For The Love Of Port

I opened a 1994 Barros Colheita this weekend with some friends. It was quite cloudy, not clear (though colored) like most tawnies and colheitas I've had. It was not terrible, but not a great one either. My friends that do not drink much port liked it. I've had other years of Barros Colheita that I rather liked and did not have this cloudy appearance.

What is the cloudiness from? Bad year, indication of a problem with the cork or bottle? Other? This is the second of these bottles I've opened, and the first one was the same.

It probably wasn't filtered when bottled, so the cloudiness is just a little bit of exceedingly fine sediment. If you let the bottle stand on the counter for long enough - and it might take months - that sediment will slowly settle to the bottom and you can pour out a clear Port.

That's my guess, anyway.

That's one possibility and there are several others. However, can you share if your bottle had been shipped recently or was laying down for a long time and also what's the year of bottling? Thanks!

Yes, need a bit more info...

- When was it bottled (year should be on front or back label)?
- Has it been recently shipped/shaken up?
- How has it been stored?

That will help narrow down what may have caused it to become cloudy.

Well...not sure I have another bottle to check the bottling year. It was not shipped recently, at least not within the last year. It was stored on its side. But I did take it to a BYO restaurant that night, so it had a car ride before drinking. Last time I opened one it was at home though, so it would not have been shaken up too much--just enough movement to get it from basement to dining room.