ThePortForum.com

I happened to be surfing around, (easily) resisting the temptation to buy a bottle of Kopke White 10 years Port.
But, in reading the "blurb", which seemed very much like it had come from an official source, here...
http://www.portugalvineyards.com/wines/ ... years-port
I spied the following...

"The wine should be stored in a fresh, dry and dark place, without temperature variations, and the bottle must remain up-right. As a natural product, the Port Wine is subject to create deposit when ageing. Once opened, it should be consumed within 4 to 6 months. Serve at a temperature between 12 and 14ºC."

Perhaps the knowledgeable amongst us could explain why this particular port should be stored upright?

I suspect it is because it has a stopper rather than a driven cork. Whilst stopper corks can be laid down they are not really designed for that use.

Just a minute, this isn't you buying more white port is it? I thought you had been reasoned out of this madness.

LGTrotter wrote:Just a minute, this isn't you buying more white port is it? I thought you had been reasoned out of this madness.

No, no, no, no no, no no.
This is not me buying more white port.
This is just me happening upon a bottle of white port and not buying it.

DRT wrote:I suspect it is because it has a stopper rather than a driven cork. Whilst stopper corks can be laid down they are not really designed for that use.

I can see the reasoning.
On that basis, I guess all non-driven corked bottled should be stored upright.
I needs must review what I laughingly call my cellar.

Courage! All cellars start somewhere, mine began with a 12 bottle rack in the larder, I still have a long way to go but press on regardless.

Don't worry about storing stoppered corks on their side, they do fine. I have this on good authority (forumites) and they have not let me down. Long term storage on their side, six months whatever.

LGTrotter wrote:Don't worry about storing stoppered corks on their side, they do fine. I have this on good authority (forumites) and they have not let me down. Long term storage on their side, six months whatever.

+1

LGTrotter wrote:Courage! All cellars start somewhere, mine began with a 12 bottle rack in the larder, I still have a long way to go but press on regardless.

Mine began with a Danby 56 that I foolishly thought would be more than large enough. I still have the Danby, but it is now relegated to Douro wines and its three full-size big brothers (allegedly 180-bottle capacity each) are full of Port. Apparently in wine bottle math, 180 + 180 + 180 = ~400.

Don't worry about storing stoppered corks on their side, they do fine. I have this on good authority (forumites) and they have not let me down. Long term storage on their side, six months whatever.

Mine are all on their sides and have been since they were purchased. (Except for the case of S. Leonardo 30/40 sitting on the floor because there was no room for it in the Inn.) Some have been that way for 6-7 years with no leaks. I wouldn't do long-term storage that way, but then again bottles with stoppers aren't really meant to be stored long term.

When I'm not drinking, I make things from wood.

I started with this little guy...

This is now used for my "on deck" wines - the ones to drink shortly.

...and then this one...


...bottles started exceeding storage, so I made this one...


...which helped for about a week, so I made 3 of these...

...which take 85 bottles each.
I've decided that's enough (or maybe the wife decided, I'm not quite sure).

The sharp eyed amongst you will notice very little port there - they're still stacked on the floor!

This one I made for a friend who has a bar, oops, for legal reasons it's not a bar, it's a lounge, nearby - this one I really like.

Very nice, particularly the lounge version.

Very nice indeed. Are they made from scratch or do you re-use pieces of furniture? I thought I detected an upside down table leg.

djewesbury wrote:Very nice indeed. Are they made from scratch or do you re-use pieces of furniture? I thought I detected an upside down table leg.

From scratch - the first 2 are oak, beech and ash.
The "industrial" ones are CCP (cheap crappy pine).
The last is oak (fumed in ammonia to make it blacker) and jatobá.

Beautiful! Shame you're so far away or I think you'd have orders on your hands.

djewesbury wrote:Beautiful! Shame you're so far away or I think you'd have orders on your hands.

I was just thinking the same! My "build a cellar" project is now underway, but the one part I have not thought about yet is racking. I expect I'll end up finding a chippy to build something bespoke in situ.

