For The Love Of Port

Just opened a Calem 1985 VP, and to my surprise it had no deposit. At first I just thought it had set in the bottle, but rinsing out the bottle didn't reveal anything. I thought a VP would always have deposit, am I wrong?

- Lars

It should have some deposit. Did you run it through cheesecloth? What did the cork look like? How did the port taste?

I ran it through a Screwpull decanter, which has a pretty fine filter http://www.beveragefactory.com/wine/gla ... a108.shtml. There were a few grains in the filter but nothing worth mentioning. The cork was in perfect condition, only colored red at the very bottom, and didn't look like it had been in the bottle for 23 years. My wife suggested that it had been re-bottled, filtered, and re-corked, which I rejected as absurd with at Vintage Port, that's not allowed I lectured . Now I'm not so sure

I haven't posted a tasting note for this bottle since it was pop'n'pour after having brought it home from the store, but we really liked it a lot, sweet and fruity, not too complex, but nevertheless a fine bottle in our opinion. I have several more to drink, and will post a TN next time.

-Lars

Lars F wrote: My wife suggested that it had been re-bottled, filtered, and re-corked, which I rejected as absurd with at Vintage Port, that's not allowed I lectured . Now I'm not so sure

Was there a cello on the bottle? It has not unheard of for bottles to be re-corked with VP, but fining it would be odd. I've never seen a re-corked bottle of vintage port at a retailer.

Sorry, Cello? What's that. Assuming it's not the instrument

Lars

Lars F wrote:Sorry, Cello? What's that. Assuming it's not the instrument

Lars

The tag with a serial number hanging from the top of the bottle found on port bottles.

Yes, the cello is there.

-Lars

Moses Botbol wrote:

Lars F wrote:Sorry, Cello? What's that. Assuming it's not the instrument

Lars

The tag with a serial number hanging from the top of the bottle found on port bottles.

The Selo de Garantia, aka the Selo and typically pronounced "sell-o", is the seal of guarantee issued by the IVP which guarantees that the Port in the bottle meets their standards. As Moses said, it's the white paper tag that goes over the top of the bottle, covering the cork, and hanging down on both sides of the neck a couple of inches.

Sometimes the sediment can stick to the sides of the bottle. Did you look inside, or wash to see if this was the case?

The Selo also guarantees that the wine in the bottle is from the DOC Douro region.

Agree with Eric, that the sediment may have coagulated on the sides of the bottle and would typically only come off with hot water when that happens. There is NO law against re-corking but this is a VERY rare practice in the Port trade, especially in the past few decades. No way that a bottle of 1985 VP would already require re-corking.

I rinsed out the bottle with water (cold I think) but it came out clear. Black bottle I couldn't see through. I have more bottles of this, and if I experience the same I'll revitalise this thread with pictures of cloth, cork, bottle and more

-Lars

Roy Hersh wrote:No way that a bottle of 1985 VP would already require re-corking.

What? You don't re-cork you Calem VP collection?

Roy Hersh wrote: There is NO law against re-corking but this is a VERY rare practice in the Port trade, especially in the past few decades. No way that a bottle of 1985 VP would already require re-corking.

While I know some Houses recork either at certain intervals or when needed, that young of a bottle wouldn't normally need to be recorked already.