Re-bottling VP

[DRT]

I came up with an idea a few months ago that I think one person here has since adopted and that I have now started following myself. I would be interested to hear others views on this.

Often, when I open a bottle of young VP to "try it out" I find myself either not particularly enjoying the whole bottle because the wine is too young and aggressive for my taste or I am just drinking it because it is open. I much prefer drinking mature VP but I do enjoy "tasting" the youngsters to find out how they are doing and whether or not I want to invest some money in buying more to lay down.

What I have started doing is this:

1. Select a youngster for premature execution.
2. Push the cork into the bottle.
3. Pour just less than half a bottle into the decanter.
4. Prime an empty half bottle with some of the port from the decanter.
5. Fill the half bottle from the 750ml bottle, inlcuding whatever sediment joins the flow.
6. Decant anything that remains in the 750ml bottle into the decanter.
7. Rinse the bottle and remove the cork using a plastic bag.
8. Insert the cork into the half bottle, apply a suitable label and lay down.
9. Drink what is in the decanter to evaluate the wine.
10. At some future point that is as yet unknown: uncork, decant and drink the half bottle.

Examples of what I mean by "a youngster" are this and this.

Is this madness?

Derek

[g-man]

I came up with an idea a few months ago that I think one person here has since adopted and that I have now started following myself. I would be interested to hear others views on this.

Often, when I open a bottle of young VP to "try it out" I find myself either not particularly enjoying the whole bottle because the wine is too young and aggressive for my taste or I am just drinking it because it is open. I much prefer drinking mature VP but I do enjoy "tasting" the youngsters to find out how they are doing and whether or not I want to invest some money in buying more to lay down.

What I have started doing is this:

1. Select a youngster for premature execution.
2. Push the cork into the bottle.
3. Pour just less than half a bottle into the decanter.
4. Prime an empty half bottle with some of the port from the decanter.
5. Fill the half bottle from the 750ml bottle, inlcuding whatever sediment joins the flow.
6. Decant anything that remains in the 750ml bottle into the decanter.
7. Rinse the bottle and remove the cork using a plastic bag.
8. Insert the cork into the half bottle, apply a suitable label and lay down.
9. Drink what is in the decanter to evaluate the wine.
10. At some future point that is as yet unknown: uncork, decant and drink the half bottle.

Examples of what I mean by "a youngster" are this and this.

Is this madness?

Derek

i think 3 and 5 should be swapped.

[KillerB]

8. Insert the cork into the half bottle, apply a suitable label and lay down.

Why, is it that much of an effort?

[mosesbotbol]

Save those half bottles and T-Corks. Sherry half-bottles work really well for this. I thought of doing this myself. I wanted to make my own "Garrafeira" and see how it goes.

[Alex Bridgeman]

If I were to do something as crazy as that, I would also apply a wax seal over the top of the cork to protect it from weevil attack and reduce the risk of seepage.

[DRT]

I came up with an idea a few months ago that I think one person here has since adopted

If I were to do something as crazy as that, I would also apply a wax seal over the top of the cork to protect it from weevil attack and reduce the risk of seepage.

I suppose that rules out AHB as being the "other person"

[SushiNorth]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

[DRT]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

[SushiNorth]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

It's the opposite of everything we'd do for an aged VP, but you've got a whole different agenda, right?

[DRT]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

It's the opposite of everything we'd do for an aged VP, but you've got a whole different agenda, right?

Exactly. And perhaps we should do an experiment where we open two bottles from the same batch, shake one and not the other and keep half of each for future evaluation

[SushiNorth]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

It's the opposite of everything we'd do for an aged VP, but you've got a whole different agenda, right?

Exactly. And perhaps we should do an experiment where we open two bottles from the same batch, shake one and not the other and keep half of each for future evaluation

That sounds like we need to drink a lot of port. I mean, it could be different for different houses, and some years might have thicker sediment than others...

[DRT]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

It's the opposite of everything we'd do for an aged VP, but you've got a whole different agenda, right?

Exactly. And perhaps we should do an experiment where we open two bottles from the same batch, shake one and not the other and keep half of each for future evaluation

That sounds like we need to drink a lot of port. I mean, it could be different for different houses, and some years might have thicker sediment than others...

It's worse than that. We need to open at least three bottles of each wine: one not shaken, one shaken lightly and one shaken vigourously. You know it makes sense.

[g-man]

I know this sounds crazy, but I'd shake the bottle, before beginning, to evenly distribute the sediment.

Not crazy - a great suggestion!!

It's the opposite of everything we'd do for an aged VP, but you've got a whole different agenda, right?

Exactly. And perhaps we should do an experiment where we open two bottles from the same batch, shake one and not the other and keep half of each for future evaluation

That sounds like we need to drink a lot of port. I mean, it could be different for different houses, and some years might have thicker sediment than others...

It's worse than that. We need to open at least three bottles of each wine: one not shaken, one shaken lightly and one shaken vigourously. You know it makes sense.

You guys are not touching my f85

[jdaw1]

Is it affected by the weather on the day of re-bottling? Dry and hot versus humid and cool, for instance? These matters should be tested.

[g-man]

Elevation and pressure should also be accounted for.

Surely if you lived in the mountains vs the ocean side, bottling conditions will be different.

[DRT]

Is it affected by the weather on the day of re-bottling? Dry and hot versus humid and cool, for instance? These matters should be tested.

Elevation and pressure should also be accounted for.

Surely if you lived in the mountains vs the ocean side, bottling conditions will be different.

You are both right. as will be others. The minimum sample should probably be 60 cases using every combination of at least the following parameters: Not Shaken, Shaken, Shaken+, humid, dry, cool, tepid, warm, hot, low altitude, high altitude, on a Tuesday, on a Sunday, on a day when you are feeling slightly geeky, travelling on a train, travelling on a bus, walking fast, decanted through muslin/coffee filter/underpants/stainless-steel/sawdust and at an off-line at the Crusting Pipe.