PORT STORAGE

Life in the bottle
The life cycle of vintage port takes place over many years of bottle aging. Initially, vintage port is going to be robust: very full flavored and dominated by red and black berry fruit flavors. After approximately 8-10 years of development the vibrant fresh fruit character begins to subside, but no clear new flavors have arisen yet to take their place. After about 15 years the wine has matured into a port with flavors of dried fruits, particularly figs, cherry and black cherry, marzipan, pepper and spice may also appear. From this point to about 30 years the wine continues to develop creating more complex tastes and aromas. Some fine ports can age up to 40-50 years.

Cellaring
Vintage Port, like all fine wines, prefers to remain undisturbed, lying on its side in a dark and humid place at a stable temperature of between 55°F and 65°F to mature properly. But if you are not blessed with the classic underground stone cellar, do not despair! With a little care wine can be stored at home or you can store it in wine storage cellar.

When assessing your home for a suitable site for storing Vintage Port or any fine wine these should be your considerations:

- A dark place – light is an enemy
- The temperature should be constant. Constancy is more important than the actual temperature, though you do want to choose a cool place, 65°F or less.
- Humidity should not be an issue unless you live in a very dry climate or use dehumidifiers in your home in which case try to store the wine in a place with some natural humidity, to help keep the corks in good condition
- All fine wines should be stored lying on their side and remain undisturbed until brought out for enjoyment. Traditionally Vintage Port bottles have a splash of white paint which was kept uppermost in storage, so that the crust would develop uniformly in one place.

 

MADEIRA STORAGE

Madeira is a fortified wine (18-20%) matured in the cask where oxidation and reduction processes happen. Due to the oxidation (constant contact with oxygen inside the cask) Madeira wines will be very stable and have a huge lifespan after opened.

Bottles of Madeira wine should be stored in an upright position, the main reason for this is that the wine can 'outlive' the cork, as madeira wine can last for hundreds of years. Bottles should be kept out of direct sunlight in a location without great variations in temperature.