Many thanks for your help Mark

We don't exactly know what it is because it was unlabeled (long story)
but we were actually given two bottles, and on opening the first all
the cork said was 'Oporto Cabral 1877' and we believe the second might
be the same thing. The bottle was sealed with an old, short cork and
had black wax over the top. The first bottle was fantastic, so you can
imagine my reaction when I noticed the second one leaking...!!

Do you think we've got a bottle of vinegar on our hands? (and while I'm
here does 'Oporto Cabral' mean anything to you, as it's a bit of a
mystery to us!)


Mark Lipton wrote:

> wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > We were given a bottle of very old port as a gift a while ago, but we
> > haven't stored it very well (it's just been on it's side in our dining
> > room, at room temperature) and although the old cork has been
> > additionally sealed with wax, we've noticed that unfortunately it
> > appears to have been leaking slightly : (
> >
> > I'd just really like to know if this probably means it's already
> > wrecked - is a leaky bottle generally a show stopper for old port? We
> > were kindof saving it for a special occasion, but does this leak mean
> > we might as well quit while we're ahead and open it ASAP at our next
> > dinner party, or if we try and seal it further with more wax might it
> > last a short while longer? (if this might help, would regular candle
> > wax do the trick?)
> >
> > Any advice appreciated as I believe this is a really nice bottle and
> > was slightly devastated when I noticed it leaking!
>
> Interesting question, Nicola. I think that it would help to know what
> exactly you've got: how old, and what kind of Port? If it's vintage
> Port, it can age for many decades and still be quite robust. OTOH, if
> you mean a vintage Port from before WW II, or if it's a Ruby or Tawny
> Port, the story is different. I'd suspect from your description that it
> is a vintage Port (not many Rubies or Tawnies are sealed by wax AFAIK).
> To answer the question, no, leakage is not a sure-fire sign of
> ruination, but a fragile (older) wine may be heat damaged. In any case,
> I'd probably open it sooner rather than later but you'll get a better
> and more informed answer if you can provide more information about the wine.
>
> HTH
> Mark Lipton