UKC

I've come into some old bottles of port 1981,82,86 and a 1976 Madeira.

My vague recollection is that opening older bottles is fraught with risk - any advice from the UKC drinking massif ?

In reply to Dr.S at work:


You couldn't be more correct. It's very dangerous - for both the opener, and the bottle. You can send them to me, I'm an expert at opening them (free of charge).

In reply to Dr.S at work:

This may work...
http://imgur.com/gallery/D9drg6K

In reply to Dr.S at work:

Use a long corkscrew and try to remove the cork entirely. If this part fails and the cork breaks into pieces or pushes into the bottle, you can push the remainder of the cork into the bottle. Strain through muslin into a decanter. Drink.

In reply to gribble:



Do you need to strain it through muslin after that?

In reply to Dr.S at work:

Try this youtube.com/watch?v=8p0-gJF65q8& seems pretty effective and cool.

In reply to Lord_ash2000:

Looks fun, just need to rig up some metal tongs to heat...

In reply to Lord_ash2000:

Basically the same way:
youtube.com/watch?v=YcqVwMvGQtU&

In reply to Dr.S at work:


I wouldn't want to drink them after that...

In reply to Morty:
It looks like there may be a lot of very old vintage port bottles opened tonight!

In reply to Dr.S at work:

I once tried to open a bottle of champagne using the big knife to chop below the top of the cork method. I missed and cut off the top of the bottle with the cork intact. Wait a minute, is that what was supposed to happen?

In reply to Dr.S at work:
I've never found that port or old wines strained through muslin ever tastes quite the same, even though the alternative may mean getting bits of cork in your glass.

In reply to jcw:

In wineries I'm sure they have anything with a cork in tilted downwards, so that the wine stops the cork from drying out.

In reply to Dr.S at work:

Take your time.

Stand the bottle upright for a few days to let any sediment fall to the bottom. Screw the cork screw into the cork just enough so as not to pierce right through. Lever the cork out very carefully, trying not to break it into two pieces. Decant the bottle over a white sheet of paper into a receptacle, making sure you leave any sediment present in the Port, still in the bottle.

Enjoy.

(Really rather jealous)

In reply to Timmd:
That is doubtless true, but anyone who cares will do likewise. However, that does not prevent old corks from crumbling and the issue is do you then strain it or do you do you put up with the
little floating bits in your glass? I find that straining somehow makes for a quality loss.

In reply to Dr.S at work:

I wouldn't consider those bottles as old so I don't think you should have any problems. However 81 and 86 were not declared vintages and 82 wasn't great so they may not be the best quality corks. Use a spiral corkscrew (one with a hollow 'centre' where the wire twists around) and work gently. A coffee filter is fine to remove sediment and a tea strainer for bits of cork if it goes badly.

In reply to Toccata:

interesting - so Port houses vary the quality of the cork they use based on their expectations for the wine?

In reply to Dr.S at work:


Are there any routes on this massif? Can't find it in the database.

In reply to jcw:


I've never drunk port to be honest, I can just remember going around wineries as a kid with my parents while on holiday, and an old guy explaining about the bottles being tilted downwards. I can imagine that straining it through some muslin might do that. Something 'neutral' made from stainless steel to strain it through could be a better idea perhaps?

In reply to Dr.S at work:

Use a shoe! -

youtube.com/watch?v=fXihX13xjqQ&

I used this method on camping trip with a very nice bottle of wine, a shoe and a tree. Works a treat

In reply to ogreville:

Most of the time- a bottle shattered on me once - I was very lucky and escaped almost unharmed, but the stereo amplifier that was below was less fortunate

In reply to Dr.S at work:

What you really need is one of these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/MONOPOL-Two-Prong-superfine-polished-finished/dp/B... - a butler's friend.

At the very least, a very good open coil corkscrew (rather than a closed Archimedes-type screw)