Hot to decant vintage Port
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Watch Gerard Basset MS MW OBE show you how to decant a bottle of Vintage Port...

How to decant vintage Port

Get your decanter, your Port and a funnel – either silver or a plastic one is fine. The you need a filter of some kind.

‘I’m using a clean muslin here – but some people even use a pair of tights or stockings,’ says Basset.

When opening your vintage Port with a corkscrew, bare in mind that the cork will be quite old.

‘The cork may crumble a bit, but don’t worry,’ says Basset. ‘The filter will mean it’s not a problem.’

If using a ‘Butler’s Friend’ style corkscrew, be careful with bottles that are at least 30 years old – the corks tend to lose grip with age, so you may push the whole thing down into the bottle.

When pouring, keep the bottle horizontal and filter it through your muslin, which will catch the heavy sediment.

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Gerard Basset
Gerard Basset
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer, Sommelier, Decanter Man of the Year 2013, DWWA Co-chair & DAWA Vice-chair

Gerard Basset OBE, MW, MS was a world-renowned wine professional. He was the first person to hold a Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and MBA Wine Business qualification simultaneously. In 2010 he won the World Sommelier Championship and he was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his services to the UK hospitality industry. He was named Decanter’s Man of the Year in 2013. He was a founding partner of the Hotel du Vin Group, through which Gerard trained many young sommeliers. He was regularly listed as one of the top 100 most influential people and, among many other accolades, he was presented with the Catey Wine & Spirit Ambassador Award in 2014. In 2007 he opened his own wine hotel in Hampshire, TerraVina, with his wife Nina. He was Director of the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe and Honorary President of the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust). A regular Decanter taster and contributor, he was the Burgundy correspondent in 2014 and served as vice-chair of the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, as well as a co-chair for Decanter World Wine Awards.