For The Love Of Port

In an article in a recent issue of Decanter, Michael Broadbent had some interesting comments regarding bottle condition of mature vintage ports:

"Ignore signs of dripping or leaking. It's rarely a problem, just sticky to handle - unless, holding it upright, the level is seriously low."

I found these comments to be refreshingly direct. Many of us worry about SOS in our VP's (including myself with a slumbering magnum of 70 Grahams), and possibly needlessly so in most cases.

Thoughts ?

Dave

I think VP is more resistant do oxygen than many other wines. Even if th SOS VP would still be very drinkable, I'm sure it is less interesting than a perfect bottle of the same wine.

SOS is usually okay (hardly ideal), but it's not okay if you are a buyer and trying to lower the price at liquor store. For sure it is junk, so ask for the 40% off! I worry more about the bottle being baked and the SOS being related to heat issues.

:stupid:

I think Moses nailed it... a leaky cork probably isn't a problem, but a baked bottle certainly is. And unless there's some other obvious sign like a pushed cork you might not be able to tell the difference.

While I rarely if ever buy leakers, and only if its a very very good deal, Port seems to do quite well if there was only a small amount of leakage. Fill level is something I always look at no matter what and if the fill is still well into the neck then I probably wouldn't mind. But then again, the price would have to be heavily discounted.

I seem to recall a producer (I forgot which one) that stated a small amount of seepage is generally ok as the sugars in Port will act as a seal when it dries. But its always a risk when buying anything with past signs of seepage, so Caveat Emptor.