Advice required on decanting old port
Discussion
I wonder if there are any wine/port experts out there, I need some advice please ?
I have a boxed bottle of 1986 Quinta Do Panascal port, given to me in 1997 as a gift. For a variety of reasons this summer would be a good time to share it with family (and treat myself as well !). However, I have no idea what the correct procedure is to open and decant the port so that it will be good for the summer. The bottle has no leaks around the cork and has been laid flat since I was given it. I assume that there will be some sediment in the bottle so how do I go about removing this - filter (?) into a jug and then decant ? When in the glass decanter should it be stored in the daylight or dark ? So many questions so if anyone can give me advice then please do so.
Many thanks. Brian.
I have a boxed bottle of 1986 Quinta Do Panascal port, given to me in 1997 as a gift. For a variety of reasons this summer would be a good time to share it with family (and treat myself as well !). However, I have no idea what the correct procedure is to open and decant the port so that it will be good for the summer. The bottle has no leaks around the cork and has been laid flat since I was given it. I assume that there will be some sediment in the bottle so how do I go about removing this - filter (?) into a jug and then decant ? When in the glass decanter should it be stored in the daylight or dark ? So many questions so if anyone can give me advice then please do so.
Many thanks. Brian.
Brian Lacey said:
I wonder if there are any wine/port experts out there, I need some advice please ?
I have a boxed bottle of 1986 Quinta Do Panascal port, given to me in 1997 as a gift. For a variety of reasons this summer would be a good time to share it with family (and treat myself as well !). However, I have no idea what the correct procedure is to open and decant the port so that it will be good for the summer. The bottle has no leaks around the cork and has been laid flat since I was given it. I assume that there will be some sediment in the bottle so how do I go about removing this - filter (?) into a jug and then decant ? When in the glass decanter should it be stored in the daylight or dark ? So many questions so if anyone can give me advice then please do so.
Many thanks. Brian.
I drink Port quite often, and really enjoy it, but a couple of years ago I was given an aged bottle from about 1990. It had nearly 1cm of sediment in the bottom. No evidence that the cork had leaked or anything. It was absolutely dreadful when I tried it. Undrinkable. Just don't get your hopes up too much is all I'm saying!I have a boxed bottle of 1986 Quinta Do Panascal port, given to me in 1997 as a gift. For a variety of reasons this summer would be a good time to share it with family (and treat myself as well !). However, I have no idea what the correct procedure is to open and decant the port so that it will be good for the summer. The bottle has no leaks around the cork and has been laid flat since I was given it. I assume that there will be some sediment in the bottle so how do I go about removing this - filter (?) into a jug and then decant ? When in the glass decanter should it be stored in the daylight or dark ? So many questions so if anyone can give me advice then please do so.
Many thanks. Brian.
You can pour through muslin cloth, or as I did, you can use a paper coffee filter from a good brand such as Mellitta or Rombouts. These are quality filter papers that won't cause any changes to the flavour of the Port.
There are all kinds of arguments about how much sediment or particulate a filter or cloth should allow through, to not alter the taste of port, but this is a complex debate that I don't know much about!
Some people refuse to use filters or cloths at all, and simply pour carefully and slowly until they get the first trace of sediment at the neck, and then just discard whatever is left in the bottle. Usually about half a glass worth.
You should store in the decanter for a 3-4 hours before drinking. 2-3 hours is fine.
2-4 days maximum is the storage time, at 15-20c temperature, once in the decanter. Do not leave it decanted for longer than 2-4 days.
Edited by Mont Blanc on Thursday 22 February 12:37
I’d probably stand it vertically for about a week or so before opening.
Assuming you don’t have any Port tongs, a Durand is the best way to remove the cork… good news is that you can replicate how that works by using a combination of a waiters friend and butler’s thief. (Waiters friend goes in first, then butler’s thief over the top - rock it to insert - and then twist them both out as a pair).
Not a fan of filter paper approach that some advocate, so generally go straight into the decanter, sometimes using a decanting funnel with a fine mesh filter in case I get over enthusiastic with the pour and a small amount of sediment escapes. Generally I’d prefer to lose a few ml of wine instead of risking sediment. In spite of the bottles being dark you can usually see where you’re up to if there’s a light source on the other side.
Give it a couple of hours in the decanter and you’re good to go. Very rarely agree with people who say that it’s better after 24/48hr decants (although that can be true for very young ones).
Assuming you don’t have any Port tongs, a Durand is the best way to remove the cork… good news is that you can replicate how that works by using a combination of a waiters friend and butler’s thief. (Waiters friend goes in first, then butler’s thief over the top - rock it to insert - and then twist them both out as a pair).
