For The Love Of Port

Having opened one this past weekend on a 1970 Graham (not the one pictured), a thought occurred to me.

Has anyone ever had a duff bottle that was sealed with one of those thick rubber/plastic capsules? I don't mean corked - the capsule can't protect you from that - but some other problem like prematurely aged, oxidized, etc.

If you don't know what kind of capsule I'm talking about, it's these:
They're quite thick and require cutting (usually in two places) to get off, but that means they're also basically impregnable. I really don't enjoy removing them, but I have always enjoyed drinking the Port that they were protecting!

I don’t recall having had a bad bottle with one of those capsules.

I quite like them. They’re easy to remove (just slide a flat-bladed screwdriver under the cap and pop it off), reusable and protect the wine from any cork failure other than TCA.

I've had very good luck with them sealing. Even had a few leakers that I didn't know was a leaker until the capsule came off. They do seem to seal very well. Does take awhile to get the hang of getting them off without slicing your hand off (kidding, they're not that bad).

A duff bottle, no. But I can remember a 15-20 minute struggle with a 1966 Fonseca VP. Screw driver didn't work, so I carefully tried to cut through the rubber with an exacto-blade and was happy I left with both hands and fingers attached!