Hi all
Due to shortage of space for standing bottles in my wine cabinet I was wondering if I can lie down some of the Tawny bottles as well?
Is there any disadvantage for the Port?
Regards
Del
Laying tawny down?
- Delinquent
- Cockburn’s Special Reserve
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 20:10 Wed 22 Jul 2020
- Location: Bern, Switzerland
- Contact:
-
- Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
- Posts: 650
- Joined: 13:22 Wed 17 Feb 2021
- Location: Douro Valley
Re: Laying tawny down?
No problems whatsoever, provided the cork is tight.
-
- Fonseca 1980
- Posts: 1945
- Joined: 15:35 Mon 13 May 2019
Re: Laying tawny down?
MigSU's proviso is important. It is not unknown for wines that have stood up for a few years to have corks that have dried out a little and that will seep if you lay the bottles down; or for tawnies to be bottled with t - stoppers which can degrade over time in the same way. So - I am happy to lay flat recently - bottled tawnies, but I wouldn't normally lay down older bottles I was buying in the secondary market.
- Delinquent
- Cockburn’s Special Reserve
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 20:10 Wed 22 Jul 2020
- Location: Bern, Switzerland
- Contact:
Re: Laying tawny down?
good advise - I will do so - thanks!
Re: Laying tawny down?
Despite having been aged in wood where it slowly oxidizes, tawny Port doesn't want further oxidation while in the bottle any more than VP does. It is preferable to store tawny Port on its side just like most other wines. (Madeira being one exception where it isn't necessary.)
My cellar is probably 30% tawny Port, and mine are all lying down. Provided you aren't planning to keep a stoppered bottle on its side for decades, and also considering MigSU's caution, it is probably a good idea to go ahead and lie them down. Check them often, then less often as time goes by, since they've been stored standing for a while. This is to make sure that they don't leak, but once they've been lying down for a while with no leaks there's nothing more to worry about.
My cellar is probably 30% tawny Port, and mine are all lying down. Provided you aren't planning to keep a stoppered bottle on its side for decades, and also considering MigSU's caution, it is probably a good idea to go ahead and lie them down. Check them often, then less often as time goes by, since they've been stored standing for a while. This is to make sure that they don't leak, but once they've been lying down for a while with no leaks there's nothing more to worry about.
Glenn Elliott
- Delinquent
- Cockburn’s Special Reserve
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 20:10 Wed 22 Jul 2020
- Location: Bern, Switzerland
- Contact:
Re: Laying tawny down?
I do have some very old (bottled long time ago) bottles of Tawny - I will lay down the newer bottles or the ones without t-stoppers and observe them reguarly.
-
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3534
- Joined: 14:22 Wed 15 Dec 2010
- Location: Near Cambridge, UK
Re: Laying tawny down?
As Glenn, all my tawny are lying down, with the exception of one bottle of Dalva due to the "melted" shape. This includes recent and old bottlings, mostly t-stoppers and (a small number with) driven corks; no leakage problem with any of them so far.