Help required

[Rosie]

I have been given by my mother a bottle of port, which has a label on frm the Queen's coronation. It is a 1952 vintage and the bottle number is 0939. The other information is a round label that says Instituto do vinho do porto. The back label reads "On the occasion of the coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth we kept two oakwood casks of Port Wine of the 1952 vintage, To commemorate Her Magjesty's Silver Jubilee we have now bottled 135 dozen and numbered each bottle. The address is Quinta Do Noval Villa Nova Da Gala Portugal. It has always been stored on it's side and the only defect is the front label.
Can anyone please let me know if this a valuable or worth keeping. Thank you for any words of wisom...
Rosie

[g-man]

Welcome to the boards Rosie and I hope you stick around a while.

Your particular bottle looks like it can be purchased in the UK for 350$ USD.

However depending on bottle condition, how you stored it along with storing it on your side will help determine the value. As a retailer is selling it for 350$ USD, you probably would not be able to get as much being a private seller.

If you wish to sell it, I'd recommend to sell if you can find an auction house see if they'd be willing to sell it for you.

I personally would plan a great evening out with my mother and share this lovely port

[mosesbotbol]

1952 is a fantastic year for port and especially colheita as it sounds like you have. Assuming the bottle has been stored well, you are in for a real treat should you decide drink it (which is what I would do if it were my bottle).

[DRT]

Rosie,

I agree with Moses, this should be a fantastic bottle of port provided it has been stored in a relatively cool and dark place.

Before we can give you some really helpful advice we could do with some more information about you and the bottle:

Where in the world do you live?

Do you drink/enjoy port?

Has the bottle been stored in a cool, dark place?

Are you able to post or email a photograph of the bottle?

Answers to all of the above will ensure that we can give you the best possible advice on what to do with the bottle

Derek

[Rosie]

Good evening all...thank you for your replies. I am based in The UK in Staffordshire. And although you will all probabaly think I am swearing here, I do not actually like port. My mother has passed it onto me thinking they maybe some value in it. I am more than happy to post some pictures if you could supply the email address to send it to. As far as I am aware it has been stored in a cool dark place.

Once again I am so grateful for all of your help..

Rosie

[H_Van_Smeiter]

Hi there.

To avoid spamming the forum with many requests for help, I thought I would hijack Rosie's thread, as she seems to have had her problem solved.

Anyway, on my 18th birthday, which seems an awfully long time ago, my mother gave me a bottle of Churchill Graham Vintage 1982 Port (the year I was born). Since then, it has been stored in all the best ways Google suggested, in a cool, dark place on it's side etc., with me holding onto the idea of sharing it with my groomsmen & best man the night before my wedding.

That night is now 5 nights away, and I took the port from it's storage place, and saw a worrying sight.

Now, I should say that I know nothing at all about port. Or wine, for that matter. Or anything which doesn't come in pints. So I am asking for your help.

There are deep red marks on the tissue and on the sealing paper thing, which are screaming to me that there's some kind of issue, I am hoping I am wrong. Is this normal? Is it the sealing wax? Or is there a chance that some port has leaked out (meaning, worryingly, that air has got in)? Will it be safe to drink, or will we all end up avoiding dinner on the wedding day?

Any advice anyone can offer will be very much appreciated. I thank you wholeheartedly in advance. Pictures can be supplied if necessary.

[DRT]

Hi,

It sounds very likely that the cork has leaked. You can read about two similar experiences with the same wine here, which does not bode well for your bottle

That said, you will suffer no illness by drinking it so the decision comes down to how sentimental you are about that particular bottle. Perhaps you should buy a back-up bottle of something else from 1982 (not the Royal Oporto!) so that you have something nice to open if your Churchill turns out to be tainted or oxidised. If the Churchill turns out to be OK you can then use the backup bottle for your next celebration

I whish you the very best of luck.

Derek

[RAYC]

I like Churchill 82, so it would be a shame if it were a leaking bottle. If you post photos, you'll get a more definitive answer. Unless you are keeping the bottle wrapped in its tissue on for a particular purpose, it would be worth taking that off to have a closer look at the bottle itself and the state of the capsule (the plastic/metal/wax cap that covers the cork). The tissue wrapper on doesn't add any particular re-sale value, as far as i am aware, so don't worry about leaving it on for that reason.

