How long does decanted port keep

It needed many years to soften and mature. That can be 20 or 50 years, or even longer. Because the current style is still relatively new beginning in the mids , your descendants will be the judges of that.

In fact, the general consensus is that the aroma, mouthfeel and taste of a full-bodied cigar can cancel the aroma, mouthfeel and taste of vintage Port. If cigars are a priority, and you want a vintage Port instead of a spirit, then balance the opulence of the cigar with the opulence of the Port. You can drink vintage Port while dining on the patio in the summer, sitting around a log fire or at a restaurant. Serve young, fruity vintage Ports with a steak with pepper sauce, or with sausage, especially spicy sausage.

I like a plate of smoked meats with young vintage Port at the start of a meal. We British swear correctly that mature 20 years or older vintage Port is best with a blue cheese, like Stilton. Tropical fruits and blueberries are surprisingly successful pairings as well. Some, like late bottled vintage Ports and aged tawnies, remain good for a few weeks.

Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. The splash of white paint which is sometimes found on the bottle tells you which way up it was cellared; this mark should be uppermost.

A small funnel, ideally with a strainer, may be helpful. If the port has thrown a heavy deposit, it may benefit from filtering through some clean muslin held in a funnel. Port is an extremely versatile wine and the different styles of Port lend themselves to a variety of foods and occasions. Find out how to match your Taylor's Port with your food and the occasion. Use a well proportioned, good quality glass to really enjoy the powerful aromas and flavour profiles that Port wine offers. Chip Dry Fine White.

It might be worth thinking about removing the capsule a few days before you decant the port as this would any sediment disturbed in the process to settle again. The more adventurous Port wine drinkers might want to experiment with Port tongs. These are metal tongs, designed to be heated up and applied to the neck of the Port bottle followed by an ice cube or cold, wet cloth. The heat shock causes a clean break and the whole top of the neck , cork in place, is removed in one piece.

Very impressive, but a lot of hassle, perhaps best if you like playing to an audience. Not something you see very often. So at this stage you will have a clean decanter, an opened bottle of Port that has been upright for a good few days, a good light source, perhaps a Port funnel and a steady hand! The most important part of the next step is to ensure you pour the port from the bottle to the decanter in one, gentle, fluid motion stopping just as, or before, the first bits of sediment start to come out of the bottle.

You do not want to have to stop and return the bottle to upright mid-decanting — this is a sure-fire way of mixing sediment straight back into the Port and ruining all your good work thus far. So if the phone rings, ignore it! The second most important thing is not to try and get as much port as possible out of your bottle — it is okay to leave the last few centimetres with all the sediment. It is not worth trying to get the last few drops of Port out of the bottle bringing a whole load of sediment with it.

The resultant Port will be all the more pleasant to drink. If you must use the last of the dregs for something use it to enrich a gravy or chuck it into a red wine vinagre.

I mentioned a good light source. I find that a well-lit room is fine and good enough to see when the sediment is starting to come through. I think the days of decanting Port in a dark room with a candle behind the bottle are probably all but finished, but some people do insist on using a torch, or even a head-torch to light the neck of the bottle when decanting Port.

A good Port funnel is an essential tool too. It is easy enough decanting Port from the bottle into the neck a decanter. A traditional Port funnel, usually a silver bowl type funnel helps direct the Port into the decanter but, perhaps more importantly, with a good light source a silver Port funnel is great for reflecting light thus enabling one to clearly see when sediment starts to come through. More modern Port funnels sometimes include a filter of some sort, and it is one of these that I normally use.

Le Crueset make a very good one. Alternatively, you can use a wine funnel or a normal funnel for decanting Port if you line it with an untreated, natural piece of muslin or cheesecloth. Really, after decanting Port, the only thing left to do is to drink it! All Ports develop in decanter but the the older Vintages are also the first Ports to oxidise and go out of condition, however a good three to four hours in the decanter is not a problem for most Ports.

Decanting Port is basically introducing air to the Port. Light is also a factor in the degradation of Ports and wines too. Younger vintage Ports, such as s or s quite young in terms of Vintage Port , will develop much more slowly on exposure to air and you might find you have four or five days to enjoy the Port before you notice any signs of degradation. Tawny Ports, being wood aged, are a naturally oxidised style of Port and, whilst they do not need to be decanted for sediment reasons, can be decanted after all, one of the reasons for decanting Port is to show off the colour and may last a couple of weeks before oxidation makes the wine undrinkable.

Quite often for tastings etc. This allows you to keep the Port in optimum condition for as long as possible — possibly not relevant in a domestic setting! Tel: Email: [email protected] Web: farehamwinecellar. A Guide to Decanting Port. Red Wine.