So in the rest of the wine world, it is possible to significantly stretch the life of a bottle by pouring some of the wine into a bottle immediately after opening, ensuring very little air is left, and refrigerating. Some folks even claim they've put these bottles back in the cellars and they've aged further.
Has anyone tried this with their ports? I assume one wouldn't filter, just pour quick and smooth. What would you close it with (I've got everything from little screwtop bottles to plastic T-closures). How would you handle decanting times for the new bottle?
Saving Opened Port
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SushiNorth
- Martinez 1985
- Posts: 1341
- Joined: 06:45 Mon 18 Feb 2008
- Location: NJ & NY
I never really have a problem with not being able to drink a full bottle over a couple of days. (That includes if its the 2nd,3rd, or 4th bottle 
)
The only one I could have experimented on, if I'd known, was the Fonseca 2000 at the F-Plan Tasting. That was disliked by everyone and two thirds of the bottle stayed in my fridge for over a fortnight. Just long enough for a few Spag Bolls, etc.
Alan
)The only one I could have experimented on, if I'd known, was the Fonseca 2000 at the F-Plan Tasting. That was disliked by everyone and two thirds of the bottle stayed in my fridge for over a fortnight. Just long enough for a few Spag Bolls, etc.
Alan
I do this quite often and know that others here do it too.
When you decant a VP you can pour half of it into a 375ml bottle filled high into the neck and insert a stopper cork. Place the bottle straight into the fridge and leave for as long as you want to. When you go back and open the refridgerated 375ml bottle you can decant it again and allow it to open up over a few hours as normal.
I wouldn't normally do this over more than a week or so but have heard others saying they have done it over a month to six weeks with little or no affect on the wine. I'm not sure about the idea of re-cellaring the 375ml bottle but I suppose there would be no harm in trying it with an inexpensive VP. Morgan 1991 seems like a good lab-rat for such an experiment over a 2 to 3 year period.
Derek
When you decant a VP you can pour half of it into a 375ml bottle filled high into the neck and insert a stopper cork. Place the bottle straight into the fridge and leave for as long as you want to. When you go back and open the refridgerated 375ml bottle you can decant it again and allow it to open up over a few hours as normal.
I wouldn't normally do this over more than a week or so but have heard others saying they have done it over a month to six weeks with little or no affect on the wine. I'm not sure about the idea of re-cellaring the 375ml bottle but I suppose there would be no harm in trying it with an inexpensive VP. Morgan 1991 seems like a good lab-rat for such an experiment over a 2 to 3 year period.
Derek
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
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Alex Bridgeman
- Croft 1945
- Posts: 16020
- Joined: 12:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
What seems to work quite successfully for me is as follows:
(a) decant the bottle as normal into a decanter or jug
(b) pour half of the decanted port into a clean half bottle, as high a fill as possible
(c) stopper the half bottle with a t-stopper (I use a cork t-stopper)
(d) keep the half bottle in the fridge until needed
Personally, I find that the port in the half-bottle will be relatively unchanged for up to a week. I've never tried it for longer.
Alex
(a) decant the bottle as normal into a decanter or jug
(b) pour half of the decanted port into a clean half bottle, as high a fill as possible
(c) stopper the half bottle with a t-stopper (I use a cork t-stopper)
(d) keep the half bottle in the fridge until needed
Personally, I find that the port in the half-bottle will be relatively unchanged for up to a week. I've never tried it for longer.
Alex
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!