Vintage Port?

[Jock Scot]

Do you chaps "over there" drink Port and in particular vintage Port? Do you decant Port? Do you pass the Port? Do you pass the Port to the left when at the formal dinners, and at not so formal dinners and lunches? Do you know all this about drinking Port and more, that is a tradition in some British houses, on occasion, and military Messes?ith:

[macwilkin]

Do you chaps "over there" drink Port and in particular vintage Port? Do you decant Port? Do you pass the Port? Do you pass the Port to the left when at the formal dinners, and at not so formal dinners and lunches? Do you know all this about drinking Port and more, that is a tradition in some British houses, on occasion, and military Messes?ith:

I do, Jock -- I attend several functions in the year where the port is properly decanted and passed. Passing the port is also a custom in the messes of the US Armed Forces, especially the US Navy & Marine Corps.

There is a wonderful wee book entitled Mess Night Traditions by Charles Gibowicz that goes into great detail about the history & custom of mess nights in both the Commonwealth & the US Forces. It is available on Amazon, if anyone is interested.

Regards,

Todd

[JSFMACLJR]

We drink port in our household, as did my father in his! I decanted a very enjoyable Dow's Quinta Do Bomfin 1990 on New Years Eve.

[Jock Scot]

We drink port in our household, as did my father in his! I decanted a very enjoyable Dow's Quinta Do Bomfin 1990 on New Years Eve.

Your Dow's '90 will have been very nice. It would have been even nicer in 20 years time.

[BEEDEE]

Jock - I haven't drunk port seriously since my army days. The tradition in 3RNZIR was to pass the decanter only once and only take just enough to allow a sip for each toast. After dinner the decanter remains and any part bottles were poured into the rose bowl presented by the Countess of Ranfurly when the battalion was the Auckland Regiment.

The rose bowl was passed around a circle of all the subalterns until it was finished. Then the party really started.

I did get to sample some outstanding vintage port when attached to 4RGJ. One of the officers worked for Justerini and Brooks!

Brian

[Galician]

Wow, I have long loved port. In line with Jock's comment, I picked up a bottle in 1973, which I opened and drank in 1996, mostly to help me in a time of a lot of pain. It was spectacular!

I know nothing about decanting, though.

[Sir William]

Had some port after dinner just a night ago. I'm not usually fond of most ports - at least those I've had - but this port was very nice and I need to find out what it was.

It was an informal dinner so the port stayed in the bottle and when whichever way.

At more formal dinners, such as a military dining in, the port has always been decanted and passed to the left - and just the once.

[Jock Scot]

Wow, I have long loved port. In line with Jock's comment, I picked up a bottle in 1973, which I opened and drank in 1996, mostly to help me in a time of a lot of pain. It was spectacular! I know nothing about decanting, though.

Aha! Decanting!I don't know if your bottle of port was a "late bottling", but if you noticed an inch or so of sediment left in the bottle then your last couple of glasses will have been tricky to drink whilst filtering the port through you teeth! Decanting, done properly, will avoid this problem and also airiates the port to allow all those flavours to blossom forth. OK, you need your carefully handled bottle(think nitro glycerine), cork screw, wine funnel, some thing to filter the liquid, musilin is traditional, but coffee filters will do, a candle, a decanter and a steady hand(think nitro glycerine again). The decanter needs to be warm(room temp at least) and dry, place the wine funnel containing the filter into the top of the decanter making sure the decanter is placed securely on the table, light the candle so the flame will be behind, but away from the neck of the bottle, gently pick up the bottle(do not disturb the sediment) remove the cork gently and smell it. An acid type of smell or any musty type smell may indicate you have a duff bottle, and then very gently pour the port into the decanter, leaving most of the sediment in the bottle. You should see the sediment moving though the bottle with the aid of the candle flame. The pouring process could take at least 5 minutes depending how the bottle has been treated and how old the port is and how long it has been in the bottle. Once done, place the stopper in the decanter and place the decanter in a warm room for at least 12 hours to let things settle and for the flavours to develop. Then drink, sip would be better and savour those thirty ,forty ,fifty year old tastes.Simply wonderful! Oh, once decanted the port will not keep for long, so you will just have to drink it.

[Galician]

Wow! I never knew opening the bottle would be so involved. but thank you for that information.

What do you use as a decanter? Those serving vases I see in stores with the long necks?

[JSFMACLJR]

Your Dow's '90 will have been very nice. It would have been even nicer in 20 years time.

Luckily I still have two bottles!