Longevity of colheita port once opened

[Robert O.]

My wife bought me a nice bottle of 1971 Quinta do Noval Colheita port. I'd like to open it tonight but we leave for my parents tomorrow night and wont be back until Thursday. Will the Colheita still be close to peak taste on Thursday or will it have declined significantly? If it is likely to decline, are there things I can do to stop such as use one of those bottle sealers or if I put it in the refrigerator?

Thanks for any prompt advice you have!

[Scott Anaya]

Robert,

Your wife loves you! I had this bottle on tap for Christmas Eve as it is a fun birth year (mine) port. But the other night while addressing holiday cards, i couldn't resist! It is a yummy one. I had it open over three nights. I have to say the first night just being opened this port was at its best. Days two and three showed a bit of heat that was not there the first night. Usually it is the opposite in my experience, and any excess heat/alcohol integrates or blows off after being opened.

But it was still really yummy on day three and I bet the alcohol would have toned down a bit eventually. I'd say close it up tight and stick it in the fridge and you should have an enjoyable port on Thursday still.

Merry Christmas and happy '71 drinking!

[Kris Henderson]

Hi Robert,

My advice is a little late this time but for future reference, I find Colheita's will be just fine for several days once opened, even a couple weeks isn't too much. If you opened the bottle and tasted just a few ounces, then put the cork back in, the amount of air left in the bottle would not hurt the Port.

I've got a '66 Kopke Colheita I'm intending for Christmas evening that I opened last Saturday. I've had a very small taste each evening since opening and if anything it's been improving each time.

[Andy Velebil]

Robert,

Sorry missed this one earlier. Colheita's are fairly robust in holding their own after being open. So a few days is no biggie. I don't like to leave anything open for more than a week, but that is more of a personnal preferance. However they will hold for longer than a week, but as time goes on they will slowly lose that freshness when first opened. Although I did have one colheita that took well over a week to open up, but that was a rare one time occurrance.

[Andy Velebil]

Ahh, finally found it. Check out this old thread Roy started.

http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... ports+last

[Robert O.]

Thanks for the advice, all. I did end up opening the colheita on Saturday and am now revisiting it. While it has lost some heat it has also lost a little complexity. Still, it has not declined as much as a vintage port would in the same situation.

Luckily, I drank the vast majority of the bottle on Saturday and while I did pay the price Sunday, it was worth it