Beginner question about decanting, etc.

[Michael T]

I have a situation that is probably not new but I am looking for suggestions. I am the only one in the house (just the wife and me) that drinks port. I have been drinking mostly reserves, rubys and lbv at this point but want to step up my game somewhat. I have been taking the bottle I am going to drink next from the cellar and keeping it in the refrigerator, pouring me a glass without decanting and letting it sit for about 1 hour then drinking. I know I am doing this all wrong but if I decant it, should it be left at room temperature, my house stays about 73 degrees. It would probably take me about 4 or 5 days to consume the bottle. What do others do in this situation?

[Glenn E.]

I'm in the same situation. My wife might have 1 glass if I open the right bottle, but for the most part I have to drink everything that I open by myself.

For an LBV, ruby reserve, or just about any tawny, 4-5 days on the counter isn't a problem. I do that all the time. Tawnies in particular aren't even phased by 4-5 days... they can go weeks on the counter. I've had a 40-yr old open for over a month before and it was still great.

Once you start talking about older rubies, or REALLY old Colheitas, you might start running into problems. Most Vintage Ports that are 30+ years old should probably be consumed with in a day or two. Really old ones (50+ years) should probably be consumed the night they're opened. Really old Colheitas are usually good for a day or two. Ancient ones (100+ years) might need to be consumed the night they're opened.

[Michael T]

This will be a definite change for me. Even though I leave the glass out about an hour it is still rather cool. Drinking at room temperature, 73 degrees, will be different. Hopefully better.

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[Miguel Simoes]

The trick that I've learned from others here is to pour back into a 1/2 bottle, filling it all the way up, after decanting a VP. Keeping that half bottle in the fridge should buy you the time to get to it.
As for whether to keep them in or out of the fridge after decanting, I have done both. Feel like the ones left outside did start deteriorating sooner.

[Eric Menchen]

If I am not going to finish off a bottle on the first night, I often decant a little short (timewise), and after drinking the first night, pour what is left back into a 375. I stopper that, possibly vacuum it, and sometimes put it in the fridge if I think I might want to keep it around for more than one more day. On following days I'll either pour a glass a little ahead of time so it can warm up a little, or pull the bottle out a while ahead of time to warm up.

This was before I had a temperature controlled cellar. Putting the bottle back in there seems like an ideal option.

[Moses Botbol]

I'll use a funnel with cheese cloth and pour right into the 375 for storage and pour the remainder into a decanter.

The most surefire strategy is to just drink the whole bottle in a day or two

[Michael T]

Thanks for the replies, I think I have a plan here that will probably suffice. I have plenty of 375 bottles so I think I will decant and then pour back into 2 375 bottles. I also have a Vacuvin so I can put a vacuum stopper on the bottles. Then I can put one of the bottles in the refrigerator and either keep the other out at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator and just warm up a glass at a time.

[Jim R.]

I would also use the half bottles and put a nitrogen cap(aerosol cans like "Private Reserve") on it before I do the vacuvin (belts and suspenders mentality). Holds for longer than you might think.

[Tom Archer]

73F is a little too warm IMO

Decant your bottles (even reserves) and keep the decanter cool - 55F or thereabouts. If you're coming back to a decanter after a day or so, wipe clean the lip and stopper, so stale drips from the day before don't taint your glass.

[Derek T.]

Michael,

Whilst there is lots of good advice in the posts above I do not think any of them will give appreciably better results than what you are already doing. The main advantage of your current approach is that you are not mixing lots of air into the port by decanting or transferring into half bottles. Keeping it cold and pouring one glass at a time carefully will prolong the life of the wine as much if not more than the other methods described here. It also gives you the opportunity to drink the port at the temperature you prefer. You pour it cold, let it warm to the temperature you want and then drink it before it warms up too much. That seems like an ideal outcome to me

Derek

[Roy Hersh]

+1

[Peter W. Meek]

Dropping glass marbles (good solid ones can be found at florists and aquarium supply places) into a partially consumed bottle will displace air as well, without aerating the wine. The only concern I might have is whether they would stir up any sediment. Once the bottle is finished, you can pour out the marbles into a strainer and wash them for re-use.

[Roy Hersh]

Also wash the marbles when removing them from an aquarium prior to inserting into your bottle of Port.

[Michael T]

I am familiar with the marble trick. I play around with making wine and they are also used to eliminate headspace in carboy.

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[Alan McDonald]

I sympathise with those who have to drink the bottle themselves. It must be a terrible hardship. My wife consumes a lot more Port than me so I never have the problem. We only drink about 4 bottles a week so they are never open long enough to need decanting. I am not deprived though, I drink more table wine and Moscatel than she does.

[Roy Hersh]

Alan,

Like you, my wife is a Port lover too and if I leave a bottle sitting around for more than 24 hours, she feels it is her duty to finish it. Fortunately, she is not a fan of Madeira!

[Andy Velebil]

Alan,

Like you, my wife is a Port lover too and if I leave a bottle sitting around for more than 24 hours, she feels it is her duty to finish it. Fortunately, she is not a fan of Madeira!

So what you are saying is, you keep empty Madeira bottles around so you can refill them with left over Port to ensure it doesn't mysteriously vanish?

[Moses Botbol]

Alan,

Like you, my wife is a Port lover too and if I leave a bottle sitting around for more than 24 hours, she feels it is her duty to finish it. Fortunately, she is not a fan of Madeira!

Port or Madeira is equally fair game for Elys.

[Derek T.]

Port or Madeira is equally fair game for Elys.

I'm very unlucky. Jo doesn't like Port so we never share a decanter.