Really very good. The sort of thing I imagine I could make, but when I try I fail by some margin. I have some lovely cherry which my local tree surgeon dropped off for me to saw/chop up for our fire, and it seems almost criminal to burn it. I'll keep some chain saw chippings for hot smoking - duck breast works particularly well.

flash_uk wrote: My "build a cellar" project is now underway, but the one part I have not thought about yet is racking.

I like clay/brick tubes such as these:
http://www.weinregal-shop.de/Naturmater ... -Loch.html

AW77 wrote:

flash_uk wrote: My "build a cellar" project is now underway, but the one part I have not thought about yet is racking.

I like clay/brick tubes such as these:
http://www.weinregal-shop.de/Naturmater ... -Loch.html

Pricey for more than a few dozen bottles..

All my racks have to be made in the cellar because the only way in or out is through a trap door. Also the cellar, though extensive, is only half height. So things need to be simple to put together. The basic wood and metal wine racks are at the upper end of 'simple'.

djewesbury wrote:

AW77 wrote:

flash_uk wrote: My "build a cellar" project is now underway, but the one part I have not thought about yet is racking.

I like clay/brick tubes such as these:
http://www.weinregal-shop.de/Naturmater ... -Loch.html

Pricey for more than a few dozen bottles..

Maybe, but it's a once in a life-time investment and I don't have space for more than 29 of these elements under the stairs (in the cellar). As this space is not fit for normal wine racks anyway (bespoke ones would be even more expensive), only these clay tubes fit in there (otherwise this space could not be used). Plus I also like the thought of my bottles being tucked away safely in their dark clay tubes.

AW77 wrote:

djewesbury wrote:

AW77 wrote:

flash_uk wrote: My "build a cellar" project is now underway, but the one part I have not thought about yet is racking.

I like clay/brick tubes such as these:
http://www.weinregal-shop.de/Naturmater ... -Loch.html

Pricey for more than a few dozen bottles..

Maybe, but it's a once in a life-time investment and I don't have space for more than 29 of these elements under the stairs (in the cellar). As this space is not fit for normal wine racks anyway (bespoke ones would be even more expensive), only these clay tubes fit in there (otherwise this space could not be used). Plus I also like the thought of my bottles being tucked away safely in their dark clay tubes.

Absolutely perfect for this. And the clay keeps them cool. Great.

Very nice. Especially like the one for the bar....er, I mean lounge.

Andy Velebil wrote:Very nice. Especially like the one for the bar....er, I mean lounge.

another +1 here on the bar/lounge version, very simple and elegant, looks great.

Daniel's half-height cellar sounds interesting - I have visions of having to descend through the trapdoor and lie flat on some kind of trolley and pull yourself along using ropes to get around. I guess the key question would half the height of what/who, perhaps?

Now I'm having visions of a cross between The Great Escape, and Wind in the Willows (where Ratty forages for food and beer (port in this case, clearly) in Mole's home).

I should point out that Daniel is in fact nine feet tall, this may not be clear from the pictures of him sitting down.

djewesbury wrote: Also the cellar, though extensive, is only half height.

So you only store half bottles there?

LGTrotter wrote:I should point out that Daniel is in fact nine feet tall

Really? That means I am only 4' 6". I thought he was 11' 8".

I obviously don't go down there myself. I have a boy down there. And a series of gong codes to tell him which bottle I want sent up.

DRT wrote:

LGTrotter wrote:I should point out that Daniel is in fact nine feet tall

Really? That means I am only 4' 6". I thought he was 11' 8".

By that reckoning, if Daniel were 2' 7", then Derek would be able to validly claim to be "12 inch Derek" after all, and would obviously have to learn to play the piano, if he does not already do so.

PhilW wrote:

DRT wrote:

LGTrotter wrote:I should point out that Daniel is in fact nine feet tall

Really? That means I am only 4' 6". I thought he was 11' 8".

By that reckoning, if Daniel were 2' 7", then Derek would be able to validly claim to be "12 inch Derek" after all, and would obviously have to learn to play the piano, if he does not already do so.

Drum roll please.

Those really are lovely pieces of furniture and bring the added advantage that they do not rip labels in the same way that the horrid wood & metal wine racks do.

I do agree with Daniel - if you weren't so far away you might end up with some orders on your hands!