Not a fan of filter paper approach that some advocate, so generally go straight into the decanter, sometimes using a decanting funnel with a fine mesh filter in case I get over enthusiastic with the pour and a small amount of sediment escapes. Generally I’d prefer to lose a few ml of wine instead of risking sediment. In spite of the bottles being dark you can usually see where you’re up to if there’s a light source on the other side.
Give it a couple of hours in the decanter and you’re good to go. Very rarely agree with people who say that it’s better after 24/48hr decants (although that can be true for very young ones).
The cork will almost certainly give you trouble if you attack it with an ordinary corkscrew.
Given the wine is worth about £100, if you don't have access to a durand, it's probably worth getting an Ah-so wine opener (less than a tenner) and practice on a few bottles before the big day.
I'd probably have it upright for a week. I'm happy with decanting by eye - generally the sediment in port is pretty chunky. I wouldn't leave it around too long after decanting.
Although it's fortified, old port is more fragile than young port or sherry. If you really want to keep it longer than a day or two I'd transfer it to a clean bottle and use a vacuvin to remove the air. If you do this it wouldn't be ridiculous to keep in the fridge between drinking.
Would be worth thinking about your food matches too. I'd probably go nutty hard cheese like good cheddar or even aged parmesan rather than a palate stripping stilton.
Given the wine is worth about £100, if you don't have access to a durand, it's probably worth getting an Ah-so wine opener (less than a tenner) and practice on a few bottles before the big day.
I'd probably have it upright for a week. I'm happy with decanting by eye - generally the sediment in port is pretty chunky. I wouldn't leave it around too long after decanting.
Although it's fortified, old port is more fragile than young port or sherry. If you really want to keep it longer than a day or two I'd transfer it to a clean bottle and use a vacuvin to remove the air. If you do this it wouldn't be ridiculous to keep in the fridge between drinking.
Would be worth thinking about your food matches too. I'd probably go nutty hard cheese like good cheddar or even aged parmesan rather than a palate stripping stilton.
I personally use filter paper, though be aware you will need 2-4 due to sediment so don;t pour the bottle in all at once.
The one risk you have is vintage/single di quinta ports do go off in the bottle and I have poured too much away (as I used to drink a lot (not at a time) with a friend who moved away). You will know when you taste. If it is watery or tastes of tobacco then it has gone. If you have that rich 'black cherry' (well to me) taste then all is good. Alas I suspect you are more likely to be in the former category and I have bottles from the early 1990s I am nervous about.
The one risk you have is vintage/single di quinta ports do go off in the bottle and I have poured too much away (as I used to drink a lot (not at a time) with a friend who moved away). You will know when you taste. If it is watery or tastes of tobacco then it has gone. If you have that rich 'black cherry' (well to me) taste then all is good. Alas I suspect you are more likely to be in the former category and I have bottles from the early 1990s I am nervous about.
If it's been stored right it should be fine. I've kept wine in racks my cupboard under the stairs (not ideal but dark and has two outside walls) and the reds I've opened from the 1990s in the last five years have been more than fine. Your port should stand aging a lot better than my claret.
oddman said:
If it's been stored right it should be fine. I've kept wine in racks my cupboard under the stairs (not ideal but dark and has two outside walls) and the reds I've opened from the 1990s in the last five years have been more than fine. Your port should stand aging a lot better than my claret.
I've been storing port for over 30 years now in decent conditions as has the friend who I used to drink with, and trust me port does go off over time 
dapprman said:
I've been storing port for over 30 years now in decent conditions as has the friend who I used to drink with, and trust me port does go off over time
That really surprises me. They only declare a vintage when the wine is special and age worthy. It ages for sure and gets past its best. To be fair it's not a preferred tipple (although good value in the fine wine scheme of things) so I'm not as experienced of you. I've had 40 year old port which should probably have been drunk at 20 years as it was getting pale, weedy and thin but it wasn't oxidised or otherwise faulty. I'm finishing of my stash of unfortified wines that I laid down in the nineties and they've all been what you'd expect in re maturity.Fingers crossed for the OP.
dapprman said:
oddman said:
If it's been stored right it should be fine. I've kept wine in racks my cupboard under the stairs (not ideal but dark and has two outside walls) and the reds I've opened from the 1990s in the last five years have been more than fine. Your port should stand aging a lot better than my claret.
I've been storing port for over 30 years now in decent conditions as has the friend who I used to drink with, and trust me port does go off over time The big problem with Port is that you either need to search out ones with good provenance or have the good fortune to have parents with a degree of foresight and generosity. Even then, the older stuff hasn’t gone up in price much with time and recent changes to duty seem to have hit in bond pricing.
The ones I ended up pouring down the drain were all single de quinta, managed to dodge the bullet on the few actual vintages I had (the one that made me nervous was a Dow 1980 I picked up for a sing in 2000/1 when Oddbins went bump, that was still very drinkable a few years back but there was just the first hints it of going (a slight hint of wateriness).
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