As for getting ill - i would be surprised. If the port is simply oxidised, it may not taste very nice but i doubt it would be harmful. If there's something more fundamentally wrong with it, you will know from the horrible smell/taste and i doubt you'll drink enough to put you in trouble!

Where are you based? Particularly if you are in/around London, there's a reasonable chance you would be able to find a replacement in time (though bank holiday may make it difficult). Sandeman 82 available here, for instance, and is a very pleasant port.

[RAYC]

Now, I should say that I know nothing at all about port. Or wine, for that matter.

NB - Port can come in pints, as some on this board will attest.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I can't add anything to the advice you've already received, other than to also confirm that my opinion is that you probably have a bottle where the cork has failed slightly, allowing a little wine to escape and a little air to enter.

The result should not be a wine that is harmful (if drunk in moderation!), but could be a wine that is more evolved and more tertiary than a perfect bottle would be. However, it may well still be very enjoyable. I have often opened bottles which have leaked slightly and really enjoyed the contents.

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding and if you need any advice on how to decant the port of what is likely to be considerable sediment then please let us know.

And a quick note just to let us know what you and your groomsmen thought of the port would be really well received, please.

[H_Van_Smeiter]

Good morning all, thank you so much for the responses so far, I will add some responses now...

the decision comes down to how sentimental you are about that particular bottle. Perhaps you should buy a back-up bottle of something else

It is a sentimental attachment to that particular bottle, I'm afraid, so buying a replacement will not be the same.

Unless you are keeping the bottle wrapped in its tissue on for a particular purpose, it would be worth taking that off to have a closer look at the bottle itself and the state of the capsule (the plastic/metal/wax cap that covers the cork).

I have taken that off already in a state of panic! I am not worried about resale value, as mentioned before I had the intention to perhaps keep the empty bottle as a memento, but the plan was to drink the contents!

Where are you based?

In Barcelona - this is the basis for some of my hope, as I am keeping my fingers crossed that some of the heat may have affected the plastic/wax cap (despite it being kept in a bedroom cabinet), and it's that which is causing the discolouring as opposed to any leaking port. However, it does mean that a replacement is even further out of the equation!

if you need any advice on how to decant the port of what is likely to be considerable sediment then please let us know.

Erm, I didn't even know this was a part of serving port - yes, I would be very grateful for some advice on this, please!

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding...And a quick note just to let us know what you and your groomsmen thought of the port would be really well received, please.

Many thanks! And of course, it's the least I can do for the advice I've received so far

If you post photos, you'll get a more definitive answer

As you wish (apologies for the size)...






Edit to add: The main damage to the wax/plastic cap etc was caused by me, it was 99% intact before I took these photos.

[Alex Bridgeman]

It does look to me as though the cork has failed very slightly, but not so much as to make the port undrinkable or offensive.

Vintage Port will benefit from having the chance to sit in the decanter for some time before drinking it. I would suggest 1-2 hours.

In order to separate the sediment from the wine, just follow these simple steps:
1) Stand the bottle upright for as long as you can before you need to decant.

2) When removing the cork, move the bottle as little as possible. Be aware the cork is likely to break when you try to extract it - but don't worry, this is normal.

3) Have a clean decanter (or jug or bottle) ready for use. Make sure it is big enough to contain 750ml! (Don't do what I once did...)

4) If you have a food funnel, this will make things easier. Put the funnel into the decanter / jug / bottle and then...

5) Decant the port slowly. You can pour directly into the funnel, stop pouring as soon as you see sediment coming out of the bottle. The rest of the Port you can pour directly into a glass and allow it to settle for a few minutes - this can then be your testing sample! Or you can pour through unbleached coffee filter paper or unbleached cheesecloth or muslin to filter out the bits, in which case you can empty the complete bottle into the decanter.

6) Sip slowly with friends and enjoy!

Best of luck with the bottle. Churchill '82 can be magnificent, but I have also had a bottle suffering from TCA and one suffering from volatile acidity. Hopefully yours will be one of the great bottles.

[jdaw1]

the plan was to drink the contents!

An excellent plan. Always, an excellent plan.

[g-man]

I wouldn't worry at all about drinking the contents.

AHB offers a great plan of attack for teh evening on how to enjoy the bottle.

Congratulations on your big day!