Shelf life of port?

And I mean the dessert wine, not the data transfer connection device thingie.

Once you open a bottle of port, how long do you have to drink it before it goes bad? Is it the same as other wines, only a few days?

 

Week or so. Love me some Port. Drink it until it is gone, or smells/tastes bad. The higher proof makes it last longer. The taste will change slowly.

Probably 10 days before I would toss it, or cook with it. There are vacuum seals you can get that will pump out the oxygen and make wine last longer.

http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-0981...e=UTF8&qid=1377998164&sr=8-2&keywords=vacuvin

I think the 10 day claim is exageration, think it adds a couple of days to wine, maybe 4 to a Port.

 

It's not strictly a dessert wine, it's a fortified wine, a mix of spirit (hopefully brandy) and a normal strength wine. As such, kept in the dark, it should have a very long shelf life. I've had some that had previously been last opened at least 2 years before.

Of course, it might vary for a number of reasons but I'd not be afraid to take a sniff and sip some if the nose gave it the all clear!

 

30 seconds:-D

I'm not sure either, I would imagine it depends a lot on the sterility and temperature of the environment it's stored in. Fighting the urge to Google the answer I'm guessing around 2-3 months.

 

Hi Mimsy, short answer a long time (years) as it generally has brandy spirit to preserve it
Long answer....
It depends on whether it is a vintage or a tawny port. A tawny port doesn't bottle age at all and has the final taste the winemaker intends it to have when it leaves the winery so tawny ports will never improve with age. A vintage port on the other hand gains character depth and smoothness as it ages. I have a couple of 15 litre port barrels and one has old liqueur muscat in it and the other has vintage port. They have been going since 1989 and 1990 when they were given to me by my wife. They just have a wooden bung in the top which has a small hole drilled right through it to let in some air when you turn on the tap. When the barrels have 4 litres consumed I go to my favourite winery and buy another 4 litres of bulk vintage port or liqueur muscat and top them up. Port like sherry and muscat are fortified wines meaning brandy spirit has been added to the sweet fermented wine to help preserve it so this means they keep for a long time provided they are kept reasonably cool (not cold) and out of sunlight. Personally I would store the bottle standing up so that the area exposed to air is less to help prevent evaporation if it has a cork but if it has a stelvin seal (screw cap) then it doesn't really matter as stelvin seals are generally airtight.

My port barrels are like these except mine have dripless stainless steel ball valve taps
http://www.thebrewersden.com.au/images/store/5LtrPortBarrel_2.jpg


If anyone is interested this where to get one that is handmade
http://www.thebrewersden.com.au/?stg=586&view=586

My port has been aging since 1990 and after breaking in the barrel with 15 litres of cheap ruby port which was discarded I then started it with 15 litres of 10 year old vintage port and the aggregate age is 33 years old. My liqueur muscat barrel has been going since 1989 and after running it in for two months with 15 litres of cheap muscat, which was then discarded and then refilled with 15 litres of Very Old Liqueur Muscat that was already 15 years old so the aggregate age of my liqueur muscat is 39 years old.
The barrels just sit out on top of the sideboard in the family room and our house has central heating so you see port isn't at all fussy like wine. :-D
BTW they both taste yummy :yum


PS in case you are wondering about the first 30 litres of discarded port and muscat. When you first get a barrel the woodiness of the oak is overpowering so this needs to be tempered first with several days filled and drained with boiling water and then the barrel gets filled then let sit undisturbed for several months with cheap port or muscat. This process also allows the wood in the barrel to swell and become a perfect seal (they leak from the joins when brand new).
When I said discarded it was actually turned into marinades for meat and chicken and much of it given away to friends and family so it wasn't wasted

 

I've drunken real Port, whilst in Portugal. It's was over 100 years old! And no, not mega-pricey, either. Best Port, ever!:drool

 

From the responses in this thread, I gather that I should research my port before opening it. While it was described as a port, a quick internet-trip to the winery website reveals it to be "a Port-styled dessert wine, best described as a Ruby port", a blend of Cabernet and Syrah.

Fred, thanks for the link to the vacuum-seal pump. I actually have one of those, and appreciate the reminder.

 

Does your bottle have a vintage (year) on the bottle? If so then this is a better quality ruby port than a non vintage ruby port. Ruby port is really an unoxidised young port that retains its deep red colour and fruity flavours and is generally made for quaffing. Non vintage ruby ports don't really improve much by aging them and they don't keep anywhere near as well as a vintage or tawny port once opened.

Here is an explanation of the difference between ruby and tawny port
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061227054614AAHaEi4
and this
http://www.oregonwines.com/wine101.php?SectionID=4&FaqID=64

Here is a bit more reading if you are interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_port

Did you know that Syrah is called Shiraz here in Australia because of the French naming rights to some grape varieties and in Australia it is the most grown wine producing grape variety according to Winebiz the Australian Wine Industry reference portal
http://www.winebiz.com.au/statistics/viticulturetable3.asp

Cheers :wine

 

Lucky you Phantom :cool
I have had some fine Portugese port too but it was only 50 years old and it was like nectar of the gods :drool
A friend returned from a European business trip with his company and on departure, as a thank you, the hosts gave him a bottle of 50 year old Fonseca port mmmm I helped him to drink it :drool :drool

I really like muscat (made from the grape variety muscatel) which is popularly grown in Portugal and also Spain and also here in Australia. It is slightly sweeter than an old port and with a silkier smooth finish is a great way to finish a nice meal. :drool
I have been playing with port and muscat for about 35 years although in the early days it was just buying expensive bottles and drinking it LOL
Now my barrels have the same quality and taste as the expensive ports and muscats I used to buy and at a fraction of the cost :cool :-D

 

Hi Mimsy, cheep port - try making Black Velvet with it. :drool
I'll leave you to discover what Black Velvet is.
That is if you don't already know - bye :wave

 

I guess a better answer to the OP is where the bottle is left once opened. At my house, just a couple of days. I have heard of people keeping an opened bottle a lot longer.

Many ports from Portugal are not expensive. The place I used to work has a couple of bottles of port that are over 100 years old. But, at $1k a bottle, a bit out of my price range.

I generally like Port in the winter. For summer, if you can find one, a rose port can be very tasty. Not the same character as a tawny or ruby port, but a good refreshing cold drink for summer. Usually not expensive either. :wine

 

But the myth of wine from Persia is more fun.

http://www.tree.com/food-dining/shiraz-grapes.aspx

Lots of fun 'history' and 'facts' in the wine world. :-D

 

That's my main concern. Unopened wine are kept at a shelf in my pantry, where it's cool and no sunlight, I figured it can be there for at least a few months before I open it.

Thanks again everyone for links and suggestions and advice. I feel a lot more confident about my port now.