If you enjoy good Port wine, find out what you can do, to store your bottles of Port wine efficiently and achieve a perfect tasting!

Ideal conditions for preserving Port wine

To properly store Port wines, you must have: a suitable wine rack at home to keep the bottles protected from direct or natural artificial light; a safe distance from the vibrations of appliances; a location with an ideal temperature of 14ºC, which does not exceed 15ºC; and a place free from oscillations. Plus, the humidity of the place must be kept between 65% to 75%. The location also needs to be properly ventilated, to avoid that odors pass into the wine. And finally, you have to place the bottles in a horizontal position, to keep the corks moist. All these precautions will prevent the oxidation of the wine and its premature aging.

Vintage Port wine bottles have a white ink mark on one side, which means that the bottle should be placed horizontally, with the mark facing upwards. In this way, the natural sediment formed by Port wine is in the same position. Before opening a bottle of Vintage Port wine, place the bottle upright for a few hours, to facilitate decanting.

If you have space, a cellar or refrigerated cabinet for wine conservation, this will be the ideal solution to preserve your Port wines at a constant temperature. As an alternative, most stores offer a wine storage service.

What is the ideal temperature to serve a Port wine?

The temperature at which a Port wine should be served varies depending on whether it is a White Port, a Ruby or a Tawny. You can use the following temperatures as a reference for each type of wine:

• White Porto: 6-10ºC
• Ruby Port: 12-16ºC
• Tawny Port: 10-14ºC

How long can a Port wine be preserved, after opening the bottle?

The conservation of Port wine after opening the bottle, varies depending on the type of wine and the place where it will be kept, in any case you should keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Vintage Port should be drunk within 48 hours. Its conservation must favor a decanter with a lid, to avoid prolonged contact with air.
• Ruby and Ruby Reserva Port wines can be kept for 8 to 10 days, in a decanter or in a properly capped bottle.
• The youngest whites Port Wines can be kept for 8 to 10 days, while the more traditional whites can be stored during 15 to 20 days.
• Tawny and Tawny Reserva Port wines, are kept for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Tawny or Whites Port Wines with an age indication (10/20/30/40 years) and vintage wines can be kept for 1 to 4 months, the older they are, the longer they can be preserved, provided they are properly covered.

If you are looking for wine racks that can adjust to the required conditions, have a look at garrafeiras online shop and discover the various ranges and models available, which meet the specific needs of each customer.

Image by Mix from Pixabay