... 74&start=0

Yes, ports, as with wines, do tend to get better for a time then start to decline after being opened. How fast this deteriation occurs depends on many factors, including how old the wine is, type of port/wine, etc.

About the only time I put left over port in a 375 bottle, is when I have left overs of an aged VP (but they rarely last more than 24-48 hours before being consumed)

The important thing to do is try out some experiments and find out what works best for you and your tastes.