Your decanting regimen and use of "devices" ...

[Scott Esterly]

Planning to open & decant a VP this weekend. I haven't decided what I'll open just yet, but I'm thinking it'll probably be from the early 1990s. The question I have is: if I drink the VP over the course 2-3 days do I want to keep it in the decanter the entire time or do I want to put it back into the rinsed & dried bottle after a set amount of time? Or maybe it just doesn't matter?

[Glenn E.]

It kind of depends on what Port you plan to open and what you want to experience from the Port over those 2-3 days.

Most Ports from the early 1990s are likely just reaching maturity (at least as far as I'm concerned), so an extended decant can be an interesting thing to do. It will give you an idea of how the Port is going to continue aging over the next decade or two, though of course it's only a rough indication since there's no actual aging going on. But for the most part, the Port will probably just fade and get softer during that time. For a Port like this it's really a personal choice since the Port is likely not going to improve with a couple of days of decant time, but you'll get to see some evolution. You could always leave it in decanter overnight to see what happens, then put it back into its bottle.

If it's a big bruiser of a Port that's still very young (despite being 30-ish years old), that same extended decant can help it resolve a little bit and show more maturity. In this case, the Port may actually improve on the 2nd and potentially even the 3rd day. Examples of this type of Port would be Taylor or Fonseca 1992, or many big names from 1994. Ports like these can stay in the decanter for 2-3 days easily.

[Scott Esterly]

As fate would have it, my wife has given me that Durand I kept pestering her about as an early birthday present haha. Now I just HAVE to put it to good use!

Thank you so much for this feedback. Just have to decide which bottle to open...this will be the first VP that I've opened after beginning my collection.

[Scott Esterly]

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First use of The Durand! Couldn't wait until the weekend. Decided to go big...1994 Warre's!

[Andy Velebil]

'94 Warre's is a lovely Port. How'd it go with opening it using the Durand?

[Scott Esterly]

'94 Warre's is a lovely Port. How'd it go with opening it using the Durand?

The cork was essentially in perfect condition and the Durand worked quickly and efficiently. Came out in one piece.