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Storing Fortified Wine


PaulO
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I came accross some items in my basement: 2 bottles of Port, Noilly dry vermouth, and M&R sweet vermouth.  They are unopened.  I assume that storing the port standing upright is correct?  Also, 10 year old vermouth would still be good?  

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4 hours ago, PaulO said:

I came accross some items in my basement: 2 bottles of Port, Noilly dry vermouth, and M&R sweet vermouth.  They are unopened.  I assume that storing the port standing upright is correct?  Also, 10 year old vermouth would still be good?  

Port should generally be stored on its side but you should also stand it upright for at least 24 hours to a week to allow the sediment to settle before serving which is a bit of a pain to remember. If it is not going to be stored long then upright is probably not a problem. If they have been upright for many years and the cork has not dried out and they have been kept in a dark place and relatively cool temperature they may not have any problem. Only way to know is open them and see!

The vermouth generally does not have a cork so it is probably ok if stored upright as long as it is protected from light and kept relatively cool and sealed well. But vermouth is generally pretty cheap so if it tastes off it might be best to just buy a fresh bottle.

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5 hours ago, PaulO said:

I came accross some items in my basement: 2 bottles of Port, Noilly dry vermouth, and M&R sweet vermouth.  They are unopened.  I assume that storing the port standing upright is correct?  Also, 10 year old vermouth would still be good?  

What kind of port is it, some including most LBVs and tawny port are not meant to be aged once bottled. 

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1 hour ago, Thig said:

What kind of port is it, some including most LBVs and tawny port are not meant to be aged once bottled. 

True. Vintage ports are typically the style that are further aged in the bottle, sometimes for many years. Late Bottle Vintage, Tawny's and even Colheita's (basically a vintage Tawny) can be drunk soon after bottling and in fact that is often recommended. But I have had Tawny and Colheita port well after bottling, as much as 20 years or more, and they seemed to still be quite good, especially the Colheita's. Some people feel Colheita's do age in the bottle while others feel they are more like a Tawny which generally does not. Another advantage of Tawny is that it will last at least a month or so after opening whereas a vintage generally does not do as well once opened and should be finished fairly quickly. Another advantage is that Tawny's don't typically have the issue of sediment to deal with.

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54 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

True. Vintage ports are typically the style that are further aged in the bottle, sometimes for many years. Late Bottle Vintage, Tawny's and even Colheita's (basically a vintage Tawny) can be drunk soon after bottling and in fact that is often recommended. But I have had Tawny and Colheita port well after bottling, as much as 20 years or more, and they seemed to still be quite good, especially the Colheita's. Some people feel Colheita's do age in the bottle while others feel they are more like a Tawny which generally does not. Another advantage of Tawny is that it will last at least a month or so after opening whereas a vintage generally does not do as well once opened and should be finished fairly quickly. Another advantage is that Tawny's don't typically have the issue of sediment to deal with.

Just curious, are you also on the FTLOP forum, if not you need to be because you sound like me. Your into port as much as bourbon.

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On 1/29/2016, 11:47:11, Thig said:

What kind of port is it, some including most LBVs and tawny port are not meant to be aged once bottled. 

I have Three Islands American Port from Silverton, OH (I visited the vinyard), and Porto Morgado Ruby bottled in Portugal (Trader Joe's).

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On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2016‎ ‎2‎:‎02‎:‎10‎, Thig said:

Just curious, are you also on the FTLOP forum, if not you need to be because you sound like me. Your into port as much as bourbon.

Nah, SB.com is about all I can handle at the moment. I certainly enjoy port but I am not quite as obsessive about it as I am whiskey!

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7 minutes ago, PaulO said:

I have Three Islands American Port from Silverton, OH (I visited the vinyard), and Porto Morgado Ruby bottled in Portugal (Trader Joe's).

Porto Morgado Ruby is probably, like typical ruby port, intended to be drunk soon after bottling and not aged. It might still be OK but no way to know until you pop it open!

Not familiar with the other one but I would guess it is a ruby style as well and not intended to be aged in the bottle. Although there is no way to know until you try it.

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