Emails have requested my opinion on whether Port is ok to ship during hot weather. Some mentioned that they were told that Port is not susceptible to issues with heat, while one person thought that the higher alcohol level would protect the wine.
Let me clarify from experience:
Port is a hardy wine and is certainly less prone to short term temperature fluctuations than normal red table wine. Old Vintage Port on the other hand, reacts poorly to temperature variations during shipping as any other wine. Younger VP is a bit more durable. That said, no wine EXCEPT Madeira can be exposed to high temps during shipping without any effect. Even Port can be cooked or heat damaged.
It is really easy. Do NOT permit your wines to be shipped when they will have to sit over a weekend. Always have wine shipped out on a Monday when possible. Do NOT ship during summer months, or to/from hot weather areas from June until at least October. It makes no sense to do so.
Shipping at high temperatures
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Shipping at high temperatures
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