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Mark Lipton[_1_] Mark Lipton[_1_] is offline
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Default Vintage port - leaky bottle : (

wrote:

> 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...!!


OK. Yes, this is an old vintage Port, but (assuming that Cabral was the
producer) not a producer whose name I am familiar with (note that I'm
nothing like an expert on Port, so my lack of familiarity means next to
nothing). Someone more knowledgeable about Port might chime in to
provide a more educated opinion.

>
> 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!)


No, it won't be vinegar. At worst, it'll just taste flat and tired,
with little to no flavor or maybe thin and acidic. But, chances are
that the leakage just resulted from a spike in temperature that
increased the internal pressure of the bottle enough to force out some
wine. However, that does allow the ingress of some oxygen, so your Port
may have suffered a bit. As I said before, consume it sooner rather
than later and be prepared for the worst case by having something else
handy to drink instead should it prove to be over the hill.

(BTW, it's my understanding that vintage Port from that era didn't have
any labels on the bottle. Even today, most don't. Usually, the year
and producer are stenciled on the bottle to avoid mold destroying the
label during the years when it lies in a dank, humid cellar).

Have fun with the bottle, and if you can let us know how it is when you
*do* open it (it's not every day one hears of a 129-year-old bottle of
wine!)

Mark Lipton