Vintage Port

A Vintage Port is from an exceptionally good year and is generally kept in oak barrels for two years and then bottled unfiltered for further maturation in bottle. This causes a deposit/dryness in the bottle. The advice is to decant the Port in such a way that the sediment remains in the bottle. The label always mentions the vintage and the year of bottling.

The special character of Vintage Port requires some preparation before you start drinking it. Before opening the bottle, place it in an upright position for at least 24 hours to allow the deposit to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Carefully decant the Vintage Port into a carafe several hours before consumption. Keep one or two glasses in the bottle to make sure no lees come with the Port wine.

Use the table below as a guide to how long in advance to decant the Vintage Port:

A Port 0 – 7 years old: decant 10 – 12 hours in advance.

A Port 8 – 15 years old: decant 8 – 10 hours in advance.

A Port 16 – 25 years old: decant 6 – 8 hours in advance.

A Port 26 – 35 years old: decant 4 – 6 hours in advance.

A Port 36 – 45 years old: decant 3 – 5 hours in advance.

A Port 46 – 60 years old: decant 2 – 3 hours in advance.

A Port of 60 years and older: decant 1 – 3 hours in advance.