Normally I open a vintage port about 5 hours before drinking. I filter it through a fine mesh metal screen into a decanter. One of our guests asked why 5 hours. I relized that I had no rationale for that schedule, it was more habit than anything else.
So my question is how long before serving do you decant an older vintage port and WHY?
I would prefer to open the day before, but I normally just pour into 375s and keep in the fridge - i.e. I do not use a wide-bottomed decanter. If the wine were quite old, say 1963 or before, I might just open (and pour into smaller bottles) in the morning. I just pour slowly and never filter.
5 hours sounds like a minimum to me, but then, as I said, I don’t use a decanter per se, and certainly not one of the wide-bottomed variety.
Depends on the wine and vintage. Some require more time than others. Younger and more primary need more time, to gain balance and lose heat.
+1, in a nut shell.
Really depends on what Port it is and how old it is. Generally the younger the longer. But I’ve been told by the past head winemaker at Cockburns to decant a 1908 Cockburn’s VP for 4-5 hours. He was spot on, a much longer time than I normally would have given it on my own.
Basically a really young VP needs a day or two to really pull itself together and be a true representation of what it possesses and is capable of in the future. Older ones need time to get over a touch of bottle sickness, shed some heat, and pull themselves back together.
I am probably an end member here, but I like 48-72 hours decant time. I prefer the brandy spirit heat (which I think I must be very sensitive to) to be completely gone.
I have not found that these really long decants have resulted in a loss of fruit character. I am sure others will think I am completely mad, but it works for me
brodie
Brodie, you are not alone. In the old days on the AOL wine board there was a port buff who had the same belief. I will have to try it out.
Yeah, I like longer as weel, both younger and older (but be carefull if it really old).
I usually decant 12-24 hours, and often note (if some is left) that it looks best 2-3 days later…
Quick question to you port enthusiasts. How much air time would you give a 1983 Warres?
IMO Warre’s typically does better with a little bit longer decant time. So around 6-8 hours is what I prefer for this one.
Excellent, thank you! The last bottle I had, I just popped and poured. While enjoyable, it was a touch spirity. Hoping a bit of air will smooth that out.
I just popped and opened a 1937 Warre and it was superb as is. I did stand it up for 24 hours, but did not decant it, poured it from a gentle slope and it was great to the last drops. So, my question, as is that of this thread, how long before serving an older port is recommended, if any?
Blake. I believe that Warre’s 37 is a Colheita. Far different decanting times come into play with Colheita’s than for VP’s.
Andy, you are correct, the 37` was a reserve Tawny. Please tell me what is the difference in decanting time and why. Thanks.
blake on my phone traveling but will respond more when i get home
Blake,
The reserve Tawny as you call it, or Colheita, is a port from a single vintage that is aged by the producer in casks for many years or decades until they determine it is ready for release. Consequently, what is bottled and released is basically as good as the wine is going to be, and further aging is not expected to improve the product. Correspondingly, you should not expect that decanting or aeration of a colheita will have any beneficial effect. Here is a wine that has been effectively aerating for decades already.
A vintage port is very different, in that it is bottled by law two years from the vintage date and sees practically no oxygen throughout its aging curve, until of course you open it, decant it, and give it the time it needs to breath.
Craig
Craig, thank you for your explanation. I`ve got it straight.
It depends, as noted above. But I suggest that you consider multiple layers of unbleaches cheesecloth instead of a screen. I have gotten better results, but not by that much. My view on time is that if you have no other basis for a guess, then assuming something in the 70s through let’s say 1994, five hours is as good a bet as anything. Generally, I find that a decant that’s just a bit too long is better that one that’s too short. A three day old port can still be pleasurable but I recently had a 2009 that was popped and poured and “nail in the cranium” came to mind.
It struck me as weird that when I visited the Douro and Vila Nova de Gaia, at every single stop, the winemaker and/or winery representative told me that VP’s are best popped and poured, and that they should be consumed within one day of opening. Can anyone explain why their opinions differ so drastically from that of many wine aficionados?