Why is it that port will age in a bottle and liqour will not? The reason I ask is because I had the pleasure of trying a sample of 50year old port for the first time and loved it. I know that liqour will not age once it is put in the bottle, but have learned that port does nicely with age. Is it the alcohol percentage or the fact that port is only fortified and is still a wine? I usually do not enjoy sweet wine but my mindset has changed since then.

By liquor you mean spirits?

Spirits do in fact age, but they're "neutral" in taste and end up picking up the wood flavors they sit in. The longer it sits, the more woody the flavors get.

Port is a wine that's fortified with a neutral spirit. So like a red wine, the tannins will smoothen out and various other stuff will clump out of the port as it ages.(noticeable by big chunky sediments).

and I'm sure there's a whole bunch of other fancy stuff that I'm not qualified to talk about.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by g-man:
By liquor you mean spirits?

By liquor I was meaning bourbon, scotch, etc... These items once they are bottled I am under the impression that they do not age anymore. I'm probably overthinking this (or underthinking)but, why do these fermented beverages quit ageing when bottled while fortified wine will continue to develop in the bottle. My assumption is the alcohol content. I hate assuming because of the old cliche but was wondering if anyone could educate me on this.

Vin,

The most important difference is that liquor, spirits, etc. have been distilled. They have been heated until vaporized and then cooled and re-condensed. After that treatment there is not much, if anything, left that will develop complexity over time.

Even though Port has spirits and sugar added, it is a red wine with a complicated mix of chemicals that will interact over time. Port will gradually get less sweet, tannins will soften (through polymerization), and aromatic compounds will be released. The high sugar and alcohol content slows the aging process compared to dry, unfortified wine. It would still happen, though, even if you raised the alsohol level to 40%.

Thanks for the replies, found them most useful.

I am not a big Port drinker yet have a couple of good ones for special occasions. Do Ports have to be cellared like wine at lower temperatures?

quote:

Originally posted by winelv1:
I am not a big Port drinker yet have a couple of good ones for special occasions. Do Ports have to be cellared like wine at lower temperatures?

Yes. For reasons stated above. Although some alcohol is added, it is nonetheless wine. In fact, because fortification is done before fermentation is completely finished, it has a lot of fruit juice as well.

Thanks...I am moving my bottles to the cellar now.