For The Love Of Port

How long can you keep a bottle of port after opening? For VP/SQVP I am imagining, both the same like wine, next day perhaps, but for the others? Particularly interested in keeping times for filtered/unfiltered LBV, but also white, ruby, 10/20-year old tawny and colheita. Would you refrigerate or not? Decant into 375s?

Ivan

Search around the site a little, as this has been a very common topic of discussion. The answer is of course, "it depends".

VP and SQVP are very much like dry red wine, in that they will not last forever after opening. However, many people here (myself included) have found that VP often gets better with extended decanting, which might be from 2 hr to 48 hr depending on the age and wine....I think roughly the average may be around 24 hours. Of course it's hard to predict without having tried that wine before....thats where the tasting note section comes in. Some decline shortly after opening, and some younger VP's peak as far out as ~30 hours (Vesuvio 1994 for example). Take a look at the TN section and other threads.

For myself, I enjoy the tawnies from the time of opening up to about a week, and sometimes longer. If you want to keep them freshest you can keep the capped bottle in the fridge.

Colheita should often be decanted like VP, and keeping times range between VP and Tawny, depending on the age and quality of the bottle.

I will keep unfiltered LBV in a decanter on my kitchen counter for up to a week.

Filtered LBV I leave in the bottle and it can last up to two weeks.

Now for the disclaimer. The above suggestions are rough guidelines only, and work for me. Dont open your 1931 Nacional and leave it in a decanter for a week based on what I have said above! Check around the site, look at the TN's, and experiment. Enjoy,

Jay

Hi Ivan, I am sorry but I can give you no useful info, I cannot
remember a bottle lasting more than 24hrs in our household,
I live in shock and awe of the restrained !!

Paul.

Hi Ivan and welcome aboard. Nice to have you join us!

Jay has provided you with excellent advice, although my style of Port drinking resembles Paul's in which (esp. VP) bottles rarely tend to last past the time in which I go to sleep.

Not much to add except that many people do like to have their Ports over a longer period of time. IF that IS your intent, then pour directly into a 375 and fill it up to the cork, recork the bottle and keep it refrigerated without adding inert gas or utilizing any vacuum device. The cold 40 degree F. temperature within your refrigerator will significantly retard the oxidation process within the bottle and allow the wine to drink well for a longer period of time. The actual length of time, is up to your own palate. Take the 375 out to rethermalize at room temp for about an hour in advance of the actual serving time.

The others already gave sound advice, and I would emphize that refrigeration is the key. I am sipping on a small glass of Fridays left over 1989 Warres Q.d. Cavadinha and it is still drinking nicely right now. Actually it is quite tasty at the moment, just a touch of heat is starting to show more promenintly, but by no means a distraction and I like the little kick it gives it.

Refrigerate and 375s it is then, as I'd do with a non-fortified wine (theoretically- it doesn't happen very often!)

Just back from Porto last weekend with a small stock and wondering how to best manage it. Limited experience with port but previously have had good preservation in the fridge, didn't know if this might be sacreligious. Weather was horrendous last weekend but the wine is still good!

Hello Ivan,

Here are my suggestions, altough I must say that for this kinf of information there's a lot of controverse, but ... :

VP - the official 24 hours sucks...
with good friends: 1 meal!
whithout friends but with experience spirit: 1 weekend(open friday night and finish the bottle sunday night to boost the upcominng new week!)

LBV (Unfiltered, of course!!!) and Crusted - 2 up to 3 weeks.

Ruby, Ruby Reserve-2 up to 3 weeks.

White-2 up to 3 weeks.

Tawnies and Colheitas - 6 months, that's the Grandpa Port!

:wink

Paul Eddy wrote:Hi Ivan, I am sorry but I can give you no useful info, I cannot
remember a bottle lasting more than 24hrs in our household,
I live in shock and awe of the restrained !!

Paul.

I am in virtual agreement here!

Gustavo Devesas wrote: . . . Tawnies and Colheitas - 6 months, that's the Grandpa Port!

I concur. I have a 1951 Colheita and it's still very good and it's been in the fridge for 9 months.

Gustavo Devesas wrote:Tawnies and Colheitas - 6 months, that's the Grandpa Port!

At the risk of losing my port-consuming license, I have to admit that the above statement made me smile in agreement. About three months ago I found a bottle of 20 year Taylor that had been opened at Christmas and left untouched with about one third of the bottle remaining.

(That would be Christmas of 2005 - over 15 months!)

While I know, and freely admit I should be chastised for this travesty, the good news is that the port was still amazingly vibrant, tasty, and drinkable.

Not ideal, certainly, but it was still very tasty.

Todd

Gustavo Devesas wrote: VP - the official 24 hours sucks...
with good friends: 1 meal!
whithout friends but with experience spirit: 1 weekend(open friday night and finish the bottle sunday night to boost the upcominng new week!)

YOU ARE SO RIGHT

In thinking a lot about this thread, I still keep coming back to a brilliant posting by my friend Jay:

"It depends"


... and I must admit ... I could not have said it better myself!