For The Love Of Port

For the first online FTLOP Zoom meeting, I decided to open a 1970 Warres. I pulled the bottle from my cellar a while back because I thought it was a leaker. Upon closer inspection, I think it wasn't in fact leaking, but just showed the drops from a leaker above (likely a 1977 Warres, now slated for earlier consumption). But I decided to open it anyway.

I don't know if you can sufficiently heat Port tongs on a small gas burner. I just sat them there while I prepped my plumber's torch and grabbed a few ice cubes from the freezer. Some residue from a previous bottle burns orange, otherwise the flame is just blue. Time to clamp down.

So I heat the tongs until they start to glow. I clamp for 1-2 minutes. And then apply an ice cube around the neck. Sometimes to top pops off. Other times, like this, you just hear the crack, but it stays in place because of the position of the break and the cork. And there you have it. As expected, a lot of sediment in this bottle. All ready for the meeting now.

Nice!
Never seen this in practice, thanks for sharing.

Yes, thanks for sharing the pictures!

Port tongs are such fun, I wish I got to use them more often.

I use the same MAP gas. Even that one takes some time to heat up.

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:58 pm I use the same MAP gas. Even that one takes some time to heat up.

MAP is supposed to be hotter than propane, but I've heard that they changed the formulation and it isn't as hot as it used to be. Here's a quote I just found from a google search, https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/119 ... vs-propane

MAPP is 5300F, but they haven't made it since 2008.
You're seeing MAP-Pro, which is only about 5% hotter than propane. Don't waste your money......the extra 150F isn't worth it.

Another source says the MAP-Pro burns at 3,730 F vs. 3,600 for propane. So yeah, next time if there is a price difference, I'll just get the propane.

Eric Menchen wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:41 pm

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:58 pm I use the same MAP gas. Even that one takes some time to heat up.

MAP is supposed to be hotter than propane, but I've heard that they changed the formulation and it isn't as hot as it used to be. Here's a quote I just found from a google search, https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/119 ... vs-propane

MAPP is 5300F, but they haven't made it since 2008.
You're seeing MAP-Pro, which is only about 5% hotter than propane. Don't waste your money......the extra 150F isn't worth it.

Another source says the MAP-Pro burns at 3,730 F vs. 3,600 for propane. So yeah, next time if there is a price difference, I'll just get the propane.

A tank lasts for quite some time. I use the MAP gas to light charcoal for agarwood more than heating tongs.

well done!

Ice cube is a good idea. I'll try this next time.

Awesome!

Well that's a pretty spectacular way to open a bottle, that's how I realise I'm an absolute newbie when it comes to Portuguese wines, as I didn't know there were bottles one has to open this way! It looks like I've found the right place to learn more about these wines... (For the record, I'm not a newcomer to wines as a whole, but I'm only familiar with French and Georgian wines, and have some basic knowledge about Latin American ones, but I've recently been offered port by a business partner and decided I needed more of it in my life)

... isn't it difficult not to get glass shards in the bottle? Or is the breaking line clean due to the method used to break the glass?

Olivier V wrote:Well that's a pretty spectacular way to open a bottle, that's how I realise I'm an absolute newbie when it comes to Portuguese wines, as I didn't know there were bottles one has to open this way! It looks like I've found the right place to learn more about these wines... (For the record, I'm not a newcomer to wines as a whole, but I'm only familiar with French and Georgian wines, and have some basic knowledge about Latin American ones, but I've recently been offered port by a business partner and decided I needed more of it in my life)

... isn't it difficult not to get glass shards in the bottle? Or is the breaking line clean due to the method used to break the glass?

If done right it breaks clean. The heat/cold causes it to snap with no shards. That said, I still decant any tonged bottle through cheese cloth as an added safety precaution.

Olivier V wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:57 am ... isn't it difficult not to get glass shards in the bottle? Or is the breaking line clean due to the method used to break the glass?

What Andy said. But I usually run it through a funnel with a filter screen to placate nervous guests.

Welcome Oliver! You should probably post in the pinned introduce yourself thread.

Thanks for your answers! And yes, I'm going to introduce myself right now, sorry for missing that